Some of the best recipes are on the back of boxes. Quaker has a great oatmeal cookie recipe on the back of their box. Libby’s has their famous pumpkin pie recipe on the back of their can. So of course you’d expect Hershey’s to have a fabulous chocolate cake recipe on the back of their box and they do.
The Hershey’s “Perfectly Chocolate” Chocolate Cake is a scrumptious chocolate cake. It’s chocolately, rich, moist, and delicious. Perfect for beginners. It’s nearly as easy to make as a box cake and it tastes so much better than a cake mix cake. You’ll wonder why you haven’t made it before. I know I did.
I mentioned in my Queso Bacon Burger post I was hosting a BBQ/birthday party and every birthday party needs a perfect birthday cake. I needed two cakes for our crowd. (I’ll post the Tropcial Carrot Cake recipe next week.) I love this picture of the birthday girl with her cakes and my daughter and soon to be born grandson.
For those who don’t like veggies in their cake, I decided to make chocolate cake. But not just any chocolate cake, the Hershey’s “Perfectly Chocolate” Chocolate Cake that I’ve seen posted dozens of times with rave reviews. I was a bit surprised when I read the instructions. After the batter is mixed, you add one cup of boiling water which creates a really runny batter. After baking though, it has a perfect texture – not too heavy not too light. It got great reviews from my crowd too.
I made a couple high altitude changes to the recipe because at my altitude cakes can be temperamental. I used the great guide Bonnie, City Home / Country Home, posted last year to modify the recipe. Just a few simple tweaks can make a big difference when baking cakes at altitude.
I’m sure I’ll be baking this back of the box cake again. Do you have a favorite recipe you got from the back of a box?
Ingredients
- 2 cups minus 2 tablespoons sugar*
- 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup Hershey's cocoa
- 1-1/4 teaspoons baking powder*
- 1-1/4 teaspoons baking soda*
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk*
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
- 2/3 cup Hershey's Cocoa
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
- Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans. Set aside.
- Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; With a mixer, beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes. Carefully, stir in boiling water. The batter will be very thin. Pour batter into prepared cake pans.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost with chocolate frosting.
- *Before high altitude changes: 2 cups sugar, 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda, 1 cup milk
- 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. About 2 cups frosting.
Notes
slightly adapted from Hershey's.com
Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Bars, Mangio da Sola
Libby’s Pumpkin Pie, The Food Librarian
Peanut Butter Blossoms, How Sweet It Is
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I love to bake, especially cookies, cakes, and pies. I’ll post my adventures in the kitchen, my favorite new recipes, as well as our family favorites.
I love getting recipes off boxes and bags!
Did you ever see the help?
I have always made Hershey’s Black Magic Cake which is wonderful, too! I have seen this recipe a few times and seeing your pictures convinces me I will have to try this next. I actually have to make a cake for a work birthday tomorrow so this might be the cake:-) I think choc/choc was her choice!
Barbara – all I can say is that it looks perfectly delicious.
I made this on Sunday (with the altitude adjustments) and was so pleased by how “perfect” it really did turn out. Thanks for the inspiration. Everyone loved it as well.
Thanks Emily for letting me know you made it! I’m so glad to know your cake was perfect too!
This is a really good recipe. I just made this cake tonight and my husband said this is one of the best cakes that I have ever made. For the upcoming PTA meeting I will make this as a sheet cake so everyone will have the chance to try a piece. Absolutely delicious.
Hi Stephanie! So glad you and your husband loved the cake. Let me know how the sheet cake turns out and how long it takes to bake. Thanks!
Hi Barbara,
I recently did this as a sheet cake for my son’s birthday party. My first effort flopped in the middle and still wasn’t cooked after an hour. Then I bought a “heating core” and `voila! Perfect. Also, I called Hershey’s Kitchens and they said to double the regular recipe for 12×18 pan (much less batter than I expected). And reduce the temperature to 325.
NOTE: the Hershey’s bakers said for 13×9 pans, do NOT increase the recipe or change the temperature.
CP – thanks for posting the info on making a sheet cake! Great info. Good to know that a heating core solved the problem and that Hershey’s was so helpful.
Hi There, This cake is looking simply AWESOME……! I just loved it and the pictures are lovely too ! Saving this recipe of urs and wud love to give ur version a try on the coming weekend. Have a great day….Sonia !!!
I just made this cake today and it turned out great! It was so chocolatey, a small slice more than enough for me, i love how moist and decadent cake itself was and the frosting is so creamy!
It really is a rich, delicious, easy to make cake. Thanks for letting me now you loved it!
Barbara, this chocolate cake looks simply amazing! Thanks for the recipe.
Kristy
Hershey’s perfectly chocolate cake is my absolute favorite. In fact, I bought a Hershey’s cookbook last summer and I’m a huge fan of everything I’ve made from it!
I’ve always wanted to try this cake, maybe its time I bake it! A friend of mine loves chocolate and every year I bake a cake for her birthday. I should start practicing because her birthday is in less than a month!
I found your cake through Pinterest. My aunt made this cake the last time she was in town and I loved it! I’m featuring your recipe on my Chocolate Cake Day blog post today.
http://whitelightsonwednesday.blogspot.com/2012/01/chocolate-cake-day.html
Hi there, I am always looking for high altitude recipes! We live in Mexico City and are at about 8300 ft where we live. Thanks for sharing this!
Hi Barbara! I just found your blog and I love it! I have a question about the Hershey’s perfectly chocolate cake. I live at 6100 feet…should that work with your altitude adjustments? Thanks!
Hi Melanie! At 6100 feet you’ll probably have to adjust the recipe even further. As your elevation increases decrease the leavening and sugar a little bit more and increase the liquid a bit more. My adapted recipe is for 3,000 to 5,000 ft. Great question – thanks! Please let me know if you make it.
Do you have any suggestions on how much sugar and liquid to use? I am kind of new to baking at high altitudes!!!
Thanks!
The changes I would suggest at your altitude are 1 3/4 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda and 1 1/14 cups milk, and the rest of the ingredients as listed.
Thank you so much!!!!
The cake turned out perfect! Frosting was incredible too!
That’s great! Thanks for the update.