This Hershey’s Chocolate Cake is the one to turn to when you want a rich, chocolatey cake that’s never dry. So many chocolate layer cakes look amazing but end up dry and crumbly — this one stays perfectly moist every time. And while the classic flavor is already hard to beat, a simple secret ingredient makes the chocolate even more intense. If you’ve been searching for a family favorite chocolate cake recipe, this just might be it.
My birthday cake request has always been chocolate, and the more, the better. I want a deep chocolate cake with creamy chocolate frosting.
My mother always used the Hershey’s chocolate cake recipe from a small paperback Hershey’s Cocoa Cookbook, which I still have.
That recipe hasn’t changed much, and it’s the basis for this recipe — and I still think it’s the best chocolate cake EVER! (although my favorite cake in the world is my Granny’s Chocolate Sheet Cake!)
Testing notes
As much as I love it, I rarely order chocolate cake in restaurants. Even the best restaurants usually serve a slightly dry chocolate cake, and I cannot stand that.
So I made this Hershey’s chocolate cake recipe half a dozen times until I landed on a formula that keeps it moist and offers up the most amazing chocolate flavor.
- I adapted the recipe to include a combination of vegetable oil and butter and an extra egg yolk to ensure the cake is moist and tender and not at all dry.
- With no espresso powder in my pantry and no desire to go to the store, I tried a concoction of boiling water poured over leftover coffee grounds. This worked so well and is so easy! The cake does not taste like coffee at all, but the little bit of coffee from the grounds enhances the chocolate flavor.
- The original recipe calls for 1 cup of milk, which I rarely have. I always have half-and-half for our coffee, so I substituted 3/4 cup of half-and-half mixed with 1/4 cup of water. I’m so pleased with the moistness and texture of the cake that I don’t plan to use regular milk and will stay with this combination. (If you only have milk and no half-and-half, that will probably work just fine, but we have not tested the cake that way. I would only use whole milk, though, not low-fat.)
What I love about this cake is that it’s so easy. Although throwing everything in one bowl to mix up a cake seems counter-intuitive to the precise nature of cake-making, it works so well for this cake that I don’t know why we don’t use this method for every cake!
It’s literally all made in one bowl. <<<<<<——-
This Hershey’s Chocolate Cake is so easy that you almost cannot mess it up.
I suggest frosting this cake with my favorite Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting or Perfect Chocolate Buttercream Frosting. Enjoy!
I hope you make this recipe. I think you’ll love it!
P.S. You can grab a copy of the old Hershey’s Cocoa Cookbook here! In addition to this chocolate cake, the cookbook also features the best brownie recipe.
Ingredient notes
This cake uses mostly standard pantry ingredients, including Hershey’s cocoa powder, so you don’t have to hunt down obscure items. We do have a few special ingredient notes for you to be aware of:
➡️➡️➡️ The full ingredient amounts and instructions are listed below on the printable recipe card. Scroll below the recipe card for frequently asked questions and tips for success.
All-purpose flour: We use White Lily all-purpose flour, which has a low protein content (9%), similar to cake flour (7-9% typically). If you can’t get White Lily, you can substitute cake flour by adding an additional two tablespoons of cake flour to each cup.
Hershey’s cocoa powder: We use regular Hershey’s cocoa powder, not the special dark version.
Half-and-half: We dilute the half-and-half with a small amount of water. This adds to the moist texture of the cake.
Vegetable oil: While butter gives you the best flavor in cakes, oil helps the cake not have a dry texture. I use a combination of oil and butter in almost all my cakes.
Leftover coffee grounds: We created this hack because we didn’t have any espresso powder, and it worked marvelously. You pour boiling water over the leftover coffee grounds and mix that liquid into the cake batter. It doesn’t give the cake a coffee taste but enhances the rich chocolate flavor.
Note: If you’re not a coffee drinker and don’t have leftover coffee grounds to work with, then I suggest adding 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of instant espresso powder to one cup of boiling water.
How to make Hershey’s chocolate cake
Preheat the oven and prepare the pans.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans and set aside.
Mix dry ingredients and add wet ingredients.
Start by stirring together all flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Add the eggs, egg yolk, half-and-half/water mixture, oil, butter, and vanilla. Mix on low speed until blended.
Add coffee and water.
Place a fresh coffee filter over a large measuring cup and place leftover coffee grounds in the filter. We usually have about half a cup of wet coffee grounds. Then, pour one cup of boiling water over the coffee grounds.
Remove the filter with the coffee grounds and throw it away. Stir in the water from the measuring cup into the cake batter. This does not make the cake taste like coffee, I promise. The small amount of coffee derived from pouring water over the coffee grinds elevates and brings out the chocolate. Try it—I promise it’s good!
Bake.
Pour batter into the prepared pans and bake for 30-35 minutes or until the tester comes out clean. Be careful not to overbake, as this will dry your cake.
Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then flip the layers onto a cooling rack and cool completely before frosting.
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Hershey’s Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup Hershey's cocoa powder
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- ¾ cup half-and-half
- ¼ cup water
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup boiling water
- Used coffee grounds (about 1/2 cup)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 9-inch round baking pans and line with parchment paper. Butter and flour the parchment paper.
- Stir together 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 cups granulated sugar, and 1 cup Hershey's cocoa powder in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add 2 large eggs, 1 large egg yolk, 3/4 cup half-and-half, 1/4 cup water, 1/2 cup vegetable oiland 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. Beat on medium speed for a minute or two, scraping down the sides every few seconds, then add 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened. Beat on medium to medium-high speed of mixer until well blended. Scrape the sides and mix well. Note: The butter will not be completely mixed in until you pour in the boiling water in the next step, so for now you will still see pieces of butter. Just get it as well-blended here as you can.
- Place used coffee grounds in a fine mesh strainer set over a measuring cup. Pour 1 cup boiling water over coffee grounds. Discard the coffee grounds and stir the coffee-water into the cake batter. Pour batter (batter will be thin) into prepared pans.
- Bake 30-35 minutes or until tester inserted in center comes out clean. Remove pans from oven and cool for 10 minutes. Remove cake from pans to wire racks and cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
Tips and questions
This Hershey’s chocolate cake is perfect when you need a make-ahead dessert. You can make it one or two days in advance, and it gets better each day.
No need to refrigerate the cake! You can store the Hershey’s chocolate cake in an airtight container on the counter. (If you’ve used cream cheese frosting, store the cake in the refrigerator after one day.)
Yes, you can freeze the cake. Our testing has indicated that the cake does best when you freeze the layers separately without frosting. Wrap each layer in plastic wrap or parchment paper, then securely with tin foil. Freeze for up to three months.
Recipe adapted from Hershey’s Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Cake and Hershey’s Old-fashioned Chocolate Cake.
Update Notes: This post for Hershey’s Chocolate Cake was originally published on October 26, 2016, and on March 18, 2025, was updated with one or more of the following: step-by-step photos, video, updated recipe, and new tips.
I CAN’T USE COFFEE GROUNDS, WHAT CAN I USED.
You can use instant espresso powder!
Wouldn’t 1 cup of buttermilk work?
I also use espresso powder in most chocolate recipes. (Can dry used grounds, ground fine and add directly, and so skip the straining)
I just made a chocolate zucchini loaf so I’ll make the next time we need a chocolate binge!
I haven’t tested this cake with buttermilk, so I can’t say for sure. Espresso powder is good but you would still need to add the water.