This is a really easy yet exceptional Chocolate Cake that truly tastes of chocolate. The crumb is beautifully tender and moist, and it keeps for up to 5 days. It requires no beater, just a wooden spoon.
Frost generously with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting for a terrific birthday cake or chocolate ganache for a luxurious rich option. For a richer, fudgier chocolate cake, try this Chocolate Fudge Cake. The ultimate glaze to impress, however, is without a doubt Chocolate Mirror Glaze…..
This is the Chocolate Cake
If you’ve been reading for a while, you know that sometimes I get real stubborn about doing certain things the “right way”. And there’s also a time and a place for shortcut recipes and quick dinners.
Then there’s recipes like this Chocolate Cake which tick all the boxes – it’s easier than the way I’ve been making everyday cake for most of my life, and the results are better.
You’ll love how it really does taste of chocolate even though it’s only been made with cocoa powder (the secret is to add boiling water – it makes the chocolate flavour “bloom”).
You’ll love how tender the crumb is, and how it stays moist for 4 to 5 days.
You’ll love how the cake can stand on its own so you could just dust it with icing sugar then serve slices with dollops of cream on the side. Though of course, smothering it with frosting never hurts….
This is the famous Hershey’s Chocolate Cake recipe which I tried on the recommendation of Michelle from the Brown Eyed Baker (one of the first places I go in hunt for baked goods). I tried it without massively high expectations, because I thought “how much better can this be than the usual, being such a simple recipe?”
I love being proved wrong when it comes to food. So wrong in fact, that even though I tinkered with the recipe multiple times, I landed right back where I started using the recipe exactly as written.
I truly think this might be the only recipe on my entire website that I’m publishing from another source without changing the ingredients at all. It’s unheard of! But to me, it’s perfect as it is. I don’t see myself using any other recipe for an everyday Chocolate Cake, ever again.
Incredibly quick and easy
It’s astonishingly quick to make the batter, with all the ingredients mixed up in one bowl using a whisk.
There’s no need to cream butter like the usual recipes because this one is made with oil which is the reason why this cake is beautifully moist. No more dry chocolate cake! 🙌🏻 (Also means this is more forgiving than most, having once accidentally left it in the oven for 15 minutes longer than necessary and it still wasn’t dry).
I’m publishing this recipe as part of the Easter Recipes posted yesterday! So here it is, dolled up for Easter. The same cake in the photos above, the same frosting, topped with speckled Easter eggs, baby chicks (both from Woolworths in Australia), and a chocolate basket. I’ve provided directions in the notes of the recipe for how I made that chocolate basket (hint – it involves a balloon…).
My everyday Chocolate Cake
Easter aside, I call this my everyday Chocolate Cake because it’s just that – my new favourite to make for any occasion. There will be times that call for a mud-cake like Fudge Cake made with both cocoa powder and melted chocolate. There will be times that call for intensely dark chocolate cakes. There will be times that you need / want the nutty brownie-like Flourless Chocolate Cake. And there will be times you’re after one that’s light-as-air, a delicate chiffon cake.
This one is for all the other times when you just want a great, classic Chocolate Cake. Which in my world, is 80% of the time! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups plain / all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder , unsweetened (Note 2)
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda (bi-carb soda)
- 2 cups white sugar (Note 1)
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 eggs (~55-65g / 2 oz each)
- 1 cup milk (low or full fat)
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil (or canola)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup boiling water
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- 1 1/2 batches Chocolate Buttercream Frosting (slide scaler on recipe)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C°/350°F (160°C fan). Read Note 4 regarding shelf positions.
- Grease 2 x 22cm/9" cake pans with butter, then line the base. (Note 3 re: springform pans and other pan sizes).
Batter:
- Sift flour, cocoa, baking powder and baking soda into a large bowl. Add Sugar and salt. Whisk briefly to combine.
- Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Whisk well to combine until lump free – about 30 seconds.
- Add boiling water and whisk to incorporate. The batter is VERY thin (see video).
- Pour batter into cake pans.
Baking:
- Bake for 35 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. See Note 4 regarding cook time if pans are on different shelves.
- Cool for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks upside down (Note 5).
- Cool completely before frosting. I frosted the cake with my Chocolate Buttercream Frosting (scale recipe up by 50%).
Recipe Notes:
- bundt pan – 50 minutes
- single 22cm/9″ pan – 40 to 45 minutes
- 2 x 20cm / 8″ pans – 38 minutes
- 3 x 20cm / 8″ pans – 25 minutes
- 33 x 22 x 5 cm / 13 x 9 x 2″ rectangle pan – 35 – 40 minutes
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
Dozer vs tiny toy chick.
Chick won.
I made this and put mixture in muffin tray and silicon muffin moulds …perfect !
Awesome!
My daughter has requested a chocolate cake for her Birthday tomorrow. I havd bakes a few over the years but haven’t found the perfect one yet.. have just baked your recipe! Great recipe to follow, love all your notes and I have a feeling the taste is going to be what I have been searching for in a chocolate cake !!!
