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    Home » Recipes » Dessert » Cakes

    Hershey’s Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Cake and Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Frosting

    Published by Melissa on April 22, 2019 | Updated June 10, 2022 | 126 Comments

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    Hershey's Perfect Chocolate Cake with a slice cut out via @barbarabakes

    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.

    Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Cake Decorated With Shave Chocolate on a decorative cake stand

    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.

    In my Queso Bacon Burger post, I mentioned I was hosting a BBQ/birthday party, and every birthday party needs a perfect birthday cake. I needed two cakes for our crowd. I made a Tropical Carrot Cake, and 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.

    A collage of making a chocolate layer cake with chocolate icing.

    How to Make the Hershey’s Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Cake

    I was a bit surprised when I read the instructions. After the batter is mixed, you add 1 cup of boiling water, which creates a really runny batter. After baking though, it has a perfect texture—not too heavy and not too light. The layers bake up flat and even, so it’s an easy cake to layer. 

    If you haven’t baked very many layers cakes before, be sure and check out my Baking Tips For Layer Cakes post. 

    A slice of The Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Cake on a plate with a fork

    I made a couple of high altitude changes to the recipe because cakes can be temperamental at my altitude (5,000 ft). Generally, I use this great guide from Bonnie, City Home / Country Home, to modify recipes for high altitude. Just a few simple tweaks can make a big difference when baking cakes at altitude.

    Easy Cake Decoration

    After baking and frosting, the cake is decorated simply with chocolate curls. The chocolate curls are easy to make. You just use a vegetable peeler and a chocolate bar. You could also decorate the cake with sprinkles if you prefer.

    A slice of The Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Cake with chocolate shavings.

    The cake got great reviews from my crowd at the party! I’ve made this back-of-the-box cake many times since that party. In fact, this Hershey’s Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Cake has become my go-to chocolate cake whenever I want to make a quick homemade cake. I hope you’ll give it a try too!

    Do you have a favorite recipe you got from the back of a box?

    Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Cake Decorated With Shave Chocolate on a decorative cake stand
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate this Recipe
    4.53 from 17 votes

    Hershey’s Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Cake and Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Frosting

    Course: Cakes
    Servings: 12 - 16 servings
    Calories: 291kcal
    Author: Barbara Schieving
    Prevent your screen from going to sleep

    Equipment

    • USA Pan Bakeware Round Cake Pan, 9 inch
    • Breville BEM800XL Scraper Mixer Pro 5-Quart Die-Cast Stand Mixer
    • Cuisinart HM-90BCS Power Advantage Plus 9-Speed Handheld Mixer with Storage Case, Brushed Chrome

    Ingredients

    Cake

    • 2 cups minus 2 tablespoons sugar*
    • 1-¾ cups all-purpose flour
    • ¾ cup Hershey's cocoa
    • 1-¼ teaspoons baking powder*
    • 1-¼ teaspoons baking soda*
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 2 large eggs
    • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk*
    • ½ cup canola oil
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    • 1 cup boiling water

    Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Frosting:

    • ½ cup 1 stick butter or margarine
    • ⅔ cup Hershey's Cocoa
    • 3 cups powdered sugar
    • ⅓ cup milk
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

    Instructions

    • 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, 1-½ teaspoons baking powder, 1-½ teaspoons baking soda, 1 cup milk
    • Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate FrostingMelt 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

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1g | Calories: 291kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 39mg | Sodium: 328mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 22g

    More Chocolate Cake Recipes You Might Like:

    If you love chocolate and caramel, you’ll want to make my Chocolate Dulce De Leche Triple Layer Cake. If you prefer a cake with a chocolate ganache (a thick, rich chocolate frosting), you’ll want to make my Triple Chocolate Layer Cake. If you’re following a keto diet, check out this Keto Sugar-Free Mini German Chocolate Cake from All Day I Dream About Food. Or, perhaps you’re looking for an easy one bowl chocolate cake recipe or a Chocolate Mug Cake for Two. 

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    Hershey's Perfect Chocolate Cake with a slice cut out

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    About Melissa & Barbara

    As of June 2022 Melissa Griffiths now is the one adding recipes. So think of it as Barbara Bakes, and Melissa too! Melissa and Barbara have been blogging friends for over 10 years and when Barbara was ready to retire and spend more time with her family, Melissa took over the site. Read more...

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Cindy Stamus

      January 27, 2022 at 4:42 pm

      My niece makes this cake, and instead of making it with boiling water, she uses coffee! I tried it, and it is wonderful!!

      Reply
      • Barbara Schieving

        January 27, 2022 at 4:52 pm

        Thanks for sharing that tip Cindy!

        Reply
    2. Lucila Booth

      September 02, 2020 at 5:05 pm

      Hi. I live at 7000ft and was wondering if there were more adjustments for high altitude I should make or if it’d be the same as at 5000ft?

      Reply
      • Barbara Schieving

        September 02, 2020 at 6:03 pm

        Hi Lucila – yes, you will need to make additional changes. Here’s a helpful guide https://cityhomecountryhome.blogspot.com/2010/08/high-altitude-baking-and-candy-making.html

        Reply
    3. Clarissa

      January 27, 2020 at 2:07 pm

      How many cups of batter does one mix make?

      Reply
      • Barbara Schieving

        January 27, 2020 at 2:12 pm

        Hi Clarissa – I’ve never measured, but here’s a guide that can help you estimate https://www.wilton.com/wedding-cake-guide/cms-wedding-cake-data.html

        Reply
      • Wendy

        September 17, 2020 at 3:41 am

        It was about 6 cups for me, when I was doing my layers, I measured out the amount and it was just shy of 6 cups.

        Reply
    4. Elizabeth Quiroz

      December 29, 2019 at 2:03 pm

      I don’t have any round cake pans. If I use a 9×13, how long would you recommend baking?

      Reply
      • Barbara Schieving

        December 29, 2019 at 2:21 pm

        Hi Elizabeth – probably about 30 minutes, until the cake starts to pull away from the sides of the pan, a toothpick comes out clean and about 210°F on an instant-read thermometer.

        Reply
    5. Laura Turner

      August 25, 2019 at 8:23 am

      Hi! I’ve made this cake twice and its sunk in the middle both times. I came across your blog searching for answers. I’ve never used high altitude adjustments, but will try yours next time. I’m curious though, I use 8 or 6 inch rounds, but you say 9 inch. Does that really matter? I am dying for something to actually be pretty just once! (Its chocolate, so taste is never an issue!)

      Reply
      • Barbara Schieving

        August 25, 2019 at 7:14 pm

        Hi Laura – if you use 8 inch rounds your cook time will be longer because they’ll be thicker but shouldn’t need additional high altitude adjustments. You’ll probably need 3 6 inch rounds.

        Reply
    6. Brenda

      April 22, 2019 at 7:43 pm

      Well Hello Gorgeous! This DOES look perfect!! – – Thank you for featuring my chocolate mug cake recipe!

      Reply
    7. shelley

      April 22, 2019 at 9:09 am

      THE only chocolate cake I make…my youngest daughter too…..even when making a “german” chocolate cake with homemade coconut pecan frosting….

      Reply
    8. Verna A.

      April 22, 2019 at 8:26 am

      This is my go-to chocolate cake recipe!  I usually substitute applesauce for half of the oil.

      Reply
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