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.
LOVE this recipe! How would I cook this if I used three 17cm pans? For a smaller 3 tier cake? Thanks so much
Sad, I followed to a t and the cake shrunk then fell apart, Never had a cake fail this bad before.
this is an amazing cake recipie i made it for my birthday cake and i only needed one recipie of frosting and it worked fine. i made it again and instead of two teaspoons of vanilla. i did one of vanilla and one of peppermint extract. it made a delicious chocolate peppermint cake.
Hi Nagi,
Just wanted to share that this cake is possibly magic. My partner doubled the recipe to make a big version for my 40th birthday party, and a month later we’re still going with it and it’s STILL MOIST! Without refrigeration! Thank you so much for a phenomenal chocolate cake recipe.
This recipe is amazing !
I didn’t have oil do I used melted unsalted butter and it worked ! tasted great ! I also only had one cake tin so I baked the cake for a bit longer (1hour). Was a big hit ! Thanks Nagi !
This recipe is amazing! I didn’t have any veg oil so I used melted unsalted butter and it still was great! Thanks Nagi! X
I LOVE this recipe, its one of my favourite cakes i’ve made! however, it is a very rich cake, so i usually put a bit of berry compote in between the layers to make it a bit more fresh.
This turned out amazing, and so easy. Will be my go-to choc cake recipe from now on, Thank you!
Would this work if I replace the milk with buttermilk?
Also, can I bake in a 8” by 4” deep tin?
Amazing chocolate cake. So easy to make.
Fabulous cake. Everyone at the party loved it. How would I make this without the cocoa powder? Some in my family don’t like chocolate cake. Can’t imagine why!!! Made 2 square cakes and formed a rectangle. It was decorated as a lolly box cake. Would happily post a photo. The 6 year old kids loved it – the adults did too.
Fricking excellent
Hi Nagi
would this recipe work if I halved it and baked in 20cm round pan
It’ll cook and taste fine if you use Nagi’s suggested cooking times for a 20cm tin. You’ll just end up with a small (low) cake with a half-recipe. No issue if you’re eating it yourself if you ask me. 🙂
Used for a party
Thanks so much Nagi! Made it today for the first time, and it was the easiest and most delicious chocolate cake I have ever had! Used 1x your chocolate icing recipe to decorate my two 8inch cakes, and it was more than enough for filling, top and sides! Added some dolce de leche as a little extra deliciousness in the middle, and even my mom that doesn’t eat cake had seconds… My new go to chocolate cake recipe!
Tried this yesterday for my friend’s birthday, it was a huge hit!!!! Good to have the warning about how runny the cake mixture is. SO GOOD
This cake and buttercream frosting came out great! Easy directions (and videos) for the beginner baker! Great flavor and frosting softened up the intensity of the chocolate cake. Wonderful.
cake
Absolutely love this recipe, by far the best chocolate cake out there!
Question: I want to use all the batter to make just one cake, instead of two seperate cakes. How long should I bake it for?
Took 60 mins at 160 degrees fan forced with top of tin around middle of oven. Rose to 8cm or 2* high. Check with a skewer every five mins for last 15, once tapping the top produces no wobble.
That’s what I did. I baked it for an hour but I think it’ll depends on the oven you have.
Delicious cake. Definitely line the sides of the tin as well as the base as it’s quite sticky. Just fits in two 20cm sandwich tones.