Hershey's ® 'Perfectly Chocolate' Chocolate Cake
A deep chocolate 2 layer cake with chocolate frosting.
A deep chocolate 2 layer cake with chocolate frosting.
Why, oh why, do people think they can substitute ingredients willy-nilly and still get a good result? This is baking, folks. You need to follow the recipe. This recipe, for example, calls for oil for a reason -- not shortening. If you don't have enough oil, then you need to: A) go get more oil; B) find a recipe that calls for something other than oil; or C) substitute as you will, don't complain when the recipe doesn't turn out well. I made this cake by following the recipe and it is perfect and perfectly delicious. Not dense, not spongy, not too chocolaty.
Read MoreWhat a huge disappointment! I made this recipe to a "T" and I can't believe how much I don't like it. With all of the wonderful ratings I was just sure we were going to be in chocolate heaven by now - NOT! This cake overflowed the bundt pan, was spongy, chewy, crumbly, stuck to the pan and was not sweet at all. I kept thinking that I was chewing a mildly chocolate flavored sponge. Don't even bother telling me that I must have done something wrong, I didn't. I have been baking for 30 years and certainly know how to make a cake; this one just isn't my cup of tea. Thanks anyway, and I truly am glad that so many like this.
Read MoreWhy, oh why, do people think they can substitute ingredients willy-nilly and still get a good result? This is baking, folks. You need to follow the recipe. This recipe, for example, calls for oil for a reason -- not shortening. If you don't have enough oil, then you need to: A) go get more oil; B) find a recipe that calls for something other than oil; or C) substitute as you will, don't complain when the recipe doesn't turn out well. I made this cake by following the recipe and it is perfect and perfectly delicious. Not dense, not spongy, not too chocolaty.
Ever since I found this recipe, it has been my "tried and true" chocolate cake recipe. I use 1 cup of hot, strong, fresh brewed coffee instead of the boiling water. I have also used evaporated milk, and it makes the cake sooooo dense and moist! This is a great recipe, the frosting and cake are to die for! I have baked the cake in a 9 x 13 pan, a bundt pan, and giant muffin tins. If any of you are looking for a great chocolate cake recipe, look no further, this is it!
What a huge disappointment! I made this recipe to a "T" and I can't believe how much I don't like it. With all of the wonderful ratings I was just sure we were going to be in chocolate heaven by now - NOT! This cake overflowed the bundt pan, was spongy, chewy, crumbly, stuck to the pan and was not sweet at all. I kept thinking that I was chewing a mildly chocolate flavored sponge. Don't even bother telling me that I must have done something wrong, I didn't. I have been baking for 30 years and certainly know how to make a cake; this one just isn't my cup of tea. Thanks anyway, and I truly am glad that so many like this.
No wonder this is one of Hershey's enduring, signature recipes. You'll not find a more "perfectly chocolate" chocolate cake. It's easy to mix up, moist, and incredibly chocolate-y. To enhance the chocolate flavor I substituted hot coffee for the water. Half a recipe made 12 cupcakes, baked at about 20-23 minutes, but keep in mind that oven temperatures and sizes of cupcake pans vary. I used my own chocolate buttercream frosting.
I have made this cake for contests and for catering events. People that love chocolate, love this cake!
This is the best chocolate cake - very moist. It's just two of us so I scaled the reciped for a single layer and baked in my 8 x 8 for 30 - 35 minutes. I didn't melt the butter for the frosting - that just didn't sound right to me - I softened it instead. I thought it would be creamier but it tasted great too!
Being an American living in the Netherlands, I have a hard time making good cakes. The flour here is higher in gluten than in the USA and many recipes come out the consistency of construction material bricks. THIS cake came out perfect! Light and fluffy with a great taste. Possibly the only thing I'd do differently is add a little more cocoa for an intense burst of chocolate. Super recipe, though. Susanne
I absolutely love this cake and everyone who has ever eaten this dessert has always praised me for making it! Just a few changed I make...I add half a package of chocolate fudge Jello pudding mix to my dry ingredients. The pudding mix makes this cake soooo moist! (You can do this with homemade cookies, too!) I drop the cooking temp. by about 25 degrees (my oven runs a little high) and and do not cook as long as directed. Instead I pull out the cakes 5-6 min. early and then cover with foil. The heat being trapped will continue to cook the inside of the cake. If you leave the foil on for several hours the cake will be even more moist. For the frosting, I use 'Chocolate Fudge Buttercream Frosting' from this website. Garnish cake with chocolate shavings and mmmmmmm good!
