This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
If you’ve fallen in love with our Carrot Cake or Red Velvet Cake, you already know that at Cafe Delites, we’ve mastered the art of the perfectly moist cake. Naturally, we couldn’t resist creating our ultimate Chocolate Cake Recipe—a true showstopper packed with everything you adore about a classic chocolate cake. With just one bowl and a handful of pantry staples, this decadent dessert comes together effortlessly. Rich, chocolatey, tender-moist, and perfectly sweet, it’s the kind of cake that dreams (and second servings) are made of.
Why You’ll Love This Chocolate Cake
If you’ve been dreaming of recreating the Famous Chocolate Cake from Matilda, we’ve got you covered—and then some! Unlike other recipes, our Classic Chocolate Cake delivers the perfect balance of rich chocolate flavor and an irresistibly tender crumb, all without the need for real chocolate. Instead, we use pantry-staple cocoa powder to create a dessert that’s both indulgent and approachable.
What’s In A Chocolate Cake?
The secret to this Choco Cake is all in the ingredients. Unsweetened cocoa powder delivers deep, bold flavor, all-purpose flour creates a tender crumb, and baking soda ensures the perfect rise. Simple pantry staples, extraordinary chocolate bliss!
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: Opt for high-quality unsweetened cocoa powder to maximize the depth of chocolate flavor. If you want a richer color and smoother flavor, consider combining natural and Dutch-processed cocoa. Store cocoa powder in an airtight container to keep it fresh and aromatic.
- All-Purpose Flour (or Cake Flour): The foundation of the cake’s structure, flour plays a crucial role in achieving the ideal crumb. Substituting a portion of all-purpose flour with cake flour creates a lighter, more tender texture. This simple adjustment transforms the cake into a moist, melt-in-your-mouth experience.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: These leavening agents work together to create the fluffy rise that makes your cake airy yet substantial. Precision is key—be sure to measure accurately and avoid substituting one for the other, as they serve distinct functions. Proper use ensures the cake bakes to perfection every time.
*NOTE: See the recipe card at the bottom for full list of ingredients and measurements
The only addition that could elevate this already Perfect Choco Cake is a couple of teaspoons of instant coffee or espresso. It’s entirely optional, but it enhances the chocolate flavor to an even deeper level. Don’t worry—you won’t taste the coffee, just pure chocolate bliss!
How to Make Chocolate Cake?
Let’s get started! With just a few simple steps, you’ll create a rich, moist chocolate cake that’s bound to be a crowd-pleaser. Gather your ingredients, preheat that oven, and let’s bake something truly unforgettable!
- Preheat and Prepare: Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C) or 320°F (160°C) for fan-forced. Lightly grease two 9-inch round cake pans with butter or cooking spray, then line the bottoms with parchment paper. Grease the top of the parchment for extra non-stick protection.
- Mix the Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Sifting ensures a lighter cake texture by aerating the dry ingredients. Whisk in the sugar until evenly combined for consistent sweetness throughout.
- Add the Wet Ingredients: Make a well in the center of the dry mixture and add eggs, milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. Mix with a whisk or electric mixer until smooth, but avoid over-mixing. A cohesive, slightly thick batter is perfect, with no large lumps.
- Add Boiling Water: Gradually stir in boiling water to the batter, blooming the cocoa powder for a deeper chocolate flavor. Mix until fully combined—the batter will be thin, which is key for a moist cake.
- Bake the Cake: Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans, scraping down the bowl with a spatula. Place the pans in the center of the oven for even baking. Bake until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Melt Butter: In a medium bowl, melt butter using the microwave in short bursts or on the stovetop. Stir in cocoa powder until smooth and glossy for a rich frosting base.
- Finish the Frosting: Alternate adding powdered sugar and milk to the butter mixture, beating after each addition. Stir in vanilla extract and mix until fluffy and smooth. Adjust the consistency by adding more milk if too thick, or more sugar if too thin.
- Frost the Cake: Once the cakes have cooled, trim the tops to create an even surface. Spread a generous layer of frosting over one cake, stack the second on top, and cover the entire cake with frosting. Smooth the sides and top or create decorative swirls to finish.
And there you have it—your perfect Chocolate Cake ready to impress! For a light, complement it with another treat, our Strawberry Cheesecake Donut Holes bring a fun mix of textures and flavors. These pairings will take your dessert game to a whole new level of indulgence!
And if you are feeling a little Machiavellian, try this recipe, but make it scary with my Chocolate Spider Cake.
Recipe FAQ’s
No, this recipe is specifically designed for cocoa powder. Using real chocolate would change the texture and balance of the cake, so it’s best to stick with cocoa powder.
Definitely! Taste as you mix and adjust by adding more powdered sugar for sweetness or a splash of milk to tone it down.
