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TL;DR (Quick-Answer Box)
- What it is: A classic American double-layer chocolate cake made with Hershey’s cocoa, espresso, and extra-creamy rich chocolate frosting—delivering a perfectly moist, dark, and nostalgic dessert.
- Why you’ll love it: This foolproof recipe produces an incredibly tender crumb using boiling water. It is a quick-prep, crowd-pleasing miracle that’s way better than any boxed mix.
- How to make it: Whisk dry ingredients, beat in milk, eggs, and oil, then stir in boiling water. Bake in rounds, cool completely, and apply lavish frosting.
Jump To
- TL;DR (Quick-Answer Box)
- Why this Chocolate Cake recipe works
- Notes on ingredients
- Visual step guide: Hershey’s chocolate cake
- Your chocolate cake questions, answered
- Pro tips & troubleshooting
- What to serve with Hershey’s chocolate cake
- Storage & reheating
- More insanely good chocolate cake recipes
- Write a Review
- Hershey’s Chocolate Cake Redux Recipe
- Recipe Testers’ Reviews
This Hershey’s chocolate cake needs no introduction, as it’s been around for almost a century. It’s one of the great chocolate cakes of all time. If you’ve never made it, you’re in for an old-fashioned treat. And if you’ve never made it with my wee spin on it, you’re in for an even greater treat.
All I’ve done is toss in some instant espresso powder to the batter and the frosting. It amps up the flavor. And because I wanted a frosting that was more buttery and less cloyingly sweet, I use a greater proportion of butter to sugar, which makes the frosting soooo light–nothing at all like the cloying, gritty American buttercreams out there. That’s it. I don’t like to mess (too much) with perfection.
☞ READ MY ARTICLE: Forever and Completely, in which I explain that few things in life are truly forever and completely, save for my adoration for this rich chocolate cake and my love, The One, of 30 years.
Chow,
Featured Review
This is a perfect and perfectly easy chocolate cake. It is reliable as a birthday cake, makes fantastic cupcakes, and thanks to the bitter note of espresso and dark chocolate cocoa powder (which is my preferred substitute in chocolate cake), it graciously accepts and showcases any frosting you put on it. I’ve tried coffee, peanut butter, chocolate, and vanilla frostings. I am suddenly craving it with strawberry buttercream, like an inside-out chocolate-covered strawberry. I guess my weekend plans are set. Damn fine cake.
Melanie Martin
Why this Chocolate Cake recipe works
The genius of this chocolate cake lies in the “blooming” of the cocoa. By stirring boiling water into the thin batter, you dissolve the cocoa and espresso powder instantly, releasing deep, aromatic flavors that baking alone can’t do.
Using vegetable oil instead of butter ensures the crumb remains incredibly moist and springy, even after a few days on the counter.
Finally, opting for a simple hand mixer over a heavy stand mixer prevents you from over-developing the gluten, resulting in a tender, old-fashioned texture that is light enough for a second slice but sturdy enough to support lavish swirls of rich, buttery frosting.
Notes on ingredients
- Hershey’s Cocoa—Since this is a Hershey’s chocolate cake, you simply gotta use Hershey brand natural cocoa. I sometimes use their extra-dark cocoa for a seriously deep flavor. If you need to substitute another cocoa powder, be sure to use natural unsweetened cocoa, not Dutch-process cocoa.
- Instant espresso powder—The addition of espresso powder enhances the chocolate flavor of the cake, and I highly recommend it. If you don’t have instant espresso powder, you can replace the espresso and hot water with 1 cup of very hot coffee.
- Vegetable oil—Any neutral-flavored oil will work, such as vegetable oil, canola, or sunflower. Don’t use strongly flavored oils as they’ll alter the flavor of the cake.
- Vanilla extract—Only the real stuff, please! (You know how I feel about the fake stuff.)
Visual step guide: Hershey’s chocolate cake
- Crank the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour two 9-inch cake pans and line with parchment.
- Stir the sugar, flour, cocoa, espresso powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center.
- Add the eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla into the well.
- Beat the ingredients with an electric hand mixer for 2 minutes.
- Beat in the boiling water. The batter will be wicked thin. Fear not, that’s as it should be.
