This Chocolate Chip Cake is 2 layers of moist and delicious cake with mini semi-sweet chocolate chips baked right in, and a sweet vanilla chocolate chip buttercream frosting to boot!
Table of Contents
About the Recipe
This chocolate chip cake is 2, 8 inch layers of moist and fluffy white cake that has mini semi-sweet chocolate chips baked right in. It's a super easy recipe to make without the use of your hand mixer or stand mixer and pairs perfectly with this creamy vanilla, chocolate chip buttercream frosting.
Both the chocolate chip cake layers and the chocolate chip buttercream frosting can be made in advance. You can even freeze this cake easily after frosting it too. Just make sure to bring it to room temperature before enjoying it!
A Few Helpful Tips
Prep your cake pans. Whenever I am baking cakes (bundt cakes included), I always use Baker's Joy. It's a flour-based baking spray that just works super well and I've never had any issues getting a cake stuck in a pan. Generously coat both 8-inch cake pans.
I also recommend adding a parchment paper circle to the bottom of the cake pan, then respraying the top lightly with more baking spray.
Flour-coat your chocolate chips. This is just for the cake part of the recipe. Coating them in a little flour before adding them to the batter at the end helps to keep them from sinking to the bottom while baking.
I will say though that, even with flour coating, sometimes your chips will still sink (it's even happened to me), but your cake will still be good, I promise!
Let your cakes cool. Before frosting your cakes, make sure they are 100% cooled.
Storing your cake layers. If you are making your cake in advance, you can keep these chocolate chip cake layers kept at room temperature double wrapped tightly in plastic wrap for up to 3 days.
You can also freeze them for up to one month, by double wrapping them tightly in plastic wrap and placing them into a large freezer bag.
Wait on the chocolate chips. If making your chocolate chip buttercream frosting in advance, wait to add in the chocolate chips until you're ready to actually frost the cake. If you add them in before, it will make it harder to revive the frosting when you mix it again in the mixer.
Keep the frosting stored in a tightly sealed food container for up to a week in the refrigerator. Bring it out 45 minutes to 1 hour in advance of using, then give it a few whips of the stand mixer and paddle attachment. Then you can add in the chocolate chips.
You can also omit the mini semi-sweet chocolate chips from the buttercream frosting entirely if you would like a smoother look to your frosting, or having them in the cake is perfect enough.
Alternatively, you can try this chocolate frosting recipe.
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Recipe FAQs
I used Wilton brand 8" x 2" cake pans for this chocolate chips cake recipe.
This is totally your call. I do, on occasion, like to use my Wilton bake strips when baking round cakes. They do an excellent job from preventing doming on your cakes. If you don't have any though, you can either cool the cakes upside down on the cooling racks or simply cut and level the domes off the top of your cakes. Make sure to use a serrated bread knife and wait until your cakes have cooled completely.
This helps to prevent them from sinking to the bottom during baking. Even with doing this sometimes though, they'll still sink, but I promise your cake will still taste just as good!
This cake when fully assembled and frosted measures approximately 4 ½ inches high (with each cake layer being 2" tall).
More Delicious Beyond the Butter Cake Recipes to Enjoy!
Chocolate Chip Cake with Chocolate Chip Buttercream Frosting
Author:Ingredients
chocolate chip cake
- 2 cup All-Purpose Flour
- 2 cup Granulated Sugar
- 2 teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup Whole Milk (1% or 2% can also be used)
- ½ cup Water
- ¾ cup Vegetable Oil
- 1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract
- 2 Large Eggs (room temperature)
- 1 cup Semi-Sweet Mini Chocolate Chips (coated in 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour)
chocolate chip buttercream frosting
- 1 cup Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
- 4 cup Sifted Powdered Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ¼ cup Heavy Cream
- ¼ cup Semi-Sweet Mini Chocolate Chips
Instructions
chocolate chip cake
- Adjust oven rack to the 2nd level position (just above center) and preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Spray 2, 8 inch cake pans with a flour-based baking spray and set aside. You may also wish to add parchment paper circles and/or cake strips.
- In a medium-size mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.2 cup All-Purpose Flour, 2 cup Granulated Sugar, 2 teaspoon Baking Powder, ½ teaspoon Salt
- In large size mixing bowl, whisk together the whole milk, water, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and eggs.1 cup Whole Milk, ½ cup Water, ¾ cup Vegetable Oil, 1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract, 2 Large Eggs
- Slowly whisk in the dry ingredients with the wet and mix until just combine, then fold in the flour coated semi-sweet mini chocolate chips. Do not over mix the cake batter.1 cup Semi-Sweet Mini Chocolate Chips
- Evenly pour into the 2 prepared 8 inch cake pans and bake side-by-side for 35-40 minutes at 350ºF or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean (my oven took 40 minutes).
