Rich, moist, and intensely chocolatey, this decadent Black Magic Cake will become your go-to chocolate cake for any occasion. This foolproof recipe guarantees flavor with buttermilk, high-quality cocoa, and a bit of espresso. Perfect for the chocolate lover in your life!
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🍰 Whether for birthdays, holidays, or “just because” moments, this foolproof recipe works beautifully as layer cakes, sheet cakes, or even cupcakes.
My 2 Best Tips For Making Black Magic Cake
#1 – Combining Eggs & Hot Water: You have to be a little careful when adding boiling water and eggs in the same step, or the boiling water can cook/curdle your eggs! As you’ll see in the recipe instructions, the hot water will be mixed into the dry ingredients first, and then the egg mixture will be incorporated. Just follow the steps in that order, and you won’t have any issues.
#2 – Full Fat Buttermilk: I highly recommend using full fat buttermilk in this recipe, not low fat. The texture and taste of the cake will be affected if low fat milk is used. If you’re making a substitute version of buttermilk with vinegar or lemon juice, use whole milk and not skim.
This cake is easy to make with kitchen staple ingredients, but the result is always impressive. Dense, moist, rich, and coated in a silky smooth fudge frosting. What’s not to love?
This frosting is luxurious and soft. It is not a stiff buttercream. In fact, it doesn’t pipe all that well, so go ahead and use a simple butter knife to decorate your cake.
I highly recommend a really, really good cocoa for this recipe since it’s one of the main flavor components. I used King Arthur’s Triple Cocoa Blend, and it worked beautifully!
🩷 Melissa
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Black Magic Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 1-¾ cups sugar
- 1-¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup good quality cocoa I used King Arthur Triple Cocoa Blend.
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 ¼ cup full fat buttermilk
- ¼ teaspoon espresso powder
- 1 cup boiling water
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Chocolate Fudge Frosting:
- ¾ cup butter melted
- 1 cup good quality cocoa
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- ½ cup milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
Make the Cake:
- Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans or one 13x9x2-inch baking pan. (Line bottoms of pans with parchment paper if making a layer cake so the layers will turn out easily.)
- Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
- Add eggs, buttermilk, espresso powder, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 30 seconds until mixed.
- Add dry ingredient mixture to the mixer and mix on low briefly until it's starting to mix. With the mixer on low, gently add in the hot water and mix for 1-2 minutes until thoroughly combined, scraping the sides of the bowl. Batter will be thin.
- Pour batter evenly into prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes for round pans, 35 to 40 minutes for rectangular pan or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
- Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.
Make the Frosting:
- Place melted butter in large mixer bowl. Add cocoa, stirring until smooth.
- Gradually beat in powdered sugar, milk and vanilla, beating until smooth. If necessary add additional milk, ½ teaspoon at a time, beating until spreading consistency. Frost cake after the cake has cooled. Makes about 3 cups of frosting.
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe FAQs
The name “Black Magic Cake” refers to the cake’s intensely dark color and its seemingly magical ability to remain incredibly moist for days. The rich, dark chocolate flavor combined with the cake’s velvety texture creates an enchanting dessert experience that feels almost supernatural in its perfection.
While you can skip the espresso powder if you don’t have it, I highly recommend using it. The espresso powder doesn’t make the cake taste like coffee – it enhances and deepens the chocolate flavor. It’s a secret ingredient many professional bakers use to elevate chocolate desserts.
Yes! This cake actually becomes even more flavorful a day after baking. You can bake the layers up to 2 days in advance, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap, and store at room temperature. The frosted cake can be refrigerated for up to 5 days – just bring to room temperature before serving for the best texture and flavor.
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Did you try this recipe? Leave a ⭐️ rating below and share it on Instagram.
Kate | Food Babbles
This cake sounds amazing! Magic indeed. I love adding coffee when there’s chocolate involved. I think it always deepens the flavor. Lovely pick!
Loretta | A Finn In The Kitchen
It’s so hard to find anything wrong with a basic chocolate-on-chocolate cake! I love adding a little splash of coffee, even if the recipe doesn’t call for it.