- Divide the batter between the two cake pans. Bake until a tester inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then invert onto wire racks spritzed with cooking spray to cool completely.
- Place the first layer on a cake stand and spread frosting over the top. Add the second layer and frost all over.
Your chocolate cake questions, answered
Yes. I suggest freezing the cake unfrosted. Wrap the cooled cake layers individually in plastic and freeze for up to 3 months. Unwrap the layer and thaw at room temperature before assembling and frosting.
Yes. The cake batter can be divided among 12 jumbo cupcake wells and baked for about 20 minutes.
Pro tips & troubleshooting
- Mix your ingredients in a deep bowl so that everything stays contained when you start beating it.
- For the fluffiest cake layers, use a hand mixer. Hand mixers provide better control, preventing overbeating, which can lead to a dense cake. Overmixing with a powerful stand mixer develops too much gluten, reducing the cake’s light texture. Keep it old-school for the best results!
- To make sure your cake layers are identical in height, weigh the batter. I use a digital kitchen scale.
What to serve with Hershey’s chocolate cake
Honestly, it perfect on its own, but a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream or a bright raspberry sauce couldn’t hurt. A glass of Ruby Port or a creamy oatmeal stout makes for a spectacular finish that beautifully echoes the espresso in the batter. But for me, ya can’t beat a cold glass of whole milk!
Storage & reheating
Counter: Store the cake under a cake dome or loosely tented with plastic at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Freezer: Store it in an airtight container or under a cake dome for up to 5 days. Just remember that the butter in the frosting will firm up when it’s cold, so let the slices sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes before you tuck in.
Reheating: It’ll keep for up to 3 months. To keep the frosting from smushing, freeze slices on a sheet until solid. Once they’re firm, wrap in plastic and foil. Always unwrap while they’re still frozen so the frosting won’t stick, then thaw on the counter for an hour.
More insanely good chocolate cake recipes
Flourless Chocolate Cloud Cake
1 hr 15 mins
Chocolate Guinness Cake
3 hrs 10 mins
Flourless Chocolate Chile Cake
1 hr 10 mins
Write a Review
If you make this intensely moist chocolate cake, or any dish on LC, consider leaving a review, a star rating, and your best photo in the comments below. I love hearing from you.–David
Featured Review
I have literally made and sold 100s of chocolate cakes… NEVER have the layers been as thick and fluffy as this recipe. The secret is not overbeating, which is so easy to do with a standup mixer. I used buttermilk instead of milk and your frosting… it has a perfect consistency and is not too sweet! I will ONLY use this recipe for my customers from now on.
KATY TATA
Hershey’s Chocolate Cake Redux
Ingredients
- Butter or baking spray, for the pans and wire rack
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the pans
- ¾ cup Hershey’s Cocoa
- 2 tablespoons instant espresso
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- ½ cup mild vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1 batch Hershey's chocolate frosting recipe
Instructions
Make the Hershey’s chocolate cake
- Heat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and position a rack in the middle of the oven. Generously butter and flour (or spray with baking spray) two 9-inch round baking pans, tapping out any excess flour. Line each pan with parchment paper rounds. Butter or spray a large wire rack. Set aside.
- In a large bowl with a wooden spoon (surely you have one of those, yes?) or spatula, stir together the 2 cups granulated sugar, 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour ¾ cup Hershey’s Cocoa, 2 tablespoons instant espresso, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda, and 1 teaspoon salt. Make a well in the center.
- Plop the 2 large eggs into the well and pour in the 1 cup whole milk, ½ cup mild vegetable oil, and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract.
- Using a handheld electric mixer (c'mon, surely you still have one of those, too?!), beat the ingredients on medium-high speed for 2 minutes.
- Stir in the 1 cup boiling water. The batter will appear alarmingly thin but fear not, that's the way it should be.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pans, dividing it evenly, about 1 pound, 8 ounces (680g) in each pan.
- Cool the cakes in the pans on the buttered wire rack for 10 minutes. Then invert the cakes onto the rack, remove the pans, turn the cakes right side up, and let them cool completely.