Hi Nagi! This is always a hit every time i make them. I was just wondering can I use this recipe for cupcakes? And how many minutes should i put it in the oven?
Thank you!!!
Hi Kim, I haven’t tried this one as cupcakes just yet as it’s quite moist and doesn’t rise a lot. Give this one a go: https://discountspot.info/best-easy-chocolate-cupcakes/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
I’ve made it into cupcakes many times and came out perfect. I filled the cases 3/4 and depending on what size cupcake +-20mins
p.s. LOVE THIS RECIPE NAGI
Oh that’s so good to know!! 🙌
I used to be a vanilla cake girl, but you have converted me to chocolate cake! I love this sooo much 🙂
I’m so glad you’re converted! There’s no turning back now!
I made this awesome cake again for my daughters birthday today. I did it as a square cake for the adults and cupcakes for the children and everyone loved it.
Have you made it as a vanilla cake by leaving out the cocoa? Would you still put the boiling water in? And for the buttercream icing, just leave out the cocoa?
Hi …can we use this cake for tier cakes
Hi Allison! I’m so glad you loved it! A vanilla cake would be a completely different recipe – it won’t work with this one unfortunately! N x
Hi!
This recipe sounds amazing and I am looking forward to bake this cake on the coming weekend.
I have just one concern. Can I use olive oil instead of Canola oil?
Thank you in advance?
Hi Janani! As long as it does’t have a strong olive flavour (like extra virigin olive oil) then that’s fine! Just have a little taste 🙂 N x
Hi! The cake looks lovely! Is there an alternative recipe for an eggless version?
Thanks
Hi Nagi,
How hot (the temperature) of boiling water is? TIA
Just boil the water! It’ll bubble. Boiling temperature is approximately 100° C or 212° F.
This is wonderful! You have done an excellent job explaining the reasons to do the little things I’ve always wondered why. Thank you!
Great to hear you enjoyed this Jacklyn!! 🙂 N x
I made this for a charity bake sale, I doubled the recipe and made 2 cakes. They were amazing ! So moist and chocolatey. I made a caramel sauce and put some caramel popcorn on top (to make it fun) People came back the next day asking for more.
This will forever be my chocolate cake recipe.
Glad you enjoyed this Sarah! N x PS It’s forever mine too 🙂 N x
Is there another choice other than buttercream frosting?
I made a caramel sauce
I was wonder if I would be able to make this into a three tier cake? I would love to make this for my mothers surprise birthday since she loves chocolate cake.
Hi! This cake looks amazing and I was thinking of making it for my boyfriend’s birthday next weekend. However, once frosted with the buttercream frosting, should I store it in the fridge or would an airtight container in room temperature be okay?
Thank you so much!
Best Wishes!
Hey Eileen
I hope you don’t mind me jumping in on your comment! I always store cakes with buttercream at room temperature and they are fine (for about a week – pushing the limit – but definitely for 2 or 3 days!!).
If you decide to put it in the fridge I would pull it out and allow it to come back to room temp before serving.
I hope that helps 🙂
Amazing!! Thank you so much!! 🙂
Great cake and easy to make! How long can it keep for? In the fridge or out?
if you use the bundt pan do you still use the chocolate icing – do you cut it in half – want to use the bundt tin but not sure what to do which the cake once cooked – grand daughter called olive so bundt tin good for her birthday cake but how to ice and decorate
I would use a pourable chocolate sauce so it drips down the sides. Do 1 part cream to 2 parts chocolate, heat in microwave and mix, then pour over while hot 🙂
Hi Nagi, I’m in Australia and wondering if these measurements are US cups or Aus/Uk cups as they are slightly different. Thank you 🙏
Hi Cathy! This recipe works for both, despite the differences (which are relative enough across all the ingredients or this recipe has enough flex). I am so cautious about baking recipes working out whether readers are in the US or Australia (or other parts of the world) that I test every baking recipe I share using US cups and Australian cups. 🙂 I normally write this in baking recipes, I’ll add this in the notes! N x
In the oven as I type. How easy! I made fresh espresso and then topped up with boiling water to make the 1 cup. The batter is delicious can’t wait until it’s cooked.
Mine is the oven. I replaced the cocoa powder with melted dark chocolate, I did reduce oil and sugar and added extra flour. Will see how it goes. It was very liquid….
Me again! It worked! Fluffy, moist chocolate cake! Apparently the best of my bakes so far 🙂
Thank you!
Hello!
I made this cake yesterday and it tasted so good. Very rich though, good with coffee or tea!
I do have one question. The cakes rose in a dome shape. The top shelf more than the bottom. Would that be because of the oven or something else? Your cakes were perfectly even so I’m not sure if it was something I did
Nagi , I only have one pan in that size , is it okay to keep half of the dough waiting while the first layer bakes?
Hi Rue! unfortunately not so bake it all in one pan then cut in half later 🙂
I also have just one springform. How long do I have to keep the whole batter in the oven? Thanks!