If I could give this cake 6 stars, I would!! This is by far THE best chocolate cake I have ever had! The cake batter mixes up really thin after adding the water. Don't worry - it will bake up to be very dense and rich. I made one yesterday for my husband's birthday. We ate one piece each, then shared with friends. I am baking another one right now to take to work tomorrow. I don't share recipes until they are up to my high standards. This one definitely is! Note: if you want a little different taste to the cake, try adding strong coffee instead of the hot water. Yum!
Incredibly moist cake. I've made this 3 times now and it comes out perfectly each time. Make sure you heavily grease and flour the cake pan -- this is so moist that it easily sticks to the bottom of the pan. And allow it to cool sufficiently before removing it from the pans. Otherwise, it will fall apart in your hand due to the moistness.
I think this is probably the best chocolate cake recipe I've tried from this site. However, I do prefer it with a chocolate Cool Whip frosting rather than the one included. (See Cool Whipped Frosting recipe on this site; use chocolate pudding instead of vanilla.) The recipe makes 6 cups of batter, so you will need to pour 3 cups into each pan for a two-layer cake and 2 cups into each pan for a three-layer cake. Oh, this cake won first place for me in my local fair, and you won't believe this, but somebody actually stole the cake from its display!
WOW, this is one of the best cakes I've made yet! I followed recipe exactly, except for adding coffee granules to the boiling water. So rich, moist chocolately and satisfying. For those who did not like the frosting, I'm having a hard time understanding why! It is so good smooth and beautiful. Let me tell you that even my brother who has a tendency to always scrape of excess icing crom a cake, ate the whole thing for the first time!! Those who thought it was grainy, well it might be because you either haven't beaten it enough, or your cocoa powder was grainy and needed sifting. I filled with mocha cream inside the cake, but frosted with this frosting. If you are craving one of those rich chocolate cakes that satisfy all your taste buds, this is it! I felt like eating the whole thing, I just love it. Oh and it's sooooo easy to make too, all in one bowl, no melting of anything, so fast, and in the oven in no time!!!! Thanks so much for this recipe!
5 STARS ALL THE WAY! This is the best chocolate cake and frosting I have ever made! I had tasted the frosting when my mother made it so I knew I would love it. However, when I made it, it was thinner; so, a call to Mom and her secret was out. You have to beat it a long time until it gets fluffier. So good!! Thank you Hershey's for sharing your recipe!
This is uber moist and chocolately cake ever!! Got raves from co-workers and birthday boy-smash hit! YUM! Easy to make and easy to make into cupcakes too!!
I didn't make any changes to the recipe...& won't the next time either. I filled heart-shaped muffin pans about 1/2 full of batter... dropped in a maraschino cherry, a sprinkle of mini-semi sweet chocolate chips & a 1/2 tsp of cherry juice. The cherry, of course, dropped to the bottom. I knew it would so I don't know why it didn't occur to me to roll it in flour first to try to combat that. I think it will at least help. Didn't really matter in the end...they were fabulous even w/ the cherry at the bottom. ;o) I served these for dessert for our Valentine's meal & to doll them up some for the occasion, I sprinkled them w/ red sparkly sugar. I used big, square glass plates to serve them on...off to the side of the plate, I wrote "I love you" in melted chocolate (just filled up a plastic bag w/ melted chocolate, snipped off a tiny corner & free-handed it). I drizzled a bit of cherry preserves as a bed for the cupcake. I've posted a pic for those of you who are interested. Thsi was an excellent chocolate cake recipe...it was chocolatey & moist.
I came to AllRecipes to review this because they credited Hershey's. Another recipe site refused to give credit so they don't get the review! I've never made a chocolate cake in my life because the ones I've tried are dry and tasteless. But, a birthday was coming and a chocolate cake was requested. I read the reviews here; used butter for the oil, strong coffee for the water, and Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa powder. Also added 1 teaspoon of cinnamon to the batter. Baked it in a Bundt pan. Served it for birthday and four people devoured it entirely within 1/2 an hour!!! Superb, not too sweet, moist...what I would call a gourmet, adult cake. I chose to not frost it as a superiour cake should stand on its own. Everyone agreed: frosting would have destroyed this cake! So glad that I found this recipe here and that you give Hershey's full credit for it! Well done.
