This Chocolate Chip Cake is 2 layers of moist and delicious vanilla cake loaded with mini semi-sweet chocolate chips and a sweet vanilla chocolate chip buttercream frosting to boot!
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This simple chocolate chip cake is two 8-inch layers of moist, fluffy white cake with mini semi-sweet chocolate chips topped with a creamy vanilla chocolate chip buttercream frosting.
It’s an easy recipe to make in advance (both the cake and the buttercream frosting), and you can even freeze it after frosting!
And if you love this recipe, check out my Moist Banana Cake (also two layers), Chocolate Oreo Cake (three layers), or my Single Layer Funfetti Cake!
Enjoy!
Table of Contents
Ingredients Needed
Chocolate Chip Cake
The following ingredients are needed to make this easy chocolate chip cake recipe. Items noted in the bulleted list are key ingredients that need a bit more explanation.
- All-Purpose Flour. Use your favorite brand of flour—I used King Arthur.
- Whole Milk. You can also use 1% or 2% dairy milk.
- Semi-Sweet Mini Chocolate Chips. I recommend Ghirardelli, as they’re lighter and less prone to sinking during baking. I would still coat them in a little flour before adding them to the batter, though!
Chocolate Chip Buttercream Frosting
The following ingredients are needed to make this simple chocolate chip buttercream frosting. Items noted in the bulleted list are key ingredients that need a bit more explanation.
- Powdered Sugar. I highly recommend sifting the powdered sugar to remove any clumps.
- Heavy Cream. You could also use whole milk in a pinch.
- Semi-Sweet Mini Chocolate Chips. You can omit the mini chocolate chips from the frosting if you prefer just the cake to have them, or you prefer a smoother frosting.
How to Make the Recipe
Below is a quick overview of how to make this two-layer chocolate chip cake recipe. For the full printable recipe, with US customary or metric measurements, visit the recipe card below.
Chocolate Chip Cake
Step 1. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl. Reserve 2-3 tablespoons of this mixture to coat the mini chocolate chips in.
Step 2. Beat the butter and sugar together. Add in the eggs, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and whole milk, mix until well blended.
Step 3. Add the whisked dry mixture to the bowl of wet ingredients. Fold in the coated mini chocolate chips.
Step 4. Transfer the chocolate chip cake batter evenly into the two 8 inch pans.
Step 5. Bake the cake layers for 32-35 minutes at 350ºF.
Step 6. Let the cake layers cool for 10 minutes in the pans. Then invert them onto a cooling rack to finish cooling completely.
Chocolate Chip Buttercream Frosting
Step 1. Beat the butter until nice and smooth. You can use your hand mixer or stand mixer.
Step 2. Add in the powdered sugar, then the vanilla extract and heavy cream.
Step 3. Stir in the semi-sweet mini chocolate chips.
Step 4. Frost the cooled cake layers, then enjoy!
Storage and Freezing Instructions
For the cake layers. If you are making your cake in advance, you can keep these chocolate chip cake layers at room temperature or in the refrigerator, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to 3 days.
You can also freeze the cake layers for up to one month by tightly wrapping them in plastic wrap and placing them in a large freezer bag.
For the frosting. If making the chocolate chip buttercream frosting in advance, wait to add in the chocolate chips until you’re actually ready to 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 in a tightly sealed food container in the refrigerator for up to a week. Bring it out 45 minutes to 1 hour before using, then give it a few whips with the stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Then you can add the chocolate chips.
Helpful Tips
- Prep your cake pans. Whenever I bake cakes (including bundt cakes), I always use Baker’s Joy. It’s a flour-based baking spray that works super well, and I’ve never had any issues with a cake sticking to the 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.
- Coat your mini chocolate chips. This is just for the cake part of the recipe. Coating them in a little of the whisked dry mixture before adding them to the batter at the end helps to keep them from sinking to the bottom while baking.
- Let your cakes cool. Before frosting your cakes, make sure they are 100% cooled.
Recipe FAQs
I used Wilton brand 8″ x 2″ cake pans for this chocolate chip 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 of preventing doming on your cakes. If you don’t have any, 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 the mini chocolate chips from sinking to the bottom during baking. Even with doing this, though, they still might sink, but I promise your cake will still taste just as good!
