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.
Best. Chocolate. Cake. EVER. Nagi, I want to marry you. It doesn’t matter that I’m already married with 3 kids, and a heterosexual female, I just love you!
Back off Rebecca! I saw her first, she’s mine!!!
Lol.
Legit love this cake Nagi…just made a bunch of small ones (8!)
to drop to friends within 5k radius to enjoy with their families this weekend.
Love your work
😂😂😂 I’m so glad you loved it Rebecca!!! N x
Hi Nagi! I’ve baked this many times before. I love it and so does my friends. Can I use this recipe to bake cupcakes? I tried your chocolate cupcake recipe and it was too bitter for me ☹️
Hi, what is the bake time if I use 2 six inch cake pans instead?
Hi Alicia, you’ll want to scale the recipe down as well as the cakes will be too high in a 6″ with the entire amount. I would scale the recipe down to 6 and check the cake at about 20 minutes or so. N x
It truly is the best chocolate cake and was told that all three times I’ve made it (in the last 2 weeks – obsessive I know. Promise they were celebrations that needed cakes)
Nagi have you ever tried using this batter for cupcakes? Would that work? How would you suggest I adjust the timing? I’m a cake / cupcaking novice – I’ve only ever made cake 3times and failed at my first attempt at cupcakes. 3 additional cakes over a 10 day period is excessive so trying to see if I can make mini/normal size cupcakes for my daughter’s bday celebrations
Genuinely the best chocolate cake I’ve ever had! Im now thinking of giving a low carb version a go – with almond flour and a baking sweetener. Has anyone ever tried this with any luck? I’ve read a bit more almond flour than plain flour, and increase baking agents a wee bit to account for the heaviness of the flour … But will take any advice! Thanks in advance … And Nagi, I know – it will come no where close to the original. But my jeans can’t cope any more 😂
Hi Lorraine, this recipe might suit here: https://promotown.info/flourless-chocolate-cake/%3C/a%3E I haven’t tried with sweeteners though so would love to know if it works! N x
Thank you for the wonderful cake recipe. Made it today and I doubt there will be any left tonight. Can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
For anyone who is baking in smaller pans like me, for three seven inch tins, I split 500grams of batter between three 7 inch pans and baked for 25 minutes with regular 5 minute interval checking a after that (my oven is a bit unreliable 😅)
Hello Nagi, just wondering if this would work in an 18cm square tin? It’s not mentioned in the notes re pan sizes.
Thanks!
Did you try this in the square tin? I’d love to know how it went.
Hi Erin, yes, I did try it with a square tin. I can’t remember how long I baked it for now but I think I just kept testing it with a skewer. It sunk a little in the middle – not sure why. Maybe the oven temp needed adjusting or I did something wrong? I disguised it with a little extra icing in the middle and it looked and tasted fine.
Also, I didn’t do layers and only used one square cake tin, so poured the excess into a small round cake tin which turned out fine. Hope that helps!
Thanks Anna. I’ll be trying it out tonight for my daughter’s birthday cake. I bought a square Bananas in Pajamas edible image so I’ll see how the square tin goes.
Nagi, this is just as exceptional as you said it would be! Love how your website has different levels of detail and yt clips no less. It’s all greatly appreciated so thank you x
This is an excellent recipe. FYI I find I have to bake it for around 50 mins.
I’m so glad you love it Stevejay – sounds like your oven may run a little cool if it needs that long! N x
Hi Nagi….just tried your recipe the other day. It is by far THE BEST chocolate recipe that I’ve ever tried. So moist and yummy👌🏻 The next day it was even better and more flavourful. Thank u for sharing such an amazing and easy recipe. Bless u☺️
Hi Nagi, I can’t wait to make this cake! A random question though, would you be able to tell me roughly how high the cake is? Considering doing a third layer! Thanks, Danielle.
Love your blog! This has been my go to chocolate cake for years. Glad you enjoy it too!
Turns out, I’m now in trouble with this cake!
After deciding we needed a sweet treat after dinner, I whipped up the cake while the partner whipped up the frosting.
In my defence, I really did try to wait for it to completely cool. I even put it in the fridge …
But I assembled it anyway and unfortunately it did melt the frosting a little.
But I’m eating it and it is DELICIOUS AND WORTH IT!!!
You better hurry and eat it ALL then 😂
Made this last weekend and it was amazing! So moist and lovely – it was really easy to make gluten free! I plan to make it again for my fiance’s birthday!
I have made this chocolate cake twice now, so easy to do and turned out perfect. soo very yummy and chocolatey. Thanks Nagi
You’re so welcome Bevie, I’m so glad you enjoyed it 🙂 N x
Nagi we failed big time and not sure what we did wrong – huge mess in the oven with batter split between two nine inch cake cake pans. Deep cave in middle of cakes and spilled over. Yikes – any thoughts? Can’t load a pic but it’s the funniest bake fail I’ve had in a while. Thanks always for the great recipes we love.
Hi Casey, sorry you had issues here!! It spilled over the cake tins? What height were they? You definitely used the right amount of bi carb and baking powder? N x
Hi Nagi, thank you for the reply, yes we did. I think it was the cake pan height like you mentioned, as I watched your video a few time again yours are higher than mine and i think that the deep caves were from when I was startled at the burning smell and opened the oven from the spill over. Will try again with a deeper pan.!! Thank you so so much!! Your recipes are making a huge difference for our family during this pandemic.
I LOOOOOOVE your site! Your recipes never fail me, and I love the amazing detail you offer for each and every recipe! I live in Japan, and always appreciate how detailed the Japanese are in their recipes and just about everything they do.
I made this cake with much skepticism, as normally I’m used to creaming the butter etc, but this cake was DIVINE and just PERFECT!!! MY SON LOVES IT SO MUCH! Thank y0u for sharing all your amazing recipes!
I baked this chocolate cake and it is probably the greatest one I’ve tried given I’ve been looking for a perfect one and I finally found it. Everyone liked it, looking forward to trying more of your recipes. Keep it up ❤️
That’s great to hear Amelia, thanks so much for letting me know 🙂 N x
Hi Nagi…love your recipes. Was looking for an authentic chocolate cake recipe. Just bumped into yours. I plan on trying this out. Just one concern….. The quantity of baking soda looks a lil more than the usual recipes. Hope it won’t make the taste bitter(actually I have experienced this before 🙁