This Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Marshmallow Frosting happens to be a very delicious layer cake!
Happy Birthday!
We’ve had our son Brooks (RecipeBoy) home since mid-March. He’s trying to get back to Texas for a job this summer, but for now he’s hanging out with us. His 19th birthday happened last week! So crazy that he’s already nineteen. He started the RecipeBoy food blog when he was just 10 years old. So it’s crazy to go back to his old posts and see how he has evolved. His very first post on this blog was How to Make a Shirley Temple. I’m not sure if he’d even drink a Shirley Temple now, LOL.
Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Marshmallow Frosting:
This is a two-layer chocolate cake with a creamy chocolate marshmallow frosting. The recipes for both came from my favorite cake baking cookbook: Piece of Cake (affliate link) by Camilla Saulsbury. I was really pleased with how this cake turned out. It’s an easy, one-bowl cake recipe with easy to find ingredients. It baked up perfectly, and the chocolate flavor is excellent.
Chocolate Marshmallow Frosting:
In the book, there is a different frosting recipe paired with this cake. But when I was flipping through the frosting recipes in the book, I came across this one. I’m so glad I used this chocolate marshmallow frosting recipe because it is so creamy and delicious! The recipe made plenty of frosting to frost the cake generously.
And there he is at age nineteen- my boy Brooks. He let himself get pretty scruffy these past couple of months due to the “at home” order, but I’m happy to report that he went to the barber shop last night and got all tidied up with a short cut and a clean shave. Yay! Note his t-shirt– he’s in the Sigma Chi fraternity now at SMU.
We had a few college boys over to help celebrate Brooks’ birthday. They all stayed in the backyard and maintained their space. We fed them a lot of food, and they all enjoyed this Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Marshmallow Frosting. I heard from one of the moms later that her son said the cake was “off the hook.” I think that means it was amazing.
I sampled a decent sized slice of this cake too. It was awesome, and I especially loved the frosting. We served it with cookies and cream ice cream. Enjoy!
Here are a few more cake recipes you might like to try:
- Texas Sheet Cake
- Funfetti Cheesecake Cake
- Easy Candy Bar Ice Cream Cake
- Ding Dong Cake
- Easy Ice Cream Sandwich Cake
- Orange Creamsicle Cake
- Kit Kat Cake

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Marshmallow Frosting
Ingredients
CAKE:
- 1¾ cups all purpose flour
- 1½ cups granulated white sugar
- ⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1½ teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1¼ cups buttermilk, divided
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
FROSTING:
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- One 7-ounce jar marshmallow creme
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
MAKE THE CAKE:
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Spray two 8-inch round pans with nonstick baking spray with flour.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
- Add the espresso powder, eggs, 1/4 cup of the buttermilk, butter and vanilla to the flour mixture. Using an electric mixer, beat for 1 minute on medium speed, until blended. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula. Beat on high speed for 2 minutes. Add the remaining buttermilk and beat on low speed for 15 to 30 seconds, until just blended.
- Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pans, dividing equally.
- Bake for 32 to 37 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Let cool in pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pans, then invert the cakes onto a rack to cool completely.
MAKE THE FROSTING:
- Place the chocolate chips in a large microwave-safe bowl and microwave on medium power for 1 to 2 minutes, stopping every 30 seconds to stir, until melted and smooth. Let cool to room temperature.
- Add the marshmallow creme and butter to the cooled chocolate. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat until fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla; beat until smooth and fluffy. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes or until firm enough to spread.
ASSEMBLE THE CAKE:
- Place one cake layer, flat side up, on a cake plate or platter. Spread some of the frosting evenly over the bottom layer. Top with the second cake layer, flat side down. Spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides of the cake, using the back of a spoon or long, flat spatula to make swirls and peaks on top. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.
Nutrition
Tracie
Wednesday 23rd of August 2023
Can you use nuella in place of chocolate
RecipeGirl
Monday 18th of September 2023
not sure
Christine
Tuesday 20th of October 2020
Can the espresso powder be omitted?
RecipeGirl
Wednesday 21st of October 2020
It's used as an "intensifier" for the chocolate flavor, so it's better with it... but you can leave it out if you need to.
Lisa Barger
Wednesday 26th of August 2020
Happy Birthday Brooks!!! I have been getting your newsletters for some time now and have enjoyed them all! I have to make this beautiful cake! I even bought the cake cookbook! Thank you!
Sarah
Saturday 11th of July 2020
Can any steps be done night before?
RecipeGirl
Tuesday 14th of July 2020
Sure! You can make the layers, wrap them in plastic wrap and then make the frosting and frost the cake the next day.
Eva
Tuesday 9th of June 2020
Delicious! will have to try it out!