I adore how dark and moist this looks 🙂
Tracey
I have a very odd confession…I don’t like coffee or mocha or espresso. “Everyone” always says that I won’t be able to taste the coffee but I always can. Can I make this most awesome of cakes without coffee/espresso??
Thanks! 🙂
Tracey
Oh and I LOVE your blog!! 🙂
Barbara Schieving
I don’t like coffee or espresso either, but I really couldn’t taste the little bit I used in this cake. Of course you can make this cake without the espresso. Just leave it out. It will still be fantastic. I’ve also added chocolate extract in place of the espresso too if you want to try that. Thanks for the blog love!
AmandaE
OMGoodness this cake looks insanely indulgent and amazing!!! Have a feeling my husband would love having this on his next birthday. Perfect SRC pick
Claire @ Claire K Creations
I’m so glad you liked it Barbara and what an honor to have it made for the twins Birthday! I hope they had a Happy Birthday.
teresa
aw, i don’t think i knew you had twin boys, and they look so sweet!
speaking of sweet, love this cake, it looks like chocolate heaven!
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella
This is gorgeous mum! And you and Claire are two of my favourite bloggers so I feel especially excited to see this post 😀 xxx
Nancy P
Barbara,
LOVE the sound and look of this chocolate recipe! I am a baker, through and through. What i really love is the picture of your boys and their dates- too cute! My daughter is a junior, and is going to her first prom, in 4 days! Her dress is a dream of red, with lace, some sequins, and tulle, layers of it! It has been so fun to plan and shop. She went out with the boy who asked her, just a couple nights ago. Oh, how time flies! My son is in his second year of college. Glad to have found your blog!
Barbara Schieving
Hi Nancy – glad you found my blog too. I hope your daughter has a wonderful prom. That first one is always so memorable.
kelley {mountain mama cooks}
This looks amazing. You’re always making the most beautiful cakes. Your boys are adorable! It’s hard for me to imagine that mine will ever be that old!
Rachel @ Baked by Rachel
What a beautiful picture of your kids and their dates! PS I totally want to shove my face in a slice of that cake. Looks heavenly.
Emily
Chocolate cake with chocolate frosting is my most absolute favorite! YUM!
Katrina
I love that you have adapted it for high altitude! And it certainly looks delicious! I’ve eyed this cake before but haven’t made it yet. Didn’t realize you have twins. Fun times!
melissa@IWasBornToCook
Happy birthday to the twins! What a gorgeous, delicious cake!
Deborah
The cake looks amazing!! And happy birthday to the twins!
carrian
your baking skills are unreal. I need so much help with cake making. Please can we make one together?!
Barbara Schieving
Thanks!!! You know I’d love to get in the kitchen and bake with you any time.
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar
This cake looks soooo good! Yum!
dhiraj kumar
Oh! how sweet is this Black magic cake .The butter milk cake and its flavoure will relly create amagical effect on those who Thanks for suggesting such ataste it. Surely i would love to present it as a B’day gift to my friend.nice butter cake.
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef
Twin 17 year olds must eat a lot 🙂
Claire lives not far from me and we’ve met on a few occasions. She’s as lovely in person as she is online. That smile of hers goes from ear to ear and everyone just lights up when she arrives. I’m so glad you got her!
This cake is beautiful!
Barbara Schieving
How fun that you’re so close. Maybe I should come visit you both one day. It would be so nice to meet you lovely ladies. 🙂
Rosa
Happy Birthday to your boys!
This cake looks lovely and so delicious.
Cheers,
Rosa
Averie @ Averie Cooks
The fact that you settled on this cake, of all the cakes in the whole world to make for their bday, is a pretty strong statement to how good it must be! I just had a panic attack that my 6 yr old will be 16 and going to prom in the blink of an eye. Thanks for this sweet post, Barbara. Pinning!
Barbara Schieving
Thanks Averie – it really does seem to happen over night.