Is there anything I can add to the cake to give it a more "rounded" flavor, right now it has a very flat flavor. I use pure vanilla and cocoa powder in the recipe. I was thinking about adding some creme boquet or some other kind of flavor extract to make the flavor better. Any ideas?

What brand of cocoa are you using and how do you incorporate it into the batter?

I always add a little almond extract to chocolate cake. It really adds a hint of something special. I also use strong coffee for the liquid instead of water. I actually made it so strong one time that the batter smelled like coffee instead of chocolate. Baked up it was DELICIOUS! Coffee naturally brings out the flavor in chocolate.

Not all cocoa powders are the same and don't have the same percentage of cocoa fat. Try another brand. I use a 24% dutch processed cocoa rouge and believe me, it needs no artificial flavor boost.

My recipe has coffee in it.
You can also replace the milk with buttermilk for some twang.

Thanks, I think I'm going to try a different cocoa powder, and some coffee. The recipe I have calls for boiling the water and adding cocoa powder and cooling it before you add it to the dry ingredients.

My recipe has coffee in it.
You can also replace the milk with buttermilk for some twang.

My recipe has coffee in it.
You can also replace the milk with buttermilk for some twang.

Absolutely replace some or all of the liquid in your recipe with strongly brewed coffee. Believe it or not, the recipe on the Hershey can is excellent. It is so moist and delicious. I have made it with their Dutch processed cocoa (I think the recipe is called Black Magic cake) and coffee and it was a very deep fudgey cake with a deep chocolate flavor.