It’s criminal that I’ve never posted my Best Ever chocolate cake recipe but here we are. This cake is incredibly moist with a deep, rich chocolate flavor and the creamiest chocolate frosting you can imagine.
I admit; I am a cake snob. I’ve never been more proud than when my foodie friend Irene told me that I’ve “ruined her” for cake. But seriously. If there’s one thing I make really, really well, it’s cake so trust me when I say, this is the the best chocolate cake recipe ever.
Here’s the secret: you can’t over bake cake! Check it a few minutes before it’s done and pull it out the very first moment that the toothpick comes out clean. For heaven’s sake, if a recipe says 20-30 minutes don’t you dare set the time for 30 minutes. In this example, I would set it for 18.
But anyway, back to this particular cake. I use dark cocoa powder because I prefer all things dark chocolate and I must say that even my friends who prefer milk chocolate have all told me that this is their favorite chocolate cake.
I always use Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder, which is available at most supermarkets, and it’s divine.
Note that there isn’t any butter in this cake except for the frosting – and even that doesn’t even have a full stick. This means the cake is (a) less calories than other cake if you care about that sort of thing and (b) doesn’t take up all the butter in your house!
Finally, you’ll think you’re ruining the cake by adding a cup of boiling water to otherwise perfect looking cake batter but that’s what makes it so moist and delicious. I hope this will be your new favorite cake recipe!
Best Ever Chocolate Cake
For the cake:
2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 cup 1% milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease two 9″ cake pans. Coat with cocoa powder the way you would typically flour pans.
- Whisk together sugar, flour, dark cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large mixing bowl. Add eggs one at a time and mix until incorporated. Add milk, oil and vanilla extract all at once and beat on medium speed of mixer about two minutes, stopped once to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Gently stir in the boiling water. Divide batter into prepared pans.
- Bake 28 to 33 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.
- Frost and enjoy!
Dark Chocolate Frosting
6 Tbsp unsalted buter, softened
2 2/3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup dark cocoa powder
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
- Beat softened butter. Beat in powder sugar and cocoa powder alternately with milk until smooth. Add vanilla and beat well.
Leave a Reply