Hershey's ® 'Perfectly Chocolate' Chocolate Cake

Read Reviews (495)

"A deep chocolate 2 layer cake with chocolate frosting." — HersheysKitchens.com

Directions

Heat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.
Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost with "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Frosting.
To make "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Frosting: Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla.
One Pan Cake: Grease and flour 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Heat oven to 350 F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely. Frost.
Three Layer Cake: Grease and flour three 8-inch round baking pans. Heat oven to 350 F. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost.
Bundt Cake: Grease and flour 12-cup Bundt pan. Heat oven to 350 F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 50 to 55 minutes. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely. Frost
Cupcakes: Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups. Heat oven to 350 F. Fill cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely. Frost. About 30 cupcakes.

Reviews More Reviews

Most Helpful Positive Review

Mar 02, 2004

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.

—VikingKvinna

See full review »

Most Helpful Critical Review

Jul 05, 2004

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.

—Butterfly Flutterby

See full review »

557 Ratings

May 31, 2004

This recipe is ingredient for ingredient and amount for amount the recipe on the back of a Hershey's Cocoa can , only they called it Deep Dark Chocolate Cake. The frosting recipe on the can is only slightly different and suggests different amounts of the cocoa depending on flavor desired: 1/3 cup for light flavor, 1/2 cup for medium flavor, and 3/4 cup for dark flavor. That may help some people who think it's too chocolatey. It also states on the can that the butter is to be softened, as another review notes. Then it says to cream the butter in a small mixer bowl. This current recipe says melt. You may get better results with the softened idea. And as always, you can't go substituting too far off the beaten path with either the cake recipe or the frosting and think you're getting what other people are raving about.

—GailRenee

See full review »

Oct 31, 2005

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!

—Ali

See full review »

Oct 24, 2005

I have made this cake for contests and for catering events. People that love chocolate, love this cake!

—Hollys Taylor Made Treats

See full review »

Feb 01, 2011

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!

—Lucky Noodles NOT a

See full review »

Mar 05, 2006

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!

—Trish

See full review »

Feb 02, 2004

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

—Susanne_NL

See full review »

Edit

Glad you liked it! Your friends will, too:

Did you tweak the recipe? Edit and save your own version of it!

Edit this recipe

Nutrition

Calories
527 kcal
26%

Carbohydrates
84.4 g
27%

Cholesterol
58 mg
19%

Fat
19.3 g
30%

Fiber
2.4 g
10%

Protein
5.8 g
12%

Sodium
474 mg
19%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Information

Hershey's (R) 'Perfectly Chocolate' Chocolate Cake

Serving Size: 1/12 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 12
Amount Per Serving
** Calories: 527
** Calories from Fat: 173

% Daily Value *
** Total Fat 19.3g 30 %
** Saturated Fat 6.9g 35 %
** Cholesterol 58mg 19 %
** Sodium 474mg 19 %
** Potassium 77mg 2 %
** Total Carbohydrates 84.4g 27 %
** Dietary Fiber 2.4g 10 %
** Protein 5.8g 12 %
** Sugars 64.2g
** Vitamin A 7 %
** Vitamin C < 1 %
** Calcium 8 %
** Iron 24 %
** Thiamin 16 %
** Niacin 15 %
** Vitamin B6 2 %
** Magnesium 3 %
** Folate 22 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.