Indulge in a slice of our irresistible chocolate chip cake that features a moist texture, velvety buttercream frosting, and more decadent chocolate chips than you can count.
Prep Time30 minutesmins
Cook Time30 minutesmins
Total Time1 hourhr
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Chocolate Chip Cake Recipe
Servings: 12
Calories: 1070kcal
Ingredients
Cake
2cupsall-purpose flour
1tablespoonbaking powder
½teaspoonsalt
½cupunsalted butter,softened
1½cupsgranulated sugar
¼cupvegetable oil
2teaspoonsvanilla extract
3largeeggs,room temperature
¾cupmilk,room temperature
1cupmini semi-sweet chocolate chips
Frosting
2cupsunsalted butter,softened
8cupspowdered sugar
2teaspoonsvanilla extract
⅔cupheavy cream
½cupmini semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray two 8-inch round cake pans with non-stick baking spray; you can also line the bottoms with parchment paper if you like.
Measure flour into a medium bowl. Remove 1 tablespoon of the flour and set aside.
Add the baking powder and salt to the bowl of flour and stir together.
In a separate bowl, beat the butter and granulated sugar with a hand mixer until combined; the mixture will be slightly crumbly.
Add the oil and vanilla extract and beat for 1 to 2 minutes longer until creamy.
Beat in 1 egg at a time until the mixture is fluffy and fully combined.
Rotate between adding the milk and the flour mixture until the cake batter is combined.
Add the reserved tablespoon of flour to 1 cup of chocolate chips and toss to coat. Beat or fold the chocolate chips into the cake batter.
Divide the cake batter between the two prepared pans. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the cakes comes out with a few crumbs.
Cool cakes on a cooling rack for 20 minutes, then remove them from the pan and cool completely.
To prepare the frosting, beat the softened butter in the bowl of a standing mixer until fluffy and lightened in color, about 2 minutes.
Add in the powdered sugar, half at a time, mixing on low speed and increasing to high speed to prevent the powdered sugar from spraying out of the bowl. Beat until the frosting is fluffy, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure even mixing.
Add the vanilla extract and heavy cream and beat on high speed until light and fluffy (2 minutes).
Place the first layer of cake on a plate or cake stand. Spread a layer of frosting about ½-inch thick over the cake. Sprinkle the mini chocolate chips over the filling and use the spatula to smooth the chips into the frosting.
Place the second layer of cake upside down on top of the first and press down slightly. Mound the frosting on top of the cake and spread it across the top and down the sides.
After you’ve smoothed the frosting over the whole cake, sprinkle chocolate chips over the frosting and spread them in as you finish coating the cake.
Notes
A 10-ounce bag of mini chocolate chips (standard size) is the perfect amount for the cake and frosting.
The frosting recipe makes a generous portion allowing for a thick fill layer and thick frosting all around. Halve the recipe for a more lightly frosted cake.
Oven temperatures vary and may need to be recalibrated periodically to ensure they are accurate. Make sure to check your cake at the lower end of the recommended baking time.
When the cake layers are cool, wrap them with plastic wrap and place them in the freezer for a couple of hours (or up to 3 days); unwrap, assemble, and frost the cake. It will be easier to assemble with the cake firm, and the cake will thaw by the time you’ve frosted it and sliced into it.
You can also beat the mini chocolate chips into the frosting, but it may be difficult to spread the frosting smoothly without tearing up the cake. You can also simply sprinkle the chocolate chips over the frosted cake.