I use this recipe for all of my chocolate cakes. It is soo good and easy to make and the frosting is delicious too. My husband is a big chocolate cake eater...and he always raves when I make this. I don't know what people are talking about with the frosting being too thin also. If it looks to thin, then add more powdered sugar..it's not rocket science. Definately a keeper for me! :0)
If you've never made a scratch cake - start with this recipe. For a little extra effort you'll get a classic chocolate cake - dense and satisfying. Mixing the cocoa into the butter while it's still hot gets rid of the chalky texture. Keep frosting at room temp until ready to spread (doesn't spread well if cold). The cake is so forgiving that I have spread the frosting on while cake is still lukewarm. For birthdays I put a layer of cherry pie filling in the middle instead of frosting and use toothpicks to keep the layers from sliding. It is my family's most requested birthday cake. A real keeper.
This recipe is wonderful!!! Everyone at the party I had loved it, even those not to fond of chocolate cake. Tips: 1) Cover the bottom of pan with wax paper before greasing and 2) Soften, don't melt, the butter.
OMG!! this cake is soooo good, the only thing that I would change would be the frosting, I didn't use melted butter, softened butter instead and try to cut the powdered sugar to 2 cups, but was not firm enough, and with 3 cups was a litlle bit too sweet, a really good acke anyway!
This is an excellent moist chocolate cake, very simple to make. My co-workers devoured it. I did have trouble getting it out of the pan, next time I'll make sure I use more shortening to grease the pan.
I've made this cake for a few years and I love it! I won second place with it in the chocolate cake category (against a lot of other entries) at the fair a couple of years ago. Today I tried dissolving instant coffee in the boiling water for the the batter and warmed milk for the frosting. I will never do it another way! Takes it to a whole other level! For the people with the problem of the cake running over--are you sure you are using a 9" pan and not an 8"? But more than likely, your oven is too hot and your cake is rising too fast. Try splitting the cake up between 3-9" pans and bake for about 18 minutes, I think. I use a TON of Baker's Joy and usually parchment because this cake is so moist, it tends to stick.
I call this my "PMS Cake", because I've taken to making it the week I'm PMSing and it makes me very happy. I love this recipe and I am definately a chocoholic.
This is a fantastic cake I have made this for years. I also add coffee to my hot water to intensify the chocolate flavor. I have also substituted some of the milk in the frosting for coffee liquor.
I used this frosting on the Black Chocolate Cake from this website. I used part milk, part heavy cream, and a bit more than was called for to take away the grittiness. Pretty good.
This cake was SO SO good! I couldn't find my personal Choc cake recipe so I had to rush and find one on AR. I have to admit, this one may possibly come in close competition to my own recipe. Very good!
Excellent! I've never made a chocolate cake recipe other than my grandmother's, because hers is tops. My sister told me she made this recipe & that it was great, so I tried it. It's more dense/ brownielike than my grandma's recipe, so now I can rely on 2 different chocolate cake recipes. I used buttercream frosting because that seemed like too much chocolate, but my sister says I must try it with the choc frost. Very very good!
I have made this cake over and over. It is always a hit and has repeatedly been requested. The key is to stir the boiling water in well or the cake may come out gummy in spots.
Easy and delicious!!! This is WAY better than boxed cake. It is very soft and moist. This will be my go to chocolate cake recipe from now on. Thanks!!!
OMG!!! Okay, I am a VERY picky chocolate lover. Most chocolate cakes are either not chocolatey enough for me, or they are too dry or just don't even really taste like chocolate. One of the only chocolate cakes I ever have loved is the Costco All-American Chocolate Cake. Up until now, nothing has come close to that. This cake tops it!!! This cake has been a HUGE hit with everyone. It's as moist as a box cake, and even better because it's all from scratch. When I eat this cake, I'm in heaven. One thing I changed (a small change). I used butter flavor Crisco instead of the oil. This makes it even better if that's even possible. On a scale of 1 to ten...this is an 11!
I was in a real hurry and tried to take the cake out of the pan before cooling - big mistake - it broke. I went ahead and frosted the other one in the pan and took it to a dinner party. It was great - there was not a piece left and everyone talked about how good it was.
This cake is so simple, no one could possibly mess it up! It is absolutely delectable! I made it for my family and it was gone in one day! I made another one and took it into my office and they devoured it! Fantastic!
