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 or chocolate ganache for a luxurious rich option. For a richer, fudgier chocolate cake, try this Chocolate Fudge Cake. The ultimate glaze to impress, however, is without a doubt Chocolate Mirror Glaze…..
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 website 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
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 plain / all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder , unsweetened (Note 2)
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda (bi-carb soda)
- 2 cups white sugar (Note 1)
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 eggs (~55-65g / 2 oz each)
- 1 cup milk (low or full fat)
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil (or canola)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup boiling water
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- 1 1/2 batches Chocolate Buttercream Frosting (slide scaler on recipe)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C°/350°F (160°C fan). Read Note 4 regarding shelf positions.
- Grease 2 x 22cm/9" cake pans with butter, then line the base. (Note 3 re: 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:
- bundt pan – 50 minutes
- single 22cm/9″ pan – 40 to 45 minutes
- 2 x 20cm / 8″ pans – 38 minutes
- 3 x 20cm / 8″ pans – 25 minutes
- 33 x 22 x 5 cm / 13 x 9 x 2″ rectangle pan – 35 – 40 minutes
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
Dozer vs tiny toy chick.
Chick won.
Hello, I wanted to ask ,if l only have cake flour what should l do
Greetings, can l use cake flour if so how much
Hi Nagi
Mine always have large cracks on top of the cake. How can I prevent this and also can I just use SR flour instead?
Hi Nagi you awesome woman! This is the absolute best Chocolate Cake Recipe I’ve ever made!! I love how your ingredients & cooking times are always spot on, not to mention outstanding notes at the bottom of your recipe! 10/10 from me. I’ve only recently discovered your website from South Australia and you are my go to Chik for all recipes now! Love and thanks so much for sharing xxx
Hi Nagi,
I love your website, which has become a first-stop-shop for me when wanting to try new recipes or needing dinnertime inspiration – so big thanks!
Just tried this chocolate cake recipe and could use some help. The cake – while looking fine – turned out metallic-tasing (and sadly inedible), which I think is to do with the bi-carb element. I double checked all ingredients, and everything was as outlined, though I did use Dutch-processed cocoa, could that be the issue? ie there wasn’t enough of an acidic element to activate the bicarb? I want to give it another go, but any help in advance would be appreciated!
Cheers! Paige
Love this cake. I’ve made it twice this week (gotta love school holidays) and it comes out moist and chocolatey. I know this reveals my level of culinary sophistication, but it reminds me of the Betty Crocker cake mix cakes which I, and my family, loves. In the future, I think I’ll just go with this one. The recipe does make a lot of mix, and I don’t have multiple cake tins, so I halved it the second time round. Perfect.
Made this earlier this week for my dad’s birthday and it was delicious – with chocolate ganache icing. My husband reports the last slice was still delicious and moist today. This and the vanilla cake recipe will become go-to cakes for me.
I love this cake – I was thinking about making it tonight but only have soy milk, not normal milk, in the house. Would this work with Bon Soy instead?
Looks amazing, planning on making this for my daughter’s birthday! Would it work ok to use butter instead of oil?
Hi Angela, it will change the texture, the oil is what keeps this super moist! N x
This is absolutely delicious! My whole family loved them. Its so easy that my 4 year old can help too.
She asked for cupcakes. They are perfect in little colourful patty pans too! Thanks again, Nagi. Success again x
This is THE BEST. I don’t know if I’ve already left a comment about this – oh, who cares if I have, I’m doing it again. I’ve mostly avoided chocolate cake recipes (even ones titled “best ever – ” with lots of testimonials) because I’ve never had much luck. But I followed this one and it was delicious. Now whenever I google any recipe, sweet or savoury, I’ll see if recipetineats has it because I trust Nagi!!
The ravenous teenagers were both appeased and impressed by the chocolate cake. You never let me down Nagi!
Wahoo – the toughest critics! N x
This cake is the BEST! It is so yummy and I love that it’s so forgiving with the oil. It’s now my go-to chocolate cake recipe.
I’m excited to try this recipe – thank you!
Just wondering – I’m hoping to make this for a birthday, and some of the guests have a low sugar diet. Is it possible to cut down the sugar a little without compromising texture/moistness too much? Say to 1 and a half cups?
This is hands down my favourite chocolate cake recipe ever!!! I’ve made it 5 times now and is a huge crowd pleaser 😝
Today is the third time I’m making this cake. No special occasion, I was looking to make blueberry scones. I told myself “Only Nagi’s recipe will do.” I did see your lemonade scones, which are scrumptious!!! Well somehow we ended up here, but hey I’m not complaining 😂
You never need a reason for chocolate cake Jenine!!! N x
Hi Nagi can I know your 1 cup of flour is equivalent to how many gram?
Hi Serene, click the metric toggle above the ingredients and you’ll get everything listed in grams and mls. N x
Making this into cupcakes
Hi Nagi! I realise you have stacked two layers of the cake in this video, but how would this hold up for a layer cake with at least 4 layers (or potentially more)? Thanks, looks delicious, can’t wait to try it!!
Hi Rebecca, this is a really moist chocolate cake, depending on the size, I’m not sure how it would hold up with more layers as it may become too heavy. N x
What can I use instead of bi-carb soda?
Hi Caitlin, sorry you need the bi-carb here for the extra boost in the raising agent. N x
That’s fine. Found some in cupboard and immediately made another delicious and successful recipe.
Wondering what you would do to make a 6 inch cake with this recipe. and would it go in cupcakes okay, and what cooking time would you suggest?
Thanks!
Hi Abbi, I would scale the recipe down to 6 serves and use 2 x 6″ pans here. They should take 20-25 minutes, so just keep an eye on them! N x