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 using 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.
Coat your 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.
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 actually 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 stored in a tightly sealed food container for up to a week in the refrigerator. Bring it out 45 minutes to 1 hour before 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.
Recommended Cake Baking Tools
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 them from sinking to the bottom during baking. Even with doing this sometimes, they’ll still 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).
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. 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 tsp Vanilla Extract, 1/4 cup Heavy Cream, 1/4 cup Semi-Sweet Mini Chocolate Chips
Video
Notes
- This cake when assembled and frosted measures approx. 4 1/2″ high (with each cake layer being 2″ tall).
- When spraying the cake pans with baking spray, you can also add an 8″ circle of parchment paper to the inside bottom of the pans.
- While I didn’t test the recipe this way, you can make this Chocolate Chip Cake as cupcakes. The baking time stays the same, but you will reduce your baking time to 18-20 minutes. The recipe will yield 18-24 cupcakes.
- 9/30/22 – The recipe has been retested/updated after hearing issues with chocolate chips sinking to the bottom.
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.