Hershey’s Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Cake and Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Frosting
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?
Hershey’s Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Cake and Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Frosting
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
Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Frosting:
- 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
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. About 2 cups frosting.
slightly adapted from Hershey’s.com
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Hi, I have made this cake every year for my daughters’ birthdays, last year we had just moved to the Denver area and wow what a surprise! Cake all over the inside of the oven! So I found this recipe and tried it, it worked better but the cake had lots of holes and overflowed a bit. This year, I read the comments and see that there are further changes for my altitude, thank you! Going to try it today! 🙂
I hope it’s perfect for you this time. Good luck!
My all-time favorite (and my kids’ favorite) recipe from the back of a box is actually a Hershey’s Brownie recipe which I haven’t seen in years, but I’m so glad I kept it when I did! Baking brownies at high altitude seems to work better for me with cocoa rather than unsweetened baking chocolate, which I had been using.
I found this page when I was looking for a bundt cake recipe (I will try yours without the cream cheese swirl this time, next time with it- sounds yummy!) and wanted to add my 2 cents. I used to always use box cake mixes until I found the recipe on the Hershey’s box. I live around 6200 feet, so my recipe is pretty close to yours except for the following differences, which I’ll post in case it helps someone someday:
1 3/4 cup sugar
1 7/8 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup milk
All other ingredients stay the same. I also like to include 2 Tbsp Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa in with the cocoa measurement. I have had good results with both 9×13 and two 9″ rounds. The top never looks too pretty but that doesn’t matter when it’s upside down or covered with frosting! I also grease the pan then dust with cocoa, and use parchment paper on bottom. People might check out Susan Purdy’s book Pie in the Sky; she has variations for different altitudes for lots of recipes she tested in various locations.
Hi Monica – Thanks for sharing. I’m sure baking at 6200 feet is a challenge. Is it the HERSHEY’S Best Brownies Recipe? https://www.hersheys.com/recipes/recipe-details.aspx?id=98
Hi
I tried this cake twice.. both times it had tunnels all over it and it sank in the middle.. I also tried making it in cupcakes and there was no dome, cupcakes were all flat.. what went wrong?
Hi Ayesha – my guesses are overmixing, opening the oven door while the cake or cupcakes are cooking, your baking powder/soda isn’t fresh, your oven temperature isn’t accurate, or your cook time could have been too short.
would this recipe work baked as a bundt cake? If yes, how long would you bake it?
Hi Jane – I don’t think this would make a good bundt cake. The batter is so thin. I prefer a thick, dense batter for a bundt cake. The sour cream chocolate bundt cake is my favorite. http://www.barbarabakes.com/2014/03/chocolate-bundt-cake-with-a-cream-cheese-swirl/ You can just omit the cream cheese swirl.
Why does my frosting always end up runny?
Hi Anna – it’s hard to say for sure, but next time you make it’s an easy fix. Just reduce your milk and increase the powdered sugar until you achieve the consistency you want.
Can I use 1/4 cup grape seed oil, mixed with 1/4 cup of canola oil?
I haven’t tried it, but that should work just fine. Enjoy!
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I enjoy your site.
We have been making Hersheys perfectly chocolate cake for 20 or 30 years. You are right it is a great cake. However if you want to make it an awesome cake reduce the cook time. We cook it 27 or 28 minutes. We take it out when the toothpick comes out with moist crumbs sticking to it. It takes it from being very good to being awesome.
Have a nice day
Thanks Keith – I prefer a really moist cake too.
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We live in Calgary Canada, so i made the high altitude version and it was delicious. For some reason it took about 15 extra minutes to bake but when I took it out of the oven, it did not fall (which is what always happens when I make cakes). My husband does not usually eat dessert but he had a second slice! Success! Thanks for the recipe.
Thanks for the sweet comment. I’m so glad you and your husband loved it. High altitude really makes a difference with cakes.
Thanks for posting a high altitude variation for this cake. I just made it today, was shocked at how runny the batter was, and ended up with a cake that overflowed the pans and didn’t cook completely. I will try making it again following your version and see what happens. Oddly, the cake really is wonderful, even though I have to scrape it out of the pans. I have never had an edible homemade cake before. I don’t know if it’s because I used cake flour, or if they really invented the best scratch recipe.
I actually came across the recipe looking for something else and just assumed it would end up lousy like all of the other homemade cakes I’ve tried making. I’ve never tried using cake flour before, so I assumed that’s why this would have turned out well, had it cooked properly.
I also used a cup of boiling coffee, rather than water. I didn’t bother with the “strong” part, though. If water is good enough for the cake, I doubt that the strength of the coffee would have made that much difference.
Anyway, I will try your substitutions and see if that makes any improvement. If it doesn’t, the ravens will be eating a lot of chocolate cake tomorrow.
Hi Stacey – it really is a super runny batter, but a great tasting cake.
If you have a problem with cakes sticking, trying using parchment paper. Grease the pan, put down the parchment (cut to fit your pan) and grease again. I’ve also had good luck using Bakers non stick spray with flour.
Bake the cake until it pulls away from the sides of the pan, springs back when touched, and a toothpick insert in the center comes out clean.
If you’re higher than 4,000 feet, you may need to make a few additional changes. Here’s a guide I use http://cityhomecountryhome.blogspot.com/2010/08/high-altitude-baking-and-candy-making.html
Have fun!
Twice, I made the recipe as directed on the container and it sank in the middle badly. The second time overflowed out the pans! It was a disaster! I’m high altitude in Denver. I will try this version next time. I love this cake, but sad it keeps falling in the middle. 🙁
Hi Wendy – since you’re even higher in Denver I would suggest changing the following: 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 2 cups minus 3 tablespoons sugar, 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons milk. All the other ingredients would be the same. Be sure you’re using 9″ cake pans. Please let me know how it goes. Enjoy!
I’m at 5000 ft and I followed your suggestion for Denver. The cake came out wonderfully! Moist and delicious. Everyone loved it. It sure made me happy to have a cake that wasn’t sunken in the middle. Thanks very much!
That’s great – thanks for letting me know!
im sorry but i hate this cake its too dry…!!!!!!!
Hi Micki – sorry you were disappointed in the cake. Mine wasn’t dry at all. Did you make any changes?
The cake turned out perfect! Frosting was incredible too!
That’s great! Thanks for the update.
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!!!!
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!
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
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!