Hershey’s “Perfectly Chocolate” Chocolate Cake
Have you decided on your Easter dessert yet? If you haven’t got one of these adorable Easter lamb molds, how about a good old fashioned chocolate cake?
Years ago, I found a delicious chocolate cake recipe in a magazine. It used boiling water and cocoa and was easy to make. More importantly, it was so moist and tender that it always wowed anyone who took a bite. It became my go-to chocolate cake recipe. So when I decided to bake a chocolate cake for a dinner party not long ago, I scoured my bookshelves for the decades-old tattered magazine that contained the recipe. Unfortunately, it was missing in action — not to be found anywhere I looked.
At the same time however, Jamie, author of “Life’s A Feast” blog, posted a chocolate cake recipe that looked and sounded delicious – and very similar to the one of my memory. Except that she substituted hot coffee for the boiling water called for in the recipe I remembered — an inspired decision since the coffee makes the chocolate flavor even more “chocolate-y.”
Since then, I found the original recipe, not in that magazine that seems to have disappeared — but from Hershey’s Chocolate Company’s website. It’s called the “Perfectly Chocolate” chocolate cake.
I would have to agree — and I’ll bet you will too.
Make it with the chocolate frosting they suggest. Or with Jamie’s Chocolate Mocha Mascarpone Frosting recipe here. I love chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. Especially when there’s a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side.
But this time, I wanted to make a chocolate mousse filling and a white buttercream frosting for contrast. If you want the chocolate mousse filling recipe, click here. For the buttercream icing, I don’t even use a recipe per se. I just dump a box of confectioner’s sugar into my mixer, add about 1/4 cup of softened butter and mix. Add enough milk (and 1 teaspoon of vanilla) to bring it to spreading consistency.
Just to shake things up (and cover up any imperfections in frosting) I smeared the sides of the cake with chocolate Jimmies (maybe you call them sprinkles in your neck of the woods).
The top decoration is easy to do too. Just pipe parallel lines in chocolate over the white frosting, then run a toothpick back and forth in the other direction to create the design.
Give it a try. Even if you’re a beginning baker, it’s a cinch to make and the taste is dreamy.
Speaking of dreamy, isn’t this a gorgeous place? You could be here too in September, if you enroll in our writing retreat on Lake Como, Italy. We’ve just had to change the dates to make it a week earlier because of a government meeting that will take place during our original week. But the good news is that Villa Monastero, (in the photo below) where we’ll be staying, has given us a price break because of the change, and we’re passing that on to you. So click onto Italy, In Other Words to find out more, or contact me via the blog.
Check out Ciao Chow Linda’s Instagram page here to see more of what I’m cooking up each day. You can also connect with me on here on Facebook, here for my Pinterest page, here for my Twitter feed.
Happy Easter.
Hershey’s “Perfectly Chocolate” Chocolate Cake
printable recipe here
- 2 cups sugar
- 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup Hershey’s cocoa
- 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup boiling water (I use a cup of hot coffee instead)
- 1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans. (I used three pans.)
- 2. 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 (or coffee) (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.
- 3. 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.
- “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
- 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.
This Post Has 11 Comments
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Beautiful and extremely tempting! A divine treat.
Cheers,
Rosa
http://www.reveriesbramblesscribbles.com/blog/
Now that's a chocolate dream! I love how you sometimes find extraordinary recipes from the company that wants you to use their ingredients. Love the idea of the mascarpone frosting.
I know it sounds crazy but I can "see" the moistness in the cake. It looks so delicious and it would be a true chocolate treat. We won't be home for Easter but I'll be making this for our "family get together" in two weeks. And I hate it when I misplace things and I seem to do that often with recipes — I've got to get a better method than stick it in a drawer 🙂 Buona Pasqua!!
GORGEOUS cake! My mouth is watering!!! (and we call them "sprinkles" here in North Jersey) 🙂
Oh gosh, I love this cake! My recipe came from my dad who made it all the time, but really it must have been a recipe that was in every magazine in the 1960's or 70's. And it really is the best chocolate cake. Sadly, my old blog is gone so the link doesn't work but now you'll just force me to repost it on my new Life's a Feast. I love the way you filled and frosted yours! It's a beauty!
Yes, please! Oh my, but that looks great. One of my very favorite desserts is chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream. It is Bart's favortie cake too. I've got to try this one. One more thing – isn't it something how those "old" recipes are really excellent?
I somehow missed this dream of a chocolate cake. A showstopper and I will definitely place it on my A list. Buona Pasqua.
I have a similar recipe that uses coffee. I agree, that it enhances the flavor. I'm having a major dessert craving. This cake is a show stopper, for sure.
I have a little Hershey paperback cookbook from the 70's that was probably a give away with a can of Hershey powder! I love every recipe in it that I've tried over the years. I'll have to see if this cake is in it. It does look very moist and chocolaty rich. You iced it beautifully!
What a wonderful cake! So decadent with the chocolate! I love how you decorated the icing! I'm sure that you're getting so excited for your upcoming Lake Como trip.
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