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.
Made this as a single layer cake and it was incredible. One of the best chocolate cakes I’ve ever eaten. I froze it overnight to make frosting it easier.
I served it for my husbands birthday and everyone loved it. After a day or two I stored the leftovers in the fridge. I just finished the last piece 13 days later and it was honestly just as good as the day I made it. Thank you for the amazing recipe!!!!!
Hi Nagi,
Thanks for sharing this recipe with us all!
I would like to use this in a little rainbow / cat silicon bake form for my daughters birthday.
Will that work and do you have to double it or can you just bake one??!
Thank you 🙂
Hi there, thank you for this post. After I read the whole contend I got an idea how to bake chocolate cake. It’s perfect for my sister’s birthday.
Nagi, silly question but essential to know to pull off my sons 3rd birthday cake haha!
How high roughly does this cake sit once iced?
Cake was wonderful. Going to make it again. Can I substitute NF milk instead of whole milk?
I just made the chocolate cake with your chocolate buttercream frosting recipe, and it is divine. My first attempt at baking after a very long time and I’m so glad I came across your recipe. Amazing 👏🏾👏🏾
Smashed it again,Nagi!
This chocolate cake was insane. As in, I’ve searched for years to find THE chocolate cake…and now I’ve finally found it. So absolutely delicious, wonderfully moist. I added a tiny bit of instant coffee to allow the cocoa to bloom, and then filled the center with fresh whipped cream mixed with raspberry jam. My uncle, who never has seconds, went back for more. Nagi, you are a godsend.
The best cake I have ever eaten
Woo hoo! Thanks Lexi! It’s one of my favourites too!! N x
Another RTE amazing easy and perfect recipe!
Hi Nagi,
Love, love, love this cake…..
would this work with gluten free flour ?
Thanks
Hands Down one of the best Chocolate Cake Recipe.
Thank you for Sharing.
I am glad that you liked it Amaan!! N x
Made excellent cupcakes! How will this recipe hold up as a 3 layer cake?
It’s perfect as three 8 inch layers! See the notes under the recipe for bake times! N x
Hi Nagi, I’ve made this cake before and it was delish! I’m making it again for my little boy’s birthday and want to do 2 layers but only have one 9 inch tin. Can I split the batter once it’s mixed and cook each layer separately, or am I better off halving the recipe and making two batters separately? Thanks!
Hi Sari – I think this one would be best mixed as two small batches because you need the hot water to bring the batter temp up just before it goes into the oven! N x
I made this chocolate cake and it was so delicious everyone could not believe I had made it! It was so so easy to make I almost couldn’t believe this recipe!! I doubled the ingredients as I was making quite a big cake, so I made two thick sponges both measuring 9 inches wide and baked them for roughly an hour on the temperature recommended- as they were bigger sponges than the standard recipe therefore a longer cook time but it still came out perfectly soft, fluffy and not too chocolatey or sweet at all. The recipes provided by Nagi are truly the best I have come across!! I don’t bake often but when I do reciptineats is my go to, I have made her vanilla sponge recipe which really does stay moist for 4 days! My husband was actually surprised the cake tasted so good as it was for his birthday, and he is a very picky eater so that is saying a lot! I felt compelled to write a review on here because it was my first time making this and this is a foolproof method for the perfect chocolate cake. Thank you Nagi for sharing!!
Best chocolate cake recipe I have come across. It’s super easy to make and has a soft, moist, fluffy crumb that actually has a deep chocolate flavour. I have also made this gluten free by using Gluten free plain flour and it turned out Amazing. The cake was devoured and my guests were none the wiser!
Hi Grace, did you use a 1 for 1 gluten free flour or did you need to add Xanthan gum to your flour? Gluten intolerant so trying to work out how to make this cake.
Hi Nikita, I followed the recipe exactly but substituted the flour with Ardor gluten free plain flour. I have used this recipe using Ardor gluten free plain flour many time and it always works beautifully.
That is absolutely fabulous, Fab!!! N x
Hi Nagi,
I am planning to make this cake for my sons 3rd birthday, but I don’t love icing sugar based icing. Do you think using the chocolate ganache from your other chocolate cake would work? Or would it be too much? And do I ice between layers?
Please let me know when you have a chance!
Yes you could use the ganache but it will be quite rich! (but then again that’s a good thing, right??!!) N x
I love the chocolate cake. Your recipe seems very good. I always have no creams myself. When I was making different chocolate cakes, I came to the conclusion that it was good to combine two recipes for different cakes. Here I described it (it is in Polish) https://totemat.pl/jak-zrobic-ciasto-czekoladowe-murzynek- Szybki-i-smaczny-przepis/ that is combining zebra recipe and chocolate cake into one. Your cake looks so much nicer.
Hey Nagi! I’d like to ask if this recipe would work for springform pans? 🙂
Yes it should as long as they are tightly sealed ones as it’s a very liquid batter! N x
Whenever I want to make something and am looking for a good recipe I always come to recipetineats first and 10/10 I always end up using her recipes and they are always on point. This site is such a staple in my home. I have so many of her recipes in my weekly rotations it’s nuts. Moving on to this cake, if you read her blog before she shares the recipe please know that everything she wrote is TRUE about this cake. This is by far the BEST chocolate cake I’ve ever made. It was such a huge hit in my house, everyone loved it. I cannot attest for whether it lasts for 5 days because it was gone in 1! I too left it in the oven for a little more time than I should have and was scared that it would be dry and hard, and it absolutely was not. I’ve wanted to make a bakery like cake (in terms of richness and how moist the cake is) but I always would end up with a very very airy type of cake that really had no bite to it, just way to light not at all rich enough. This recipe solves all of those problems and more. The only thing I changed was I used room temp. Milk and eggs.
Hi Nagi, firstly thank you for all of the amazing recipes! I’ve got a question, I’m wanting to make a choc orange cake for a birthday, is there anyway I can adapt this recipe to do so? 🙂
Hi Hannah! You could add some orange zest to the batter and sub half the boiling water with OJ then frost with an orange zested frosting. Let me know how it goes! N x
Completely forgot to get back to you! It turned out amazing, everyone loved it! Thank you again!