High Altitude Friendly Chocolate Cake – A rich, moist chocolate cake that won’t sink at high altitudes and still bakes beautifully at low altitudes.
When I first moved to Utah nearly 10 years ago, the chocolate cake recipe I loved would sink as it baked. After several failed attempts, I knew it was time to do some research and rework the recipe.
Reasons Cakes Sink at High Altitude
Baking at high altitudes can cause significant issues in baked goods, particularly cakes, due to the lower air pressure. At higher elevations, the reduced pressure allows liquids to evaporate more quickly, which can dry out the batter. Additionally, the leavening agents like baking powder or baking soda can act more aggressively, causing cakes to rise too quickly and then collapse before they have a chance to set properly.
This rapid rise can lead to dense, sunken cakes with an uneven texture. The faster evaporation also means that sugar may become more concentrated, affecting the cake’s structure and sweetness. To combat these challenges, adjustments in ingredient ratios, oven temperatures, and baking times are often necessary when baking at altitude.
Key Ingredients for Success
Before diving into the recipe, it’s important to note some of the key ingredients that make this cake stand out:
- Cocoa Powder: Courtney uses high-quality unsweetened cocoa powder, which is essential for achieving that rich chocolate flavor. She recommends using a Dutch-processed cocoa for a smoother, more intense taste.
- Buttermilk: This not only adds moisture but also brings a slight tang to balance the sweetness of the cake. Buttermilk helps create a tender crumb, making the cake incredibly soft.
- Hot Water (or Coffee): Adding hot water or brewed coffee intensifies the chocolate flavor and helps dissolve the cocoa, resulting in a cake that’s extra rich.
- Oil: Instead of butter, this recipe uses oil, which keeps the cake moist for longer periods without drying out—perfect for a cake you want to bake in advance or serve over a couple of days.
How to Make High Altitude Friendly Chocolate Cake
Step 1: Prep Your Oven and Pans
Preheat your oven to 325°F (163°C) and grease and line three 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper. This step is crucial for ensuring the cakes release easily and bake evenly.
Step 2: Sift the Dry Ingredients
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Sifting ensures there are no lumps in your batter, which is especially important with cocoa powder.
Step 3: Mix the Wet Ingredients
In a large bowl, combine the sugar, eggs, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla extract. Mix on medium speed until everything is fully combined and smooth.
Step 4: Combine the Dry and Wet Ingredients
With your mixer on low, gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Once combined, slowly pour in the hot water (or coffee) while continuing to mix. The batter will be thin, but don’t worry—that’s exactly what you want for a light, moist cake.
Step 5: Divide and Bake
Evenly divide the batter between the prepared pans and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Be careful not to overbake, as that can dry out your cake.
Step 6: Cool and Frost
Once baked, let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes before turning them out onto wire racks to cool completely. Frost only when the cakes are fully cooled.
Tips for Success
- Don’t Rush the Cooling Process: Ensure your cakes are completely cool before frosting. Even a slightly warm cake can cause the buttercream to melt.
- Use High-Quality Cocoa: The quality of the cocoa powder significantly impacts the flavor, so opt for a good Dutch-processed cocoa to get the best results. I love Extra Brute Cacao Barry Cocoa Powder.
- Use room temperature ingredients: Using room temperature ingredients will help your cakes rise better because the dry ingredients are better able to absorb the wet ingredients.
My High Altitude Friendly Chocolate Cake is easy to make, yields impressive results, and delivers the kind of rich, chocolatey flavor you’ll want to return to again and again. Whether it’s for a special occasion or just because you’re in the mood for cake, this recipe will become a go-to in your baking repertoire.
Give it a try and enjoy the satisfaction of making a homemade cake that looks and tastes just as good—if not better—than anything you’d find in a bakery! Happy baking!
Buttercream Recipe: https://cakebycourtney.com/chocolate-buttercream/
High Altitude Friendly Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups (240 g) all purpose flour
- 1 3/4 cups (350 g) granulated sugar
- 3/4 cups (88.5 g) good quality dark cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons (8 g) baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon (3 g) baking powder
- 1 teaspoon (6 g) kosher salt
- 1 cup (240 g) buttermilk, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (109 g) vegetable oil
- 3 eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (236 g) hot water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray. (You can also use four 6-inch pans). Line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper, then spray the pans again.
- Combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined.
- In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, water and vanilla.
- With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pans (about 15 to 16 ounces in each) and bake for 22 to 25 minutes.
- Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.
- Wrap in plastic wrap and chill until ready to use. You’re still going to want to level your cake layers to ensure a completely even surface for frosting and stacking.
Questions: should the batter be runny? How long do you bake the cake?
