Hershey’s Chocolate Cake
This Hershey’s “Perfectly Chocolate” Chocolate Cake is the same recipe that your mom or grandma made! The recipe has been on the box of Hershey’s brand cocoa powder for nearly a century.

This deep, rich, yet airy chocolate cake recipe has been on the back of a can of Hershey Cocoa Powder since the 1940s. It is an incredibly easy cake that can be baked in a 9″ by 13″ pan or in 2-8″ round cake pans and made into a layered cake with frosting in between.
This recipe is incredibly uncomplicated and easy enough for novice bakers. It isn’t overly sweet for a chocolate cake recipe, and we find it one of our favorites.
What you Need
Dry Ingredients
- Sugar
- Flour: All-purpose flour is preferred. Be sure to spoon the flour into your measuring cup; don’t scoop it out of the flour tin.
- Cocoa Powder: Dutch-Processed Cocoa Powder
- Baking Soda
- Baking Powder
- Salt
Wet Ingredients
- Eggs
- Milk
- Oil: Use a mild flavored oil such as vegetable or canola oil
- Vanilla Extract
- Water- The water must be boiling so that the cocoa powder dissolves in the liquids.

What is Dutch-processed Cocoa Powder?
The process of “Dutching” is treating cocoa powder with an alkaline solution to remove some of the bitter flavor. Dutch-processed cocoa powder is darker than cocoa powder. It has a milder flavor with less acidity, and it will dissolve in liquids more easily than cocoa powder.
How to Make it
- Stir together the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
- Add the eggs, oil, milk, and vanilla.
- Beat with an electric mixer for 2 minutes.
- Add the boiling water. Stir to combine. The batter is quite thin, so don’t be alarmed.
- Pour the batter into your prepared pans. Bake the cake for 30-35 minutes until a tester comes out clean in the middle.
- Cool the cake in the tins on wire cooling racks if you make a layer cake for 10 minutes. Then, remove the layers from the tins. Cool completely.
- Frost as desired.

This cake is moist, light, fluffy, and so very chocolatey all at the same time!

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Enjoy. And have fun cooking!

Hershey’s “Perfectly Chocolate”™ Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- 2 c Sugar
- 1-3/4 c all-purpose flour
- 3/4 c Cocoa powder
- 1-1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1-1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp Salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 c Milk I substitute coconut milk
- 1/2 c vegetable oil
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 c boiling water
For Buttercream Frosting
- 3 c powdered sugar
- 1/2 juice of 1/2 lime to taste
- 1/3 c Butter
- 1 tbsp coconut milk 1-2 tbsp.
- sweetened flaked coconut for garnish
- lime zest for garnish
Instructions
- 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.
For frosting
- Cream butter and sugar together. stir in lime juice and 1 tbsp. coconut milk. Taste. If you like more lime, add more lime juice. Add enough more milk to make frosting smooth and spreadable. Spread frosting on cakes. Sprinkle with coconut on top and sides. Grate lime zest on top, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
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Who can say no to chocolate! I love chocolate cake! And your recipt looks great! I will try it for my son’s birthday! Thank you.
It is difficult, at times to say no to chocolate. Is it not? Thank you for your comment, David! I hope your son enjoys it! I know my son does!
Anything with chocolate has my attention! Love this cake recipe..its soft, moist and gooey..just the way I would like it.
This is a truly delicious cake! Thank you Priya!