This recipe is excellent. The only thing I did differently is to line the pans with parchment paper and butter the paper and dust the bottom and sides of the pan with cocoa powder instead of flour. This leaves a nicer finish on your cake.
This cake is absolutely delicious! It's very moist and chocolately. I used coffee instead of water for a richer flavor. You must use oil in the recipe, not butter or shortening. I once tried making it with butter and the cake turned out dry. I use canola oil for the best results. The frosting is good also, but it is too sweet for my taste so I altered it slightly, using 2-1/4 cups sugar and 1-1/2 cups cocoa for a more chocolately taste, although it is still sweet.
I bake a lot. Absolutely love to cook from scratch and almost always take first place in baking competitions. This recipe was a huge disappointment to me. I made two cakes and threw them both out! The texture, consistency and flavor of the cake itself were horrid. However, the icing was good. When I made this cake, I thought that it would be a chocolate dream...sadly, it was this chocolate lover's worst nightmare. Won't make it again!!
wow! this cake was so good! i've been a betty crocker or duncan hines cake mix girl my whole life, but now that i'm going to school in london i can't always find the mixes (or they are to expensive). This was so easy and it tasted so chocolately and moist- I will definitely make it again. I frosted with chocolate frosting (from this web page) and made some fresh whipped cream to eat it with. Delicious!
Oh my soul! I can't figure out why a few others have had trouble with this recipe. I bake a lot -- I sell pies and cakes and cookies -- and this was easily the best chocolate cake I've ever made (no, I do not work for Hershey -- in fact, I used different cocoa). Incredibly moist, dark and delicious. And I will never make any other kind of chocolate frosting again -- it spread SO easily and was really yummy.
I really liked the cake but with the frosting, some said it was "too chocolaty"....if that's possible! Next time, I would just use another frosting. Even I thought it was a little intense and that's rare!
Followed the recipe exactly as written and was rewarded with a delicious, moist and chocolatey cake. I'd highly recommend this recipe for anyone looking to make a perfect chocolate cake from scratch.
WOW. (And I know my cakes.) Even the frosting, I mean really, I couldn't believe how good this cake is (and I didn't even make it). This recipe is the best, bar none. A friend of mine made it & told me where she got the recipe - from the back of the Hershey's Cocoa tin! The cocoa is unusually dark - almost purple, but the end result is just fantastic. :)
For cake only, not the icing: I've tried about 10 different recipes for the perfect from scratch chocolate cake and this was the best by far! I followed the directions exactly no subs.
one word "DELICIOUS" I made this cake twice in 1 week, my family loved it. My husband thought it was the "BEST" cake I ever made. This recipe was very simple, just follow EXACTLY what it says, it should come out great. This cake was very moist and delicious. I will definately be using this recipe for my chocolate cakes. Thank you for the recipe, Enjoy.. :) !
Name says it all, this is really moist and good, not to rich, but real chocolate flavor, recipe is on Hershey's Cocoa Powder, for those of you who might not have a printer. Thanks!! 5 Stars
The frosting is so delicious.. But I only added about 190gms of icing sugar...which is half of what the recipe states..I suggest that those who prefer a more deeper bittersweet chocolate flavor to do that too.. and add a little more milk instead...the cake however was very moist so it sort of crumbled as i tried to make a two layer cake..so its impt that u let it cool completely before frosting it..
I was so glad to see there were a few others that had problems with this recipes. My husband (an experienced baker) made this last week, and it was a DISASTER! It overflowed the two pans, and the consistency was spongy and altho the taste was ok, it was nothing to write home about. We tried it once again (due to the all the great reviews, we figured we did something wrong) and the same thing happened...a real mess!
This is an excellent cake recipe. I substitute soft/partially melted butter for the oil, and it works nicely. It's the only chocolate cake I've had that is good even right out of the oven; however, it IS better after setting overnight. I also put a bit more sugar than it calls for. not exactly 'heaping' cups, but close.
Pure Chocolate Heaven! I doubled this recipe and made it into a sheet cake for my large chocolate-lovin' family. As per another review I replaced the boiling water with coffee. I replaced the milk in the frosting with coffee as well. Everyone felt extra "Happy" after eating the cake, (which didn't last long, by the way). This cake lives up to it's name. It is perfectly chocolate-y and perfectly delicious.
