This 6-inch Chocolate Chip Cake is perfect for a small celebration cake. You can't go wrong with a soft vanilla layer cake, mini chocolate chips in every bite, filled with rich chocolate ganache, frosted with buttercream and finished with a glossy drip.
Chocolate chip is one of those classic flavors that deserves way more attention. I'll never turn down a chocolate chip cookie.
After sharing favorites like chocolate chip cheesecake and chocolate chip ice cream, it's no secret that I love adding chocolate chips to almost anything. I've even stirred chocolate chips into pumpkin muffins and banana bread, so of course, a cake had to happen next.
This Chocolate Chip Cake is made in two soft, moist vanilla layers with mini semi-sweet chocolate chips for the perfect bite every time. The cake is filled with rich chocolate ganache for a truffle-like center. The outside is covered with vanilla buttercream and a shiny ganache drip.
I bake this as a 6-inch layer cake, which makes it ideal for small gatherings, birthdays, or a weekend dessert for the family. It's just the right size and it fits perfectly into my growing collection of 6-inch cake recipes. A vanilla cake with chocolate chips may be simple, but it's the kind of flavor that always impresses.
Ingredients You'll Need:
Cake Ingredients:
- All purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt: Pantry basics for cake structure and rise.
- Unsalted butter, granulated sugar, eggs: Cake basics for flavorful, moist crumb.
- Vegetable oil and sour cream: A combination of both of these fats ensures the cake stays moist.
- Mini semi-sweet chocolate chips: Mini chips distribute evenly and give you chocolate in every bite without overpowering. I do not recommend regular sized chips.
- Vanilla Extract: Always use pure vanilla extract. Vanilla pairs perfectly with chocolate chips.
- Milk: Thins the batter to the right consistency and creates a smooth, even crumb.
For the Filling and Buttercream
- Semisweet Chocolate Bar and Heavy Cream: This is used to make the ganache used in the filling and drip. Do not use chocolate chips in its place. Ganache is best made with a chocolate bar.
- Dutch-processed cocoa powder: Adds a deep chocolate flavor the ganache filling.
- Unsalted butter, confectioner's sugar, and vanilla extract: Ingredients for my classic American buttercream.
How to Make Chocolate Chip Cake:
For the full step-by-step detailed instructions, see the recipe card below. I've included a brief overview here, along with useful tips here to make the process go smoothly.
Cake Layers:
Start by making your cake layers. You can even bake them up to a week ahead and freeze them, tightly wrapped in plastic, until you're ready to assemble the cake.
To make the layers, sift together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Then mix in the chocolate chips so they are well coated in the flour mixture. This step is essential to keep the chocolate chips from sinking to the bottom of the cake while baking!
Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, then add the eggs, sour cream, oil and vanilla. Add the dry mixture to the batter, alternating with the milk, starting and ending with the flour. Mix just until everything is incorporated.
Divide the batter between your six inch cake pans. (I use Fat Daddio's Six-Inch Cake Pans) Bake the cakes at 350F until golden and the sides are just pulling away from the pan. Do not overbake!
Vanilla Buttercream:
This is my standard vanilla butter cream recipe and the instructions in the recipe card are simple to follow. For more detailed tips, see my post Classic Vanilla Buttercream before you begin.
How to Make a Chocolate Ganache Cake Filling:
Make the chocolate ganache by chopping a chocolate bar into small pieces and mixing it with hot heavy cream. Let it come to room temperature. You'll use part of the ganache for the filling and the rest for the drip.
Combine part of the cooled ganache with the cocoa powder and buttercream for a rich chocolaty filling.The cocoa powder gives the filling a deeper flavor. Be sure the cocoa powder is sifted so it mixes well.
Assembling the Cake:
Stack the layers with your filling and chill the cake for 20 minutes so the layers can set. Add a thin layer of frosting all over the outside and chill again for 20 minutes. This crumb coat helps keep any stray crumbs from appearing in the final layer of frosting. Finish frosting the cake and then add the ganache drip.
Warm the remaining ganache in 10-second intervals in the microwave until it's a thin, pourable consistency. Use a spoon to drip it over the edges of the cake, or transfer it to a piping bag or squeeze bottle for greater control.
Two Layer Variation:
You have two options: keep the cake as two layers, or slice each layer in half to create four thinner layers (as shown in the photos).
Four layers give you the best distribution of filling, but thinner layers dry out faster - so this option is best if you're serving the cake the same day. A two-layer cake filled with buttercream also works beautifully, shows off the chocolate chips more clearly, and stays moist longer.
