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
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
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’m just catching up on pre-holiday email, or I’d have made this as an Easter treat. I’ve loved this cake for years, but this reminder helped me remember that! Like another reviewer, I use coffee in it also, because it does give the chocolate flavor a boost, even though the recipe as is has plenty of chocolate flavor too. I’ve made it as a layer cake and most often in a 9×13″ pan. It’s just a fantastic chocolate cake!!!
I’d used the original Hershey’s cocoa for many years, but also like it with Lake Champlain cocoa especially. I’m not sure Cadbury cocoa is available in the US, but it won’t be as good if it is, because Cadbury chocolate is Altered for sale in the US, so it’s not as good as their chocolate products being sold in the UK, Australia and elsewhere.
Anywho, for a last-minute Easter treat, I’d made chewy oatmeal peanut butter cookies with a light sprinkling of chocolate chips, but I’ll be making this cake sometime this week. I hadn’t missed it until I’d read this post, but now must have it!
Nagi, hope you and Dozer had a fun and delicious holiday weekend! He was quite fetching in those bunny ears! 🙂
Hi Wynn! Love the tip about coffee, must confess I use it in my other chocolate cake recipes! I should add it as an optional extra 🙂 Hope you had a happy easter too! N xx
If i get opportunity, i would love to eat this every day. My love for chocolate cake is endless and you made it marvelously. I am definitely going to try this today. Thanks for sharing.
I hear you Monika…. ME TOO!!! N xx
Hi Nagi!
Can we use olive oil instead of vegetable oil/canola oil? Olive oil is a staple in my pantry 🙂
Thanks,
Yvonne
Hi Yvonne! Yep that’s fine as long as it is normal olive oil, not extra virgin (which has a stronger flavour) 🙂 N x
Hi Nagi,
GREETINGS FROM ESTONIA,! I want you to know how much we love this chocolate cake!!!! I celebrated my birthday this week end, and my spouse made this cake for me. SO DELICIOUS AND MOIST! Thank you very much!!!!
Barbara
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BARBARA!!! I’m so honoured that you chose this to be your birthday cake!!! 🎂 Hope you had a wonderful day 🙂 N xx
I did it! I made it! I loved it! I love YOU! First ever cake & frosting from scratch. The cake was a good density and so moist! Absolutely delicious.
Everything I’ve made of yours has been simple, has contained normal ingredients and has made me look good. Even my husband has started cooking! (For reference, he didn’t own a refrigerator when we first met)
So thank you, thank you, thank you!
Quite possible the message of the week 😂 N xx
Can I just use one round cake pan instead of two? What would be the baking time recommended? Thanks!
You sure can Eve, please see the recipe notes! 🙂 N x
I make a version of this cake that uses a cup of hot coffee instead of water, and I think it adds a nice depth of flavor. It doesn’t wind up tasting like coffee, but somehow the chocolate is more chocolatey.
DOZER VS WHO??? I nearly wet my pants laughing, thank you sooooo ever much. Am sending all your photos to my SISTER, JUST WANT HER TO BE HAPPY. THANKS AGAIN! Am lucky, neighbour came last night with garden fresh purple beans and spring onion. Start of month got from them 02 x FRESH FIGS, MADE JAMS FOR ALL OF US. YUM, YUM! Be good, smile from ear to ear!
I love how you care so much about your sister Vera 🙂 Hope that photo of Dozer brings a smile to her face too! N xx
Hi Nagi
Can I ask the brand of cocoa powder that you use please before I go ahead and make this cake.
Love all your recipes and can’t wait to try this one.
Hi Nicky! I use stock standard Cadbury cocoa powder for this, not the more expensive Dutch processed one 😎 N xx
Happy Easter to you Nagi and Dozer🐣 see if you can spot the chick emoji 😁
Have to find a sugar substitute for poor old me who is a diabetic..but the rest of the ingredients are my favourite things
Ha! Dozer would probably lick the screen if he could see it 🙄 N x
What recipe do you use for the frosting???
Hi Virginia! It’s linked in the recipe directions 🙂 N x
The link for the frosting is in the instructions up above.
Thanks Cheryl! 🙂 N x
Hi Nagi
I’m loving your posts. I can across your blogs when I was searching recently for tiramisu recipes. Made yours & it was restaurant quality & simply delicious! this cake recipe is similar to my family recipe but without the water so can’t wait to try it
Thanks & so happy to receive all your recipes!
Happy Easter
Kim
Hi Nagi, Boy! Do you know how to tease a girl with cakes like this. I’ll have to put it on the back-burner until I get to my goal weight which is only another 2kg then I’ll have to really watch myself with all the “naughty” recipes you put out.
I feel like Dozer with you putting this under our noses.
Funny that you got this from Brown-Eyed Baker…you are the only 2 blogs I subscribe to! Looks like another fabulous recipe.
Ahhhh love that you loved this so much! I think it was the very first homemade chocolate cake I ever made on my own, and it is just SO GOOD!
I halved the recipe and made cupcakes…they were really great! The crumb was soft and tender.
I have the 1971 remake of the 1934 Hershey’s cookbook and this recipe is not one of them, although there are many similar ones but none with the boiling water. I checked out of curiosity. 🙂
I learned the coffee trick from my mom growing up. She was a great cook and her pies were legendary! Here’s another trick she taught me to use with chocolate cake and brownies: add a Tblspn of cider vinegar! Just like the coffee, you don’t really pick up the flavor of vinegar but it makes your cake/brownies have a deeper chocolate taste.
Hi Nagi,
440g is quite a lot of sugar. Can the amount be reduced without affecting the overall result?
Hi Anna! I agree that it sounds like a lot 🙂 It’s 2 cups. But it’s a pretty big cake – and in all honesty, I do not find this cake too sweet. I often find myself reducing sugar in cake recipes to reduce the sweetness but on this occasion I did not feel it was required. I haven’t tried it with less sugar – I’m pretty sure it will be fine, I’d err on the side of caution and reduce only by 1/2 cup to start with and reduce boiling water by 1/4 cup too (otherwise batter will probably be too thin). That’s how I approach reducing sugar when I adjust other recipes. Your cake may have a wee bit more of a mound (this is what I found when I used less water when I was tinkering with the recipe), but the inside should look the same. Hope that helps! N xx
Yes, I would like to know that too (about the sugar) please.
Hi Michele! I responded below with a suggestion to reduce by 1/2 cup / 110g and also reduce the water by 1/4 cup 🙂 But in all honesty, I don’t find this cake too sweet. I was raised on “Asian” sponge cakes which are far less sweet than Western cakes so my palette is quite sensitive to overly sweet cakes. But this one I found was fine as is. And it’s a big cake!! But it definitely is quite rich and decadent tasting. Hope that helps! N xx
that frosting looks dreamy!! i found it interesting that you added boiling water i haven’t seen that in a cake before! looks delish! happy Easter Nagi and Dozer 🙂
WOW! Just wow! Thanks, Nagi. It looks amazing! Love and hugs to you and Dozer!