Frost and serve the Hershey’s chocolate cake
- Place a single cake layer on a platter or cake stand and spread a goodly amount of frosting on top. Place the second cake layer on the first and frost the sides and top, creating as few or as many lavish swoops and swirls with the frosting as desired.
- Cut the frosted cake into gargantuan wedges—none of those diminutive slivers for us, thank you very much—and serve.
Notes
- Use a deep bowl–Mix your ingredients in a deep bowl so that everything stays contained when you start beating it.
- Use a scale–To make sure your cake layers are identical in height, weigh the batter. I use a digital kitchen scale.
- Storage–Store the cake covered at room temperature for up to 3 days. Unfrosted cake layers can be frozen for up to 3 months. Wrap them in plastic before freezing.
An LC Original
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Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
Did you know only 68% of the recipes we test make it onto the site? This recipe survived our rigorous blind testing process by multiple home cooks. It earned the Leite’s Culinaria stamp of approval—and the testers’ reviews below prove it.
This moist chocolate cake recipe is delicious and very simple to make. The cake has a rich chocolate flavor. Indeed, the addition of espresso powder enhances and enriches the chocolate flavor. I do this whenever I make a chocolate dessert, and it never fails to pay off.
I suggest using cocoa powder instead of flour to dust the baking pans. This will eliminate the white powdery “crust” that will appear on a chocolate cake after it’s baked. The frosting is an excellent everyday type of frosting with a rich chocolate flavor resulting from the addition of espresso powder. For a more special occasion, I’d make a nice Swiss meringue buttercream, a whipped ganache, or even a whipped cream frosting. I loved using my electric hand mixer rather than dragging out the big 7-quart mixer!
“Pure bliss,” “perfection,” and “supreme” are a few words that come to mind after a bite of this cake. If a food could bring about international peace, then this must be the one.
It was supremely easy to put together. The addition of espresso powder deepened the chocolate flavor, and the icing recipe was easy to work with and wasn’t overpowering. I would skip all three meals and just have cake for a day. With a nice glass of Prosecco, it’s sublime.
This really is the best chocolate cake! I’ve made lots of cakes, and this chocolate cake is absolutely the best.
I prefer using butter in baking; however, I make an exception with this cake, which calls for oil. Yes, the batter is thin, but that’s okay. And the frosting comes together beautifully, complements the cake, spreads easily, and isn’t overpowering.
The first time I made this cake, I brought it to a small dinner gathering. After everyone had their cake, the room went silent, given that everyone was blissfully sated.
If I’d been wearing pearls, it would’ve been a Donna Reed moment, maybe June Cleaver. Imagine mixing all of the ingredients with a hand mixer before dinner, whipping up some frosting after dinner, and serving up the most delicious chocolate layer cake shortly thereafter…nothing complicated, nothing fancy, just a cake that screams perfection.
Wooden spoons and hand mixers are perfect here. Just make sure your bowls are deep enough so that the flour doesn’t go flying; the same goes for the confectioners’ sugar in the frosting. Too bad there are only two of us, and one of us watches our weight!
It’s a perfect cake for a celebration or just because you love chocolate. The espresso powder adds a nice undertone and cuts the chocolate just a bit.
This is a decadent chocolate cake. The ingredients are probably in your pantry and easy to whip up for some chocolate love. The batter is thin when done mixing but cooks up to a lovely, moist cake. Espresso powder deepens the perfect rich chocolate flavor of the cake. We felt the frosting was a little overwhelming and would tone it down in the future.
Oh, David, yet another reason for me to love you from afar! Not only is the story wonderful, you’ve managed to once again find the perfect recipe and make it even more perfect! I have been using the Hershey’s frosting recipe as my go-to chocolate frosting for years, but hadn’t thought to increase the butter. But you did! And i will be grateful for however much longer i live on this planet and make chocolate cakes and cupcakes (and yellow ones, too!).
So many, many thanks to you (and Renee) for enhancing my cooking and baking life!!
Now, Ms. McNamara, you are just making me blush, you hear? (That was my attempt at being a Southern belle.) I’m pleased the post both touched and inspired you. When you make the cake again, send along a picture and we’ll post it.
