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 – 32 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.
this tastes like my big pasa and i love diddling little boys pp with this and it makes m feel very nice. it tastes like brr skibidi dop dop dop yes yes skibidi double deep deep and pasa
This cake is very moist and delicious. I made it as a 9×13 but it was only an inch tall, is that how it is supposed to turn out? I’m wondering if I over mixed or underbaked?
Has anyone successfully made this cake using plant milk? I need to make a dairy free version. I was going to try substituting the milk 1:1 for oat milk but don’t have much room/time to remake if it fails the first go. Any tips??
Made this cake for a friends dinner party. Followed the recipe except I only used 330gr sugar and I used hot coffee instead of water in the end. Frosted with the recommended chocolate buttercream frosting. Made it into a 2 layer cake and it was fabulous.. thx
I made this for my Dad’s 88 birthday today. With I could post a photo. So delicious!
The only problem is now that I know this cake exists, I’m not happy with any other cake. I’m doomed to make this chocolate cake forever. The good news is it’s easy to make and fantastic. I’ve made it with chocolate icing, lemon icing, caramel elements, replaced the cup of water with coffee for a mocha cake, and made it as a s’mores cake with graham cracker and marshmallows. It’s always delicious! 10/10!
Thank you for your recipe, it’s really easy to follow, super delicious. I only use 1 batch of the chocolate buttercream frosting and is plenty for us. Will definitely recommend.
I didn’t have any vegetable oil so I used half olive oil and half melted margarine. And Mable syrup instead of vanilla extract. Also, I only added one cup of raw sugar. Added 1 tsb (2 or 3 for a definite mocha taste) of ground coffee I only had one tin, so i divided the batter in two and baked separately for 25 minutes.
Fostered with the attached recipe which I halved all ingredients because we don’t like a lot and planed to service with vanilla ice cream. It came out prefect ! Definitely a keeper
5 stars all the way!
Easiest cake I ever made. Under two hrs the family has a better than store bought cake! Soft crumb, moist, easy to cut into, will serve 16 if made in a 9 x 13 not sandwiched.
Thanks Nagi for making me a more efficient and better cook.
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I’ve made this cake twice. Last weekend to test it, YUMMY and tonight for the final product, a 21st cake for the weekend. Has anyone cut it in half horizontally to fill with buttercream? It’s currently wrapped in cling film and tin foil and in the fridge. Going to cut tomorrow night.
Great moist chocolate cake recipe
I made this into a Bundt cake.
I made this and it was sooo delicious. I had lunch with my family and pop ( who was in hospital ) and we had this for dessert. Everyone LOVED it, I have recommended this to all my friends. Great recipe, 100% try it.
This is a great cake for a crowd and very easy, it is so delicious
Hi there, can this be made in two 6inch pans?
Utterly delicious! Everyone loved it. This will be my go-to chocolate cake from now on.
I decorated it with the chocolate butter cream, Maltesers and sprinkles to make it more birthday cake-y.
This cake was devoured by everyone! Absolutely incredible. You nailed it!
I do have a very random question. If a recipe calls for 2 eggs and you crack an egg and it’s a double yolk… do you add an extra egg? Or do you take it as enough egg. IE will there be enough white?
This was a really great cake! I baked it in a single pan, then cut it in half to frost the inside and outside. I didn’t need 1.5x the frosting—just the standard amount was plenty, and I had no use for the extra. But the cake itself is fantastic—definitely keeping this recipe!
I love this chocolate cake recipe. I’ve never been one for chocolate cake but this is moist and last even 2 days before we had it.
Question on doubling the recipe- does this mean 4 x 22cm tins so you just make it a 4 layered cake and it feeds 16 serves? Or is this just for 2 x double decker 22cm cakes? Thanks