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.
My 9 year old daughter makes this cake and it works every time. This year it’ll be turned into a Spiderman cake for his birthday. It’s like we’ve won the lotto finding this recipe. Thank you!!
Hi Nagi,
I want to make this cake for my son’s birthday. Do you think it will work with your chocolate ganache recipe instead of the buttercream? Or should I just stick to your fudge cake with the ganache?? Thanks!
Amazing cake recipe! I failed at making sure I had enough baking paper before I started so I made it into cupcakes (bake about 20 mins at 180C). They were so good! Everyone came back for seconds.
hi Nagi, looking forward to trying the recipe for x2 8 inch cake tins, how tall will the layers be, trying to see if they will be enough to make 4 layers for a tall cake? thank you very much!
Hi…the 8 inch layers are about 4cm in height so would make a total of 4 x 2cm layers of cut in half after baking. N x
hi Nagi, looking forward to trying the recipe for x2 8 inch cake tins, how tall will the layers be, trying to see if they will be enough to make 4 layers for a tall cake? thank you!
Hi Nagi, I’d like to make this for my sons birthday and have three layers. He wants a lion cake so I’m planning on making an orange buttercream.. Any thoughts or recommendations please?
I think you might have to google to get some ideas! I haven’t made a lion cake before…orange buttercream would go well with the chocolate cake though! Good luck! N x
Thank you so much. I’ve found a lion cake and I’m glad to hear you think the orange buttercream will go nicely!
Orange and chocolate are delicious together…good luck! N x
Can I freeze the canes once made to use later?
Can I freeze the cakes to use later? Or refrigerate until needed?
Hi Zoe..yes they freeze well! Just wrap them tightly in plastic wrap. N x
I made his for my daughter’s birthday and it was a hit, hands down the best cake I’ve ever made. I thought I’d over cooked it at first, but you were right it was very forgiving and so moist.
I love this recipe, and so does all I know (except those who don’t like chocolate)!
However, I have made a small change, I use 1 cup of boiling coffee instead of boiling water as the coffee enhance the flavor of chocolate, just like that tsp of vanilla extract is o so important to bring out the sweetness.
Help! It’s already in the oven and I realized added one whole cup of cocoa powder instead of just 3/4 cup! Did I just ruin this cake! Ahh I’m stressing! What do I do!?
delicious! made a lot. i have three whole things full of it.
Delicious and moist – easy recipe 🙂 Thanks! Will try a mixer next time.
This chocolate cake works so well. And tastes so good, everyone that hasn’t tried this cake has to!!!!
Wow, what a delicious moist chocolate cake! The best ever! I used the ganache for the filling. That just took the cake over the top. I will not use another chocolate cake recipe again. Do you think I could use it to make cupcakes?
Nagi….quick question. Should the “metric” measurement for sugar read 220g instead of 440???
No, 440g is correct for 2 cups of sugar
Is this extremely sweet so?
Made this cake today as a birthday cake. Turned out perfectly. Filled the centre with strawberries and fresh cream. Decorated with strawberries and maltezers. Thank you for such a great recipe. Highly recommended!!!
I forgot to mix the batter properly before putting the boiling water in. Pls rembembed this step! My egg cooked inside my batter!!
Best chocolate cake recipe ever ❤️❤️❤️Made it in a bundt tin, and spread milk chocolate ganache on top❤️This cake is a winner 🏆
Oh my goodness, this is the best chocolate cake I have ever made, seriously! My whole family loved it ❤️ So moist and delicious . I baked it in a bundt tin, and put milk chocolate ganache on top.
This is definitely our favourite chocolate cake, and I have put the recipe in the family recipe book. The best part is, it was sooo easy to make. Thank you for sharing this lovely recipe ❤️
Fabulous chocolate cake with an actual chocolate flavor. Moist and delicious! I reduced the sugar a bit (as I usually do); our taste isn’t for too sweet. Baked in rectangular slab tin. Topped with thin layer of raspberry jam warmed for ease of spreading and seeds sieved out. Then covered with melted dark chocolate. Served with heavy dollop cream. Divine!!