Truly perfect. The only change I make is to use melted butter instead of oil. To die for!!!
This is the first 'from scratch' cake that I've ever made. It couldn't have been any simpler, and it turned out wonderfully.
Wow, this cake is EXCELLENT!! I'm not a big chocolate lover, and made this for my husband, but ended up eating as much as he did!! I made the double layer, and instead of the chocolate frosting, I used peanut butter and this was incredible!! Please note, maybe it was just my oven, but the cake was done after 23 minutes, so be careful not to overbake. It came out moist and wonderful!! This cake will be made over and over in my house!!
I played around a little with this recipe... so bear with me. The icing was really thick and strong so I added about 4 oz of cool whip. If I did it again, I might add more; I like fluffy icing. I also added chocolate chips to the cake mix, and then stored it in the refrigerator. This was a bad idea, since when we tried to cut the cake it was very thick... after it setlled to room temperature it wasn't so bad, though. The flavor of the batter was very very good, and had I added half a bag of chocolate chips instead of the whole bag, it might have tasted phenomenal. Next time I make it I'll either leave the chocolate chips out entirely, or I'll just add fewer. Since it's two layers, when they sank to the bottom of the pan, it wasn't a bad deal since you have a layer of cake, and then a layer of chocolate chips. ^^; I also used microwaved evaporated milk (be careful, it bubbles) instead of the boiling water. Made for a very thick, rich cake, but it may have been fluffier with just water. The flavor was very very good altogether, I'll definitely be using this recipe again, thanks!
This is the only chocolate cake recipe I use anymore! It's perfect every time. I follow the directions exactly. It's great for cupcakes as well as the multilayer cake.
I'd give this cake 10 stars if I could! I've been making this cake for years and everyone thinks it's my famous cake! I've made it for birthday parties, dessert, Boy Scout Cake Auctions. I've made it 2 layers high, I've made it 4 layers high, cupcakes and sheet cake. I always follow the recipe exactly and it's never failed me - always moist and "perfect"! One thing I do different in the frosting is to use 1/2 tsp ALMOND extract in the frosting to give it a little something more. You'll never go back to nasty old cake mix again!
my daughter wanted me to bake her a chocolate cake over the xmas holidays...this was the best. I have to make it twice. the first time i made it, she didnt get a chance to have a slice..that is how fast it was gone. I absolutely love this recipe. When i finished the batter, i saw that it was watery and thought OMG, what happened...but i left i continued, because the recipe said it would be watery....it is the best...truly the best...i pull this out every time someone asks me to bake a chocolate cake...I LOVE IT....try it...I am a very hard critic...SO TRUST ME YOU ARE GOING TO LOVE IT!!!!!!!!
This is the one by which all other chocolate cakes are judged and none have been better. It is perfect in flavor and consistancy, IMO. The only changes I make are to use melted butter instead of the oil and fresh hot coffee instead of the water. Outstanding!
Man, this cake was awesome!!! I also used coffee instead of just hot water. It gave it a little extra I think. Everyone loved it. I wrapped the left overs in plastic wrap and it stayed sooooo moist! Yummy :o)
Wow, this cake was a show stopper!! It tasted just wonderful! I substituted melted butter for the oil and doubled the frosting and it worked out fabulous! I wouldn't change another thing!
This was sooooo good and very easy .... the frosting is to die for! Love it!
Very good! I needed something to take to a bunch of pissy co-workers. Hee hee, what better way of cheering someone up than with CHOCOLATE! I received many thanks. I wanted to make the frosting a bit richer. So I used 1-1/4 cup coacoa powder and almost 2 cups powdered sugar. I probably could have used a little more sugar b/c it was still kinda bitter. Also had to use at least double the milk.
I would definitely make this chocolate cake again. I usually just have couple of bites of chocolate cake, with this one I have the whole slice. YUM!!
A delicious cake with just the texture I was looking for--dense, chocolaty, moist. A word of warning to those making this cake, however: the layers do not rise very high, so if you're one of those people who like "MILE-HIGH" chocolate cakes, this recipe will not please you. Now, if you're like me, and you like your chocolate cake to be more on the "giant truffle" side than on the "light and airy" side, then this recipe is perfect. And it's not too rich, just enough to satisfy. I followed the cake recipe exactly and frosted and filled it with whipped cream. Yum!