When fully assembled and frosted, this chocolate chip cake measures approximately 4 1/2 inches high (with each cake layer being 2″ tall).
If you tried this Chocolate Chip Cake recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know what you thought in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Chocolate Chip Cake
Ingredients
Chocolate Chip Cake
- 2 1/4 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups Granulated Sugar
- 2 Large Eggs, room temperature
- 1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
- 1 cup Whole Milk, 1% or 2% can also be used
- 1 tbsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 cup Semi-Sweet Mini Chocolate Chips
Chocolate Chip Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup Unsalted Butter, room temperature
- 4 cup Sifted Powdered Sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/4 cup Heavy Cream
- 1/4 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-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Reserve 2-3 tablespoons of this dry mixture for the mini chocolate chips to be coated in before they're added to the batter.2 1/4 cups All-Purpose Flour, 2 tsp Baking Powder, 1/4 tsp Salt
- In a separate large mixing bowl, beat together the unsalted butter and granulated sugar. Add in the eggs, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and whole milk, mixing until well blended.1/2 cup Unsalted Butter, 2 Large Eggs, 1/4 cup Vegetable Oil, 1 cup Whole Milk, 1 tbsp Vanilla Extract, 1 1/2 cups Granulated Sugar
- Add the whisked dry ingredients (minus 2-3 tablespoons for coating the mini chocolate chips) with the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold in the coated semi-sweet mini chocolate chips. The cake batter will be on the thicker side, but easily spreadable in the cake pans.1 cup Semi-Sweet Mini Chocolate Chips
- Evenly scoop and spread the cake batter into the 2 prepared 8-inch cake pans and bake side-by-side for 32-35 minutes at 350ºF or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean (my oven took 35 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.4 cup Sifted Powdered Sugar, 1 tsp Vanilla Extract, 1/4 cup 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.1/4 cup Semi-Sweet Mini Chocolate Chips
- When ready, frost the cooled cake layers, then serve.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information provided above is an estimate only and will vary based on specific ingredients used. See Nutritional Disclaimer for more info.
Have you tried this in a bundt pan???
Hi! No, I have not, but you could certainly bake this in one.
I’m a cake baker (little side business) and decorator. Just made this tonight for my son’s birthday cake. Excellent recipe! So quick and easy… uses ingredients most people already have on hand. Thank you! I cut the sugar by 1/4 cup, and didn’t make the accompanying frosting. I used regular size chocolate chips, but ideally, next time, I’ll use mini chips. The cake was soft, fluffy, with a nice crisp crumb around the bottom and sides. Love it! Thank you
I’m so glad you loved the cake, Genevieve! Thank you for making it and for leaving this review!
Very tasty! I halved the cake recipe for a single layer cake which worked great.
Thank you for making it! I’m glad it was a hit!
Trying the recipe tomorrow – if making ahead, should I frost the day before or wait until the party? The problem is, I won’t have my mixer the day of the party. Could I hand mix it and mix the chocolate chips in just before consumption?
You can frost the cake the day before, no problem! After frosting the cake, keep it stored in the fridge before transporting it to your party.
I absolutely love this recipe and I bake it in a 13×9 pan.
The cake layers were on the thin side not sure if I beat the batter too long . It’s a rich tasting cake and I used a different vanilla butter cream recipe . If I make it again I may try to make a lighter frosting . Good cake overall .
All my chocolate chip sunk!
I’m so sorry that happened! It’s possible the batter was over mixed which can cause chocolate chips to sink. Not coating them in flour can cause sinking too. Did you use regular chocolate chips or mini chips? Were there any substitutions made?
This cake is delicious! I especially love how you print your recipe with the ingredients needed for each instruction.
Have never seen that before but what a time saver. No need to go back to list of ingredients to see measurements! kudos to you!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cake, Elaine! And I really appreciate the feedback on the recipe instructions!
Can I use a sheet cake pan?
I never tried it this way, so can’t say how it will turn out or what size to recommend. Sorry!
Just baked this cake for my son’s birthday and everyone loved it!!! Chocolate chips didn’t sink to the bottom and my daughter has now requested this for her birthday too! Thank you for the wonderful recipe.