Make Ahead Instructions
This chocolate chip cake is surprisingly easy to break into parts, which means you can prepare most of it ahead of time.
Cake Layers:
Bake the six inch layer up to one week in advance. Once they are completely cooled, double wrap them in plastic and store in the freezer. When you are ready to use them, let the thaw to room temperature. If you need to trim them (like those pesky domed tops), trim them when they are still slightly frozen to make them easier to handle.
Buttercream:
You can make the buttercream 3-5 days in advance and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerators. Bring it back to room temperature and re-whip it for a minute or two until smooth. You can even make it a month in advance and freeze it!
Ganache:
Ganache can be made 2-3 days in advance. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Bring it back to room temperature before using.
Storing Assembled Cake
You can assemble the cake 1 day in advance. Keep it chilled and add the ganache drip just before serving for the best presentation.
Chocolate Chip Cake
A moist six-inch chocolate chip cake with ganache filling, frosted in vanilla buttercream, and finished with a glossy chocolate drip. Perfect for small celebrations.
Ingredients
For the cake
- 1 ¼ cup AP flour (173g)
- 1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cups mini chocolate chips (150g)
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter (56g), room temperature
- ¾ cup sugar (150g)
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- ¼ cup sour cream (60g)
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup milk (158mL)
For the frosting, filling and drip:
- 4 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped (112g)
- 4 oz heavy cream (118mL)
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature (224g)
- 3 cups confectioners sugar, plus extra (360g)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup dutch processed cocoa, sifted (30g)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and set the rack to a center position. Prepare two 6 inch cake pans by brushing with melted butter and dusting with flour. Then line the bottoms with parchment paper.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the mini chocolate chips so they are well coated with flour mixture. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the oil and eggs one at a time and mix until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed for even mixing.
- Add the vanilla extract and sour cream and mix until incorporated.
- On a slow mixing speed, alternate adding the milk and flour in three additions ending with the flour.
- Do not over-mix. Finish mixing any remaining flour by hand with a spatula.
- Evenly distribute the batter between the two cake pans. Bake on the center rack of the oven for 20-23 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool completely.
- Place the chopped chocolate in a bowl large enough to allow for heavy cream to be mixed in.
- Heat the chopped chocolate on gentle heat on the stovetop until it just starts to boil.
- Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let it sit for a few minutes.
- Stir the mixture gently with a spoon starting from the center mixing outward. The ganache should slowly come together into a smooth mixture. (I mixed for about 2.5 minutes)
- Set the ganache aside so it comes to room temperature.
- Using an electric mixer, beat the room temperature butter for a few minutes with the paddle attachment until the butter is smooth, creamy and lighter in color, about 3 minutes. Stop and scrape down the sides with a spatula.
- Turn the mixer speed to low speed and gradually add the sugar about a ½ cup at a time. Once the sugar is mixed in, stop and scrape down the sides with a spatula.
- Add the vanilla, salt, and 2 tablespoons of milk. Beat for 2 minutes on medium speed.
- Adjust the consistency of your buttercream by either adding milk a tablespoon at a time for a thinner frosting or by adding more powdered sugar a ¼ cup at a time for a thicker frosting. Scrape down the sides as needed. (makes about 2 cups)
- In a medium sized bowl, combine 1 cup of the buttercream (300g), the cocoa powder and ¼ cup of the cooled ganache. Mix well with an electric mixture. This will be your cake filling.
- Make sure each baked cake round is flat by trimming off any domed parts if needed. For 4 layers, as shown in the pictures, cut each round in half. You can also keep it as a 2 layer cake. For four layers, divide the filling into three parts.
- Lay the first cake round on a platter or cake board and pipe buttercream around the edges to create a border. Then add one part filling into the center. Repeat this with two more cake layers. Place the final layer on top upside down so the top of the cake is flat.
- Chill the cake for 20-30 minutes to allow the cake to set so layers do not slide around while frosting.
- Crumb coat the entire cake with a thin layer of buttercream. Chill the cake for 30 minutes.
- Frost the outside of the cake with buttercream and decorate as desired or chill again for 20 minutes before adding ganache drip.
- To add a ganache drip, warm the leftover ganache gently in the microwave on medium power at 10-15 second intervals stirring in between. For the stove top, gently warm it over a double boiler.
- Spoon it over the edge allowing it to drip down. You can also transfer the ganache to a piping bottle or bag for better control.
- If you are adding buttercream rosettes as shown in the photos, allow the ganache to set first.
For the cake:
For the filling, frosting and drip:
For Assembly:
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