All-purpose flour works best for this recipe. However, you can substitute some with cake flour for a softer crumb. Avoid using self-raising flour as it may disrupt the leavening process.
You might also like
Get a free eBook!
Subscribe to Cafe Delites FOR FREE and receive recipes straight into your inbox!
Chocolate Cake Recipe (Hershey’s Perfectly Chocolate Recipe)
Ingredients
CHOCOLATE CAKE
- 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour or plain flour
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder or regular Hershey's cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda or bi-carb soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups white granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup boiling water
CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
- 4 oz butter
- 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder or regular HERSHEY'S (2.4 oz | 65 g)
- 3 cups powdered sugar confectioners or icing sugar
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
CHOCOLATE CAKE
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C) standard or 320°F (160°C) fan/convection.
- Lightly grease 2x 9-inch (22cm) round cake pans with butter. Line base with parchment paper.
- Sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a large bowl. Whisk in sugar, then add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Whisk well to combine until lump free, about 30 seconds.
- Pour boiling water into batter, mixing well. Cake batter is thin in consistency.
- Pour batter into cake pans and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- Let cool for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely before frosting.
CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
- Melt butter, then whisk in cocoa powder. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency (add a small amount of additional milk, if needed). Stir in vanilla.
Notes
- ONE-PAN CAKE: Use 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Bake 35-40 minutes.
- THREE LAYER CAKE: You’ll need 8-inch round baking pans. Bake 30-35 minutes.
- BUNDT CAKE: Use a 12-cup fluted tube pan. Bake 50-55 minutes.
- CUPCAKES: Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups. Fill cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 22-25 minutes. Makes about 30 cupcakes.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I am short on cocoa powder as of now. Could I substitute it with melted semi sweet chocolate at least for the cake? And how much if so?
Omg. I tried your recipe and I really love it. Thank you for sharing and more power, more recipe’s. Godbless!
I’m looking to make this recipe in a bunt cake pan. Should I double the recipe?
I’m about to bake this cake but I’m wondering can I add coffee? Will I change the result?
Yes you can, it will be fine. Replace the boiling water with the same amount of coffee.
This is the best chocolate cake recipe.. most moist and delicious.. initial I wasnt very hopeful looking at the consistency of the batter..but the result was mind-blowing. It took almost an hour to cook but it was worth the wait.
yes you can you can add some powdered espresso with your cocoa powder and still keep your boiling water plain and the coffee will enhance the chocolate flavour!
I absolutely love this recipe! I made this as an ice cream cake with some homemade coconut ice cream and it was soooo good. I reduced the sugar by a third since I like my desserts on the less sweet side and it turned out great. Even my mom, who isn’t the biggest chocolate fan, found it delicious. This is definitely my go to when it comes to chocolate cake.
I made this cake today and I’m in love it’s so moist and delicious I made the butter cream frosting as well and frosted the cake and decorated it this is a new favourite recipe I will for sure make it again but I also recommend for smaller size pans cook for about 25-30 minutes I did 30 mine were 9 once round pans and it was perfect
So I made this for the first time yesterday for my birthday and not only was it successful first time, it was INCREDIBLE and actually the best cake I’ve ever made! It’s so fudgy, moist and delicious! I did change it a little, in that I used buttercream to sandwich the two layers together and used a ganache for the outer later and it worked PERFECTLY. I got massive rave reviews! I was really nervous making this, as I’ve never made a chocolate cake that didn’t taste dry and overly crumbly, but this was perfect – even the sketchy scary liquid batter turned out ok! If you think it’s too watery, have faith and line your tin WELL and you’ll be ok! Will be making this again SOON.
Can whole wheat flour be used instead of all purpose flour ?
Wow!!!!! The BEST chocolate cake I’ve ever made! And I’ve made some crummy recipes. It’s so moist and chocolatey and just perfect. My family demolished the entire cake in 20 minutes. It didn’t even need the frosting and I love frosting. I also reduced the sugar to 1 1/4 cup like someone recommended and it was plenty sweet. You DON’T need 2 cups of sugar. I thought it was going to be too runny and thin after the hot water but it’s truly the best chocolate cake recipe ever invented. Thanks so much I’ll definitely be making it again.
This cake is decadent in every way one could hope! The texture is dense, yet moist. The icing perfectly complements the cake. Do yourself a favor and save this recipe!! Wow!
This recipe makes a wonderfully blended taste of cake and frosting. I LOVE CHOCOLATE, and this cakes is wonderful. I am happily eating the fruits of my labor.
This cake is exactly what I have been looking for to celebrate a birthday for a chocolate lover person. Does this cake has to be refrigerated?
Hi.can I substitute hersheycocoa powder with Beryl’s pure cocoa powder?