I Tried Ina Garten's Famous Chocolate Cake and It's the Love of My Life

Jessica Wrubel

12 February 2025 at 5:15 pm·3-min read

Move over Valentine's day. Galentine's day is also this week, and it's the perfect excuse for me to show some love for my culinary girl crush: the one and only Ina Garten, also known as the Barefoot Contessa. There's something about seeing Ina effortlessly throw together a dish—like spaghetti bolognese, beef stew or French apple tart—that makes me want to do the same. She’s like the kitchen version of the cool girl in high school: chic, unbothered and always ahead of the curve.

So when I saw Ina's famous chocolate cake circulate online, I knew I needed to make it. Rich, decadent, and made with only the best ingredients, one look at this cake had me curious.

Get the recipe: Beatty's Chocolate Cake

What Is Ina Garten’s Famous Chocolate Cake Recipe?

This rich chocolate cake is actually not Ina's original recipe but from her friend Michael Grim, of The Bridgehampton Florist, who is a frequent guest on her TV show. Ina says that Michael made this cake at a dinner party, and she begged him for the recipe.

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Ingredients for Ina Garten’s Famous Chocolate Cake

For the dry ingredients for the cake, you will need: all-purpose flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and kosher salt. For the wet ingredients, you will need: buttermilk, vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla extract and brewed hot coffee.

For the frosting, you’ll need good quality chocolate (not chocolate chips!), unsalted butter, an egg yolk, vanilla extract, confectioners’ sugar and instant coffee granules.

Ingredients for Ina Garten's chocolate cakeCourtesy of Jessica Wrubel

How to Make Ina Garten's Famous Chocolate Cake

Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter, line and flour two 8-inch cake. In a bowl of a stand mixer, sift together the dry ingredients, then with the mixer on low, add in the wet ingredients. Stir in hot coffee, pour the batter into pans, and bake for 35-40 minutes. Let the cake layers cool completely.

For the frosting, melt the chocolate and let cool, then beat butter in a mixer, add egg yolk and vanilla and mix in confectioners' sugar and cooled chocolate. Dissolve coffee granules in hot water and mix into the frosting. Spread frosting over the cooled cake. Serve cake at room temperature or chilled.

My Honest Review of Ina Garten's Famous Chocolate Cake

This cake was one of the best chocolate cakes I have ever had, and I'm not even a huge chocolate fan! The deep, slightly bitter coffee accentuated the rich chocolate without making the cake taste like a mocha latte. The silky smooth frosting really played off all of the chocolate in the cake. I ate the cake fresh out of the oven and again the next day after it was chilled in the fridge. Both times were divine.

As said by Ina Garten, this chocolate cake is "casual enough to have in East Hampton but elegant enough to serve in Paris." And truly, that’s the best way to describe this cake. It's simple yet sophisticated and one of the best desserts you'll ever have.

Tips for Making Ina Garten’s Famous Chocolate Cake

Use high-quality chocolate. Ina specifically says to avoid chocolate chips because they contain stabilizers that prevent them from melting smoothly. Now is the time to splurge on that fancy chocolate bar you’ve been eyeing.
Make extra frosting if you’re accident-prone. I was skeptical about whether the frosting recipe would be enough, and while it did just cover the cake, if you want a crumb coat (or extra insurance), double the recipe.
Cake pan size matters. My cake wasn’t as tall as Ina’s, and then I realized my pans were 9-inch instead of 8-inch. They also had slightly angled sides, whereas hers are straight. The devil's (food) is in the details.

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