As if i needed more of a reason to make it again! I cannot WAIT for the weather to turn autumnal so i can test out your improved version!! Oh, and btw, when i have made the cupcake version, i’ve frozen them wrapped tightly in plastic and let them thaw, unwrapped, on the counter. They hold very well that way–as long as one doesn’t eat them all before getting them TO the freezer…that can be a challenge:)
Lisa, well, you let me know what you think. I like the creamier texture, and the slight hint of coffee brings out the chocolate flavor. So all I can say is, “Hurry up, autumn! Hurry up!”
Well, i already know i’ll love the creamier texture…that was the only “complaint” i’ve ever had with that recipe was that sometimes it wasn’t quite creamy enough in consistency (and, after all, when is MORE butter NOT better? And when is a little coffee added to chocolate not yummier?).
And: you just did some weather voodoo thing, apparently, because today is COOLER! Just made my grocery list to get a new box of cocoa so i can bake this weekend!!! Last night, hot as it was, i did turn on the oven briefly so i could bake up a batch of your choco-chip cookies to tide me over (had a log of dough in the freezer, thank goodness). The only problem with those is that they have ruined me for all other chocolate chip cookies. I am not being hyperbolic. They really are the best ever.
Maybe if you ever need a second career you can become a meteorologist–you seem to have a better handle on it than most of the so-called pros. On the other hand, please keep doing what you do…i now know that if there’s a recipe on your site, it’ll be nothing short of stupendous!
Lisa, my chest couldn’t puff out anymore from pride. Not just because you love the chocolate chip cookies, but because of your confidence in the recipes we post.
Our crack team of more than 150 recipe testers, headed up by Beth Price, put the recipes carefully chosen by our editor in chief Renee Schettler, through their paces. And even though many dishes pass the cooking test (accurate timing, etc.), many, many fail the taste test and never see the light of the pixels.
It may take us longer to test a recipe, and we may post fewer than other sites, I have complete confidence in my team that the recipes are winners. And the proof is in your comment. (I wanted to say “pudding,” but the metaphor didn’t quite fit!)
Yes, your recipes are spot on. I’m a savvy enough cook to be able to read a recipe and just know whether it will be good, and yours always seem absolutely spot on. It’s evident that you put a lot of thought and testing and, yes, love into these recipes–i mean, the genius of adding more butter to what is undoubtedly a great frosting! And your cheesecake…perfection!
Not only that, but you and Renee are just about the nicest people in the whole food world. The “no comment left behind” ethos is just so darn kind. You’ve created more than a place to look for recipes–you’ve made a lovely food community.
So, yes…be very proud. You (all) provide a wonderful experience with a personal touch.
Many, many thanks, over and over again!
Ok, that does it. You’re officially invited to live with The One and me, and whenever I doubt myself–which is more often than you can imagine–I want you to walk into my studio and read this to me.
Question. The cake looks wonderful. How would it be with a layer of raspberry preserves between the cake layers, on top of the middle frosting layer?
Lee, I think it’d be perfect. I’d make it seedless raspberry preserves. And I’d put the preserves on the bottom cake layer, top it with the filling, and then add the top cake layer.
Well, see, David? Kind, kind, kind 🙂
And whenever you need a little pep talk, i’m your girl. In the meantime, i hope you just hear my words in the back of your mind and know that i’m far from the only one who thinks as i do!
Thank you again, Lisa!
What a lovely love story and a romantic song…thank you for sharing…God bless you many more years full of happiness and definitely I’ll try the cake recipe–sounds great. I believe in love for sure….
Patricia, thank you for your warm words. And, yes, do try the cake. I think you’ll flip.
David, scrumptious! If i’m making it early in the day for dessert, what’s the best way to store the cake? Room temp or in the fridge. And can it be stored room temp for a few days or is it better to store it in the fridge?
Hey, NRS. I depends on the weather, really. In cool or cold weather, I make the cake in the morning and let it sit on a cake stand under a cake dome until serving. If it’s sweltering, I place the cake in the fridge without the dome, and pull it out 2 hours before serving. And likewise for storage. If the weather is cooperating, I’ll keep the cake on the counter, which is my preference. If it’s too hot, I let it hang out in the fridge.