If I could give this recipe 10 stars I would. It is absolutely that good,and the best chocolate cake I have ever eaten. I worked at a high end local bakery and this was the recipe they used!! Need I say more. You'll never bake another chocolate cake after you've made and tasted this one!!!!
Yum! Moist and delicious. I actually much prefer to make the frosting as a sauce. The only changes I make to the frosting is to cut the cocoa down to 1/2 cup so it makes a runny sauce. I keep the cake/sauce separate then drizzle it on the cake/dish right before serving. It makes it look very elegant and is till rich/chocolatey. I also definitely recommend greasing/flouring the pans before baking as I just sprayed it with non-cook spray and the cake came out in clumps and did not stay as a cake (but still was eaten up quickly)
This is my favorite chocolate cake ever! I don't always make the frosting, because it's very rich, but this is by far the best cake ever!
This is the best chocolate cake I have ever had! It's moist, rich and wonderfu!
EXCEPTIONAL!! This cake is fabulous!! Moist, Delicious, Yummy...the only bad thing is that it doesn't last!!!!!
This Chocolate cake recipe is excellent for people who love very moist cakes. For a science fair project I did "What maks a perfect chocolate cake" and used this recipe as one of my four testers. I found out it was very popular with the younger crowd(students), who find it chocolaty and delicious, while most of the teachers and staff thought it too soggy and bland. All a matter of preference to texture I think, so to bring out a little more flavor I substituted a cup of boiling water with a cup of simmered milk.
Wonderful cake! Everyone loved it. I made two cakes, a cake using regular AP flour and another using gluten-free flour. With a few additions to the GF one (extra cocoa and milk) it was also very delicious. Both were awesome cakes. I frosted them with cream cheese frosting II from this site and also pressed pecans around it. Yum
Absolutely delicious and sooo moist!!! I too was weary of the thin batter but it turned out perfect. My Aunt (who NEVER has seconds) had 2 pieces!! I will be making this cake again for other functions!!
This is by far the best chocolate cake I've ever eaten. My friend turned me onto this recipe that she found on the back of the Hershey's container. My family loves it but refuses to let me frost them ever again. They say it is so moist and good they don't want the frosting to ruin the cake. Make it exactly as it calls for and be careful not to OVER FILL! Never more that 2/3's maximum in the pan.
I wanted to make cupcakes with this recipe, and I followed the directions on the back of the box of Hershey's cocoa exactly. Not a bad flavor(though not chocolaty enough), but the texture was just weird--very spongy and a bit dry. I know I didn't over-bake these, so I don't know what could have gone wrong, but I will not be making this again.
The icing is soooo smooth and easy to apply. A first time cook could master this recipe.
best chocolate cake ever! i have made a few changes to make it my own. 1cup buttermilk(or 1 c. milk plus 1tbs. lemon juice) 1cup coffee(made with boiling water/instant espresso powder) omit the oil! use 1cup soft butter!!!!!!!!! trust me! these changes have created a cake that is sooooo moist and flavorful! the leftovers(if any!) keep so well!
Very good recipe and super easy too. It's pretty much fool-proof. I searched all around for a good chocolate cake recipe that I could use as my "go to" recipe, and this one is it!
I love this recipe. I actually add about 3 tablespoons of Miracle Whip in addition to the other ingredients for added moisture. It stays moist for at least a week. The frosting is great too, but I usually use it on yellow cake. I put a cream cheese frosting on this cake and it is wonderful. And finally, I use the Splenda sugar blend for baking (no one can tell that there is any Splenda in the cake). Wonderful!
My GOD! this cake is the best, success every time i made it. I just made a change, i put half cup of boiling water and half of sparkling water, this makes a more flufy cake.
Great cake! I made this in a pinch when I had made another recipe for chocolate cake and it failed. This was a simple, and quick fix at the last minute. It turned out delicious and moist too! I didn't use the frosting recipe, as I has already made some great white chocolate frosting. Maybe the next time I make this cake I will try the frosting too.
my cake turned out awesome but only because i made a couple changes- i substituted 1 cup of water with one cup of fresh brewed coffee, also substituted applesauce for the oil and it was delicious! Also, for the frosting i only added 2 cups of sugar and it was super sweet, might not even need that much! definitely not 3 cups...
followed the recipe exactly as written - had no problems at all.. the cake itself is very fluffy yummy and had a great consistency.
