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, afternoon teas or to take to gatherings. For a richer, fudgier chocolate cake, try this Chocolate Fudge Cake.
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 blog 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
My friend Jo from Jo Cooks calls this the Lazy Ass Chocolate Cake. And rightfully so, because 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 (265g) plain / all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup (55g) cocoa powder , unsweetened (Note 2)
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda (bi-carb soda)
- 2 cups (440g) white sugar (Note 1)
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 eggs (~55-65g / 2 oz each)
- 1 cup (250 ml) milk (low or full fat)
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) vegetable oil (or canola)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup (250 ml) boiling water
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- 1 1/2 batches Chocolate Buttercream Frosting (slide scaler on recipe)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F (standard) or 160C / 320F (fan/convection).
- Read Note 4 regarding shelf positions.
- Grease 2 x 22cm/9" cake pans with butter, then line the base. (See Note 3 regarding 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:
This works great in a bundt pan (50 minutes) or a single 22cm/9" pan (40 - 45 minutes). The original Hershey's recipe also suggests the following pan sizes which I have not tried myself:
* 13 x 9 x 2" / 33 x 22 x 5 cm rectangle pan, 35 - 40 minutes
* 3 x 8" / 20cm round pans, 30 - 35 minutes Quick way to make cake pan liner for base: take a piece of baking paper and fold in half, then quarters, then keep folding so it's a small long triangle. Line up the pointy end with the middle of the cake pan, then snip the end off at the edge of the cake pan. Unfold and voila! A near perfect round cake pan liner that fits your pan perfectly! 4. BAKING / SHELVES - If your oven is large enough for both cake pans to be on one shelf, place the shelf in the middle of the oven. If it's not large enough, put one shelf 1/3 of the way down the oven, then the next shelf below it (check to ensure cake pan fits). If cakes are on separate shelves, take out the top one at 35 minutes per recipe, then move the bottom one up to the top shelf and bake for a further 5 minutes. 5. I turn the cakes out upside down so the flat base becomes the surface used for frosting. Flat surface just looks nicer when you cut into the cake! This cake comes out pretty level, but if you want to be extra neat, feel free to level the cakes using a serrated knife. 6. EASTER DECORATIONS as pictured in post and in the Easter Recipes post: baby chicks $2, speckled chocolate eggs and shredded paper all from Woolies. Chocolate basket made as follows: blow up balloon to the size you want the basket to be, place with tied end down in a rice bowl or something it fits in. Melt baking chocolate in microwave (about 1/2 cup chips/buttons), then transfer into small ziplock bag. Snip corner, then drizzle chocolate over exposed half of balloon. Let set in fridge, then carefully release air from balloon. Voila! Chocolate basket! Fill with shredded paper, eggs and chicks. 7. STORAGE: Keeps in an airtight container for up to 5 days and is still lovely and moist. Refrigerate if frosted and it's very hot where you are. Freezing not ideal because it's such a moist cake that it makes the crumb a bit wet so while it still looks like cake, when you eat it the texture is almost like chocolate pudding cake. Still tasty, just not as cakey as it should be. 8. DIFFERENT COUNTRIES, different measures - This recipe will work with cup measures whether you are in Australia, US, Canada or anywhere else in the world (except Japan, please use weights provided). Measuring cup sizes in the US and Canada are slightly different to the rest of the world, including Australia. While for most recipes, the difference is not enough to affect the outcome of the recipe, for baking recipes, it can mean the difference between success or an epic fail. I always test my cakes and cookies using both Australian (rest of world) and US cups to ensure it works for both. Usually it's fine, such as this Chocolate Cake (either recipe has enough flex and/or difference is relative across the ingredients). If not, I provide ingredient measures for different countries (such as these Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies). 9. Nutrition is per serving, cake only, assuming 12 servings.
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
Dozer vs tiny toy chick.
Chick won.