- When done, allow the cakes to cool for 10 minutes before inverting the cakes onto wire cooling racks. Make sure the cakes have cooled completely before frosting.
- Cakes can be double wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and kept at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up 3 days. If planning to freeze, double wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and place them in a large freezer bag. Cakes can remain in the freezer for up to a month. When ready, take the cakes out of the freezer and frost.
chocolate chip buttercream frosting
- Using your hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the unsalted butter on medium-high speed until completely smooth (about 2-3 minutes).1 cup Unsalted Butter
- Switching the speed to low, add in the sifted powdered sugar one cup at a time until blended. Then add in the vanilla extract and heavy cream. Stir the mini chocolate chips using a spatula. If making the frosting in advance, wait to add the chocolate chips until you're ready to frost the cake.4 cup Sifted Powdered Sugar, 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract, ¼ cup Heavy Cream, ¼ cup Semi-Sweet Mini Chocolate Chips
Jennifer Preston says
Jenn!! I just LOVE how you decorate this cake. That chocolate chip swirl is just gorgeous!
Jennifer says
Oh my gosh Jennifer, thank you so much! I had fun making it!
Sky says
What's the flavor resemble? A vanilla cake with chocolate chips? Or more of a cookie dough? Been looking to find a recipe for cupcakes that taste like cookie dough and this might be it?
Jennifer says
This cake resembles a vanilla cake with chocolate chips, sorry! You should check out The Scran Line. I bet he will more than likely have what you're looking for with a cookie dough taste!
Meghan says
Hello, how can I use the same recipe to make eggless cake..
Jennifer says
I'm sorry, I don't know as I did not test the recipe with any egg substitutes.
Amanda says
I am making this tomorrow and I can. not. wait!
Jennifer says
Yay! I hope you love it as much I do!❤️ If you take an pics, send some my way via Insta @beyond.the.butter / #beyondthebutter) so I can share them!
Giustina says
This looks yummy! Can I make these into cupcakes instead of cake?
Jennifer says
I haven’t tried it, but yes! Keep the oven temp the same, but bake them for about 18-20 minutes. I’d love to see how they come out!
Elena says
Hello! My first language is not English. But I don’t understand the frosting part like what we do between the 2 cakes I don’t understand:(
Jennifer says
Hi! No problem. You add a layer of frosting between the two cooled chocolate chip cakes then frost the entire outside of the cake. I hope this helps!
Jessica says
This cake was SO yummy and my son loved it for his birthday! All the chocolate chips fell to the bottom of the cakes. Did I do something wrong? I thought they would be more mixed into the cake.
Jennifer says
Oh I’m so glad he loved it! You didn’t do anything wrong, sometimes that can happen. If you coat the chocolate chips with some flour in a ziplock bag that can help keep them from sinking.
Charlie M says
How about using buttermilk in the cake?
Jennifer says
I only tested it with the 3 types of milk I mention in the ingredients list, but I don't see why you couldn't try buttermilk.
Linda says
Can you make this as a snacking cake without frosting it? Will it be moist enough on its own?
Jennifer says
I didn't test the recipe this way, but I don't see why not! It's definitely moist enough on its own.
Annamarie says
Just made this for my daughters 14th birthday and it was delicious!! It was a big hit with the entire crew!!
Jennifer says
So happy it was a hit, thank you, Anna Marie!
Jill says
Can I use 9 inch cake pans??
Jennifer says
I didn't test this in a 9-inch cake pan, but I don't see why you couldn't! The layers will just be a little thinner. Be mindful of your baking time too.
Jenny C says
Is there any way to sub the milk for almond milk or soy milk and make it dairy free
Jennifer says
I'm sorry, I don't know as I didn't test the recipe this way.
Daria says
I used canned coconut milk for this, and it was delicious!
Olive says
I just made it with almond milk and it worked very well
Jordan says
This cake was delicious and easy to make!
Jennifer says
Thank you, Jordan! And thank you for sharing your beautiful cake on Instagram!
Monica says
I made this cake for my husband’s 50th birthday yesterday. We all loved it! It was very moist and the frosting was fantastic!