Yes it’s a thin batter and the time is in the recipe. Should be about 18 minutes
Thank you for this post! I recently moved from California to Idaho, and I had the same experience, and also thought it must be my baking powder or soda! What of your other recipes here are high altitude friendly?
They are all high altitude friendly now!
Hello! I need (2) 10-inch cakes. May I use those pans with this recipe? Thanks!
Yes. Just make sure you are doing an extra half of the recipe so you have enough batter.
I’m at 7200 ft and this came out perfectly!! Thank you for this huge improvement on the standard Hershey’s high altitude cake (which has been my go-to and a gold standard) but yours is far more moist and the crumb much finer. Won’t you please do a vanilla cake for high altitude ?! 💜
All of my recipes are made for high altitude!
This was so helpful! I used the sweetapolita chocolate cake recipe and had the same problem. I was so sad and had never had a cake sink in like that before. I am in a new house and figured maybe it’s the altitude! I followed this recipe with total success! Thank you so much for sharing!
I have baked this cake probably a hundred times. I bake for a coffeehouse. It is super easy and comes out fluffy and delicious.
Thank you!
I love this cake recipe! I would recommend it to everyone
Thank you!
Hi there. Thank you for the recipe. I haven’t tried it yet but will do so tomorrow. I’ve recently moved from the seaside to about 1700m above sea level and ALL my cakes sink so I’m really glad to have come across your recipe. I am from South Africa and have moved from Cape Town to Johannesburg.
The altitude issue is so annoying and I’ve just about had it. It wastes so much!
Just a quick question about your list of ingredients. The grams in brackets, do these measurements include the added/subtracted Tablespoons or should I add or subtract from the gram measurements?
I hope my question makes sense!
Thanks
It includes those subtracted tablesppons!
Since I moved to Colorado three years ago, I’ve been struggling with my baking. We found this recipe after searching for high altitude recipes and I’m so glad we found it. This recipe comes out consistently amazing at 5280. My wife now requests this cake *specifically* for special occasions. Thank you so much for sharing this; it’s saved me a lot of time and energy.
I am so thrilled to hear it!
Always a go to recipe… especially since I live in Colorado. However I always need to bake my cakes longer… almost 10 minutes. Could just be my oven temp though. Try it with a peanut butter frosting and chopped up peanuts! Yum!!
Sounds delicious!
Have you tried making this in a 9×13? Any tips?
It’ll take longer to bake so keep your eye on it!
Thank you SO MUCH for converting these to grams! I use a kitchen scale all the time instead of measuring cups. It cuts down on the amount of dishes I have to do! This is my go-to chocolate cake recipe and it’s absolutely perfect! I’ve also made it into cupcakes by decreasing the sugar 1/4 cup and increasing the baking powder to 1 tsp and they are perfectly domed and beautiful. I’m in Ohio and it comes out perfect every time. Thank you for a great recipe!! xoxo
I’m so glad!!
I wish I had found your post a few hours ago! I made ina gartens chocolate cake twice today and 2x giant sink hole cakes. I’m in Denver. 🤦♀️🤦♀️Now I know
Shoot I’m so sorry!
Son of a baker, I truly admit having failed many times making cakes at high altitude. In Breckenridge at 9500′, cakes are not easy to make. Thank you so-much for posting this recipe, it worked fantastically and was able to make a beautiful cake that did not fall or dip in the center for my son’s 16th Birthday. This will also now be my go-to. Thank you!!!!
Richard
I’m so glad! Thank you so much!
I followed this recipe exactly as printed….in a brand new EG electric oven….it sunk in the middle , what went wrong….I never opened the oven so it couldn’t have been that???? What went wring?
The recipe said to bake for 16-18 minutes. I adjusted and baked for about 30 minutes, checking to see that it was cooked by inserting a skewer. It’s cooling now. Excited to taste tonight, here in Denver (the Mile High City.)
I love this high altitude recipe. The bake time though is approx. 25 mins.
Everyones oven is different!
can uou make thos in a 13X9 pan
Yes.
I am trying to find information on cooking in a 9×13 pan?
Go check out my instagram. I have an IGTV there where I walk you through it.
Hi, I can’t remember if I made a comment in the past so I’m going to leave one just in case. I have been using the same recipe for the past 3 years.
I made my 4-year-old son a number two cake, a number three cake, and number four cupcakes using the same recipe.
I was never much of a baker, until I began this recipe, and it turns out perfect every time. I was able to make really nice number cakes. The cupcakes were just as fantastic.
If I don’t plan on changing the recipe up, I will use this recipe to make my son a number 5 cake and a couple months.
Thank you so much
Thank you for telling me! That’s so nice of you!