Name: Chocolate Cake
Yield: 10

Chocolate Cake Recipe that’s ridiculously moist, deeply chocolatey, and finished with a reliable creamy chocolate frosting for the ultimate crowd-pleaser.

Author’s Notes

The “Best Thing I’ve Ever Eaten” Cake

My daughter is a total vanilla and sprinkles girl. My cake batter cookies, which she affectionately calls “sprinkle cookies,” have always been her top recipe on my site, and we make them a couple times a month at her request. (We bake them so often that I’m pretty sure every neighbor has received a plate at some point.)

She will always choose sprinkles and vanilla ice cream over chocolate, so when she took one bite of this chocolate cake and said, “Mom, this is the best thing I’ve EVER eaten. It’s better than sprinkle cookies,” I knew it meant something. If you know her, that kind of praise is a big deal, haha.

My husband and boys agreed it was the best cake they’d ever eaten, which just confirmed what I already knew. This is hands down the best chocolate cake recipe ever.

It’s based on the famous Hershey’s evenly Chocolate Cake, with a couple of key swaps. I use Dutch process cocoa instead of natural cocoa, and that one change makes the cake richer, smoother, and deeply chocolatey. And the frosting? I used my forever favorite. Nothing beats it!

All the ingredients in this recipe prepped out for straightforward assembly including the boiling water, flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, vanilla, eggs, oil, and milk.

Ingredients In This Chocolate Cake Recipe

Ingredient	Why It Matters + Tips
Dutch Process Cocoa	Natural cocoa won’t give the same result here. Dutch process is key!
Boiling Water	Blooms the cocoa and intensifies the chocolate flavor. Hot coffee can be used for an even deeper flavor.
Oil	Keeps the cake soft and moist for days. Butter-based cakes tend to dry out faster.
Whole Milk	Whole milk gives the best texture. Avoid low-fat options.
Eggs	Room-temp eggs mix in smoothly and bake more evenly.
Heavy Cream (Frosting)	Makes the frosting rich and creamy. Milk is too thin for this texture.

All the ingredients for the chocolate frosting used to frost this chocolate cake recipe laid out for quick assembly.

How To Make This Chocolate Cake Recipe

This is a simple, no-fuss cake that doesn’t require special techniques.

Prep the pans and Heat the oven to 350°F.
Whisk together the dry ingredients.
Add the wet ingredients and mix until smooth.
Whisk in the boiling water (the batter will be thin).
Divide the batter evenly and bake until set.
Cool completely, then freeze the layers before frosting.
Make the chocolate buttercream frosting and assemble the cake.

The wet and dry ingredients being mixed together to make the batter for this recipe.

Reader’s Notes & Tips

Tools For This Chocolate Cake Recipe

Check out a reliable kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!

3-pack 8-inch cake pans I use in this recipe.
A large mixing bowl I reach for constantly
You don’t need any special equipment for mixing just a good whisk.
Most importantly, the dutch process cocoa powder I use and love.

Cake pans greased and dusted with cocoa powder, then filled with batter for this chocolate cake recipe.

How to Prep Cake Pans for straightforward Release

Because this chocolate cake recipe is so moist, pan prep matters.

Grease pans generously.
Line with parchment rounds: Check out this tutorial on how to cut the parchment evenly every time.
Grease pans again.
Dust lightly with cocoa powder.

A big slice of the dessert on a plate ready to be enjoyed.

Storage

Cake layers can be baked and frozen (wrapped well) up to 1 month.
Frosted cake stores well in the fridge for up to 4 days. Let slices sit at room temp for 20–30 minutes before serving.
This chocolate cake recipe stays moist even after chilling, which makes it reliable for parties.