I made this today for the first time as I only have used boxed mixes in the past. I cannot say enough about this cake. It is by far perfect. Fudgy and moist, sooo flavorful without being too sweet. I confess that I didn't "make" the frosting and used dark chocolate canned frosting but it was still amazing. You have to try this recipe!! This is a keeper for sure.
I had to try this recipe twice b4 I got it right. If you're looking for a good recipe this is it! Don't be fooled by how watery it is. As long as you don't overcook it...u'll be fine. For a little extra flavor, I used a 1tsp almond extract. I made my own frosting which I'll try to figure out how to post in the recipe section. Since I used 3 8-inch pans..i needed this amount...u can 1/2 it for a 2-layer: 6 blocks unsweetened choc sqrs., 2 cans condensed milk...heat until smooth...add 1stick butter and 2 egg yolk (beaten)...mix thoroughly (if desired add, 1 tsp or so of vanilla extract plus 1.2 tsp almond)... Set aside until lukewarm... Then frost!!!!
This is the easiest cake to make, it's quick.. and it tastes wonderful. I used some really great cocoa.. dark chocolate, and the cake turned out extremely rich!
this is the first recipe that i have ever made that was completely horrible!!! it deserves zero stars. i didn't substitute anything & even bought baking soda specially for this cake. just like another reviewer said, it was very spongy, sticky, soft & not chocolatey AT ALL!!! i'm so disappointed that i wasted all of my valuable ingredients on this cake that's headed for the trash for sure. how misleading all the 5 star reviews are.
It is the best. I would recommend brewed coffee instead of boiling water. A keeper!
This is the recipe from the Hershey's cocoa box and I have used it for years. Its the best chocolate cake recipe I have ever made. Note to those whose cake turned out drier... I'm not a chef but when I try to hurry like today and not pull out the mixer and just do it by hand wisking or with a spoon, it does turn out a little drier. If you follow the recipe exactly and use the Hershey's cocoa it turns out so moist you don't even need the frosting. I like using cream cheese frosting flavored with mint instead of vanilla and serve with mint chocolate chip icecream. YUM.
LOVED THIS! Moist, moist. moist! Used perked Dunkin' Donuts Dark coffee for the water. Took the flavor deeper. Used almond extract with the vanilla. The frosting needed a boost of 4 tablespoons of butter flavored crisco to cut the sweetness for our taste but had great flavor. Will make this often!
This cake was rich, dense, and moist... everything I want in a chocolate cake. I put a layer of chocolate ganache between the two cakes, and then frosted with a seven minute frosting. yum!
Amazing cake! The icing was the best I have tried in a long time -- perfect consistency for spreading a thick layer! I found the cake itself took about 45 minutes to bake and still stuck to the pan a bit; it might be worth putting a circle of parchment paper in the bottom of the pan to help it come out cleaner. It received rave reviews from some pretty tough critics, this one is definitely a keeper!
This cake is out of this world and so is the frosting. So moist. The frosting is perfect. I love this recipe and I followed it just as it said.
I wanted to try a chocolate cake, it turned out great my wife and everyone at my job love it
It's very rare that you'll find me scraping off any frosting. But, this had me doing so. The cake? Holy Smokes! (Made it with coffee - wow, what a difference!) Rich, decadent, chocolate heaven. But, the frosting? Not so much. Too sweet and didn't complement the cake at all. I'd make the cake recipe again, but definitely find a new frosting.
This is the BEST chocolate cake/chocolate frosting recipe out there, in my opinion, and I've tried A LOT! YUMMMMMMY!! Dark and Moist!
I lo ve tha flavor but i can never bake it the proper way, it keeps, either spilling from the sides of my pan or raising and then sinking from the center making an awful cake, the flavor is delicious thou. Can any one pont me in the right direction im using normal 9 inch pan.
I am rating just the cake portion. So good! Not too chocolately or sweet. Fluffy and just melts in your mouth. I halved the recipe to make a 6 inch double layer cake, baked for 30 minutes. The cake came out of the pan perfectly, no breaking, cracking or crumbling.
While it is very dark chocolate colored, the chocolate flavor just isn't there for me. Very dense cake. I made cupcakes and the tops were very sticky. Thanks anyway. It is also the same recipe as the Extreme Chocolate Cake here.
This is the best cake I have ever baked and the frosting is perfect... I have made two layers and put frosting in the middle as well as all over and also done a bundt cake.
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