Livi says
Can I make this gluten free?
Jennifer says
I didn't test the recipe with a gluten-free flour, but you could try it out. I would recommend a 1:1 gluten-free flour though if you do.
Joy says
Can you use cake flour as a substitute for the all purpose flour?
Jennifer says
I'm sure it can be used as a substitute, but I did not test the recipe this way so I can't say how it will turn out.
Collette Ricks says
Should I sift the powdered sugar before measuring the 4 cups? Or sift after?
Jennifer says
Yes, that's correct You should sift it before measuring.
Ceci says
I loved the ease of making this cake so I decided to try it. My husband enjoyed it, but I thought it was just okay. I halved the frosting recipe because the cake didn't rise two inches. I also stirred chocolate chips into the frosting but I would not do that again as it made it difficult to spread the frosting. It's probably best to just sprinkle some chocolate chips on the cake after it's frosted as it appears in your pictures.
Jennifer says
I'm sorry it wasn't a hit for you, but I certainly appreciate you trying the recipe! If your cakes didn't rise properly it could possibly be your baking powder. With the frosting, I did frost the cake with the chocolate chips mixed in with a few added after. Frosting them with the chips mixed in can make it kind of bumpy and not smooth when applying, so you can definitely leave them out and add them on after if you prefer.
Mara says
Can I bake this as a sheet cake or would it be too much batter?
Jennifer says
Hi! I'm sorry I didn't test this in a sheet pan, so I can't say for certain how it would come out. I think it would be too much batter unless you maybe split it up into two sheets pans.
Collette Ricks says
This cake was a beautiful success! I make it for a Sunday school teacher appreciation event at our church, so I wanted to make something that everyone would enjoy. I make 3 layers (just used 1.5x the ingredients), so that it would be more substantial in order to serve more people. Everyone loved it - it was striking and "different" looking than most cakes - so definitely an attention grabber. Thank you for the inspiration!
Collette Ricks says
Oops - typo -
I made 3 layers.....
I'll add - It was rich and delicious - but also light and moist! Yum!
Jennifer says
Thank YOU for making it! I'm glad it was a big hit!
Amy says
Made this for my son’s birthday! It was delicious! My chips did sink to the bottom-but it didn’t matter! I also used a brown sugar frosting instead which made it almost resemble chocolate chip cookies!!
Jennifer says
Thank you so much for making it—the brown sugar frosting sounds wonderful! And...the chips sometimes happen to me too (even when coating them)...it's okay!
Lisa says
Can you make this in a 9x13 pan?
Jennifer says
I haven't tried it in this pan, but I don't see why not!
Mignonne Silva says
Lovely, very simple cake. I had some left over buttermilk and used that instead of water. I only have dark chocolate chips and 100 percent cacao chips so I used the dark chocolate inside and the cacao chips in the frosting and it really helped balance the sweetness while delivering the intense chocolate I need. Very quick and easy to make.
Jennifer says
I love the substitute of buttermilk and dark chocolate!
Lori Murray says
I've baked many chocolate chip cakes but was never 100% thrilled with them. So I tried this recipe for a birthday party. It was a huge hit! Best chocolate chip cake that I have ever baked. I will be using only this recipe from now on. Thank you!!
Lee says
Made this over the weekend. I may have overmixed the batter a little and my flour-coated chips sunk like stones, but this cake was AMAZING!!!! Everything about it, from the cake to the frosting delivers. Will for sure be making this again - soon!
Anita says
Could I make this in a bunt cake pan? I only have 1 round pan right now so was hoping I could do it in the bunt pan instead.
Jennifer says
I only tested it using the 2, 8-inch cake tins so I can't say for certain how it would come out, but I don't see why you couldn't.
Brit says
This was actually the first cake I have every made from scratch. It was absolutely delicious. Hands down the best cake I have ever eaten. The only thing that I did differently was use lactose free 2% milk in the cake. That’s just because that’s what I had in hand.
Corinne says
Tried this and it came out totally flat. The batter was super super thin, chips all sank, and it came out super dense and not at all cakey. Wasn’t the baking powder either- we tested it before we baked with it. Too much liquid compared to the dry ingredients I think.
Jennifer says
I'm sorry it didn't work out for you, but I appreciate you trying the recipe and for the feedback!
Sue says
Made this for Easter/birthday celebration. It came out perfect and received compliments and clean plates! I just made a little less icing - just over half the recipe and canola oil instead of vegetable oil since I didn’t have any.