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 🙁
Hi Nahi…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 🙁
Hi Nagi! I plan to make this cake and I’m wondering if buttercream in between the layers then a cooled choco ganache as the frosting outside would sound good? I’d love to try it with buttercream all over, but I’m scared of having it become too sweet! I was scarred by a diff choco recipe. What do you think? Or could I just lessen the amt of sugar in the buttercream?
Sounds great Gabrielle!
It’s in the oven baking but I have a feeling it’ll taste good thanks
it’s my moms b.day 2day
IM 13
I hope you all enjoy it Matipa!!! N x
Hi Nagi,
Can I use self raising flour instead of plain flour?
If yes, do I need to alter the measurements?
Thank you
Hi Swathi, I haven’t tried but here’s what I would do – use the SR flour and omit the baking powder, then reduce the baking soda to 1 tsp. N x
Every year for my kid’s birthday I make a packet cake. I find they are so easy to make and they are pretty tasty too.
I won’t be doing that any more! This cake is seriously so easy (one bowl! one whisk!) and requires NO block chocolate which I can’t have in my house because I eat it all. Love it!
(I took out half a cup of sugar with no issue with taste or texture, for anyone wondering whether they could reduce it successfully.)
I’m so glad you’re converted from packet mix Mel, that’s great to hear! N x
Made as directed, EXCEPT…I took a chance on subbing the boiling water with one cup of hot coffee! Mmmmmmm….iced mine with peanut butter frosting 😀😀😀
Sounds great!! N x
Ever tried this recipe for cupcakes?
I like this recipe but find it takes far longer to bake than indicated. This time I tried it with half the boiling water instead and found it’s just as good but bakes much closer to the right time.
Hi Nagi,
Would love to make this chocolate cake with two 6inch cake pan. Do i need to halve this recipe?
And I just made your chocolate buttercream yesterday and it was delicious 😍
Thank you!
Christy 🙂
Hi Christy, I would scale the recipe down to 5 servings and use 1 large egg here 🙂 N x
Hi Nagi,
Thank you so much for your fast respond! I am new in baking 😬 Scale down to 5 servings meaning i can halve the recipe and use 1 large egg and use two 6 inch pan correct? Thank you Nagi!
Christy
Hi Nagi! I’ve made this cake before numerous times and it always turned out perfectly. But the last two times I made it, it failed miserably! The cake sinks and the texture is really dense and chewy and kind of gluey. Any idea why this might happen? I’m still giving it 5 stars because of the other times I made it, but I can’t help but wonder if you’ve changed this recipe in the past couple of months?
hi Nagi,
any suggestions on how to get equal amounts of the batter for your chocolate cake recipe into 2 9inch pans without just eyeballing it. Thanks.
Hi Yolanda, you could weigh them and separate equally if you don’t want to eyeball it! N x
I live this cake, it’s in my regular rotation and I reccomend to anyone wanting a choc cake recipe.
I have a tip for preventing leaking springform cake pans!
Separate the pan from the base, place a square of paper towel over the base, cover with a large piece of baking paper, then fit the pan ring over the top and secure pan clip. Use scissors to cut excess off.
I have NEVER had a pan leak like this, I think it would hold water if it had to!
Great tip Danielle! N x
I’m so excited to try this recipe for my sons birthday. I was thinking of making the cake 3 layers with buttercream, would it hold you think or would I need a more dense recipe
Hi Kylie, that should be fine – enjoy! N x
Hi i have a small oven. May i know if its possible to bake a taller cake in a smaller inch pan and then slice it into 2 layers?
Or.. is it that this cake is not easy to slice? Or make not cook thru if its too tall?
Thank u
Hi Hj, I talk about different pans in the recipe notes 🙂 N x
Thanks for replying!
I read it but was concerned cos if I fit the pans in 2 shelves (one third below), the bottom pan will be almost touching the base of oven and the top one is almost touching the top of oven.
is that okay?