This Chocolate Chip Cake is two layers of moist, tender white cake studded with mini semi‑sweet chocolate chips and finished with a creamy vanilla chocolate‑chip buttercream. Easy to make without a stand mixer and perfect for gatherings—makes two 8‑inch layers.
About the Recipe
This chocolate chip cake yields two 8‑inch layers of moist, fluffy white cake with mini semi‑sweet chocolate chips folded into the batter. It’s simple to prepare and pairs beautifully with the vanilla chocolate‑chip buttercream. Both cake layers and frosting can be made ahead; the finished, frosted cake also freezes well—thaw to room temperature before serving.
A Few Helpful Tips
Prep the pans. Generously coat two 8‑inch cake pans with a flour‑based baking spray. For extra insurance, line the bottoms with parchment circles and lightly respray.
Prevent sinking chips. Reserve 2–3 tablespoons of the dry flour mixture and toss the mini chocolate chips in it before folding into the batter. This helps keep them suspended while baking, though a little sinking can still happen without affecting flavor.
Cool completely. Make sure the cake layers are fully cooled before frosting to avoid melting the buttercream.
Store or freeze layers. Wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, cake layers keep at room temperature for up to 3 days or frozen for up to one month. Thaw before frosting.
Finish the frosting last. If you make the buttercream in advance, add the mini chocolate chips only when you’re ready to frost. Store the frosting refrigerated in a sealed container for up to a week; bring to room temperature and rewhip briefly before adding chips.
Recommended Cake Baking Tools
- Two 8‑inch round cake pans (2″ deep)
- Mixing bowls, whisk and spatula
- Hand mixer or stand mixer (optional)
- Parchment circles and a serrated knife for leveling
- Wire cooling racks
Recipe FAQs
Two 8″ × 2″ cake pans were used for this recipe.
Cake strips help reduce doming and are useful if you want very flat layers. If you don’t have them, you can cool cakes upside down briefly or trim domes with a serrated knife after they’ve cooled.
Tossing chips in a bit of the dry mix helps prevent them from sinking during baking, keeping them evenly distributed throughout the cake.
Once frosted, the cake is roughly 4 1/2 inches tall, with each layer about 2 inches high.
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% also ok)
- 1 tbsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 cup Semi‑Sweet Mini Chocolate Chips
Chocolate chip buttercream frosting
- 1 cup Unsalted Butter, room temperature
- 4 cups sifted Powdered Sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/4 cup Heavy Cream
- 1/4 cup Semi‑Sweet Mini Chocolate Chips
Instructions
Chocolate chip cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and position the rack just above center. Spray two 8‑inch cake pans with a flour‑based baking spray and line with parchment circles if desired.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Reserve 2–3 tablespoons of this dry mix to coat the mini chocolate chips.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and granulated sugar until combined. Add the eggs, vegetable oil, vanilla, and milk and mix until blended.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until just combined. Toss the mini chocolate chips with the reserved dry mix, then fold them into the batter. The batter will be thick but spreadable.
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans and bake side‑by‑side for 32–35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (Oven times vary.)
- Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then invert onto wire racks to cool completely before frosting.
- To store: wrap cooled layers tightly in plastic wrap and keep at room temperature for up to 3 days, or freeze double‑wrapped for up to one month. Thaw before frosting.
Chocolate chip buttercream frosting
- Beat the butter on medium‑high speed until smooth, about 2–3 minutes.
- Reduce speed to low and add the sifted powdered sugar one cup at a time until blended. Add vanilla and heavy cream and beat until smooth and spreadable.
- If making the frosting ahead, wait to stir in the mini chocolate chips until you are ready to frost. Store frosting in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to one week; bring to room temperature and rewhip before using.
- Frost the cooled cake layers, add remaining chocolate chips to the buttercream if desired, and serve.
Video
Notes
- The assembled cake is approximately 4 1/2″ high (about 2″ per layer).
- Adding parchment circles and using baking spray helps release the layers cleanly.
- This recipe can be adapted to cupcakes (yields about 18–24; bake 18–20 minutes). Not tested here, so watch bake time closely.
- Recipe updated to help reduce chocolate chips sinking during baking.
Nutrition
| Carbohydrates: 73 g
| Protein: 4 g
| Fat: 30 g
Nutrition information is an estimate and will vary based on ingredients used. Nutritional values are provided as a guideline only.