Hershey's "perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake ...
Baking By aerobatchk Updated 2 Aug 2013 , 3:07pm by luvoven
Has anyone tried the recipe for chocolate cake that is on the Hhershey's cocoa powder box? I need to make a chocolate cake, and wanted a good scratch recipe. Just curious if anyone has an opinion on that one!?
Thanks in advnace for your help!
== Sara ==
Some people swear by this recipe. I used it on Sunday night and was not really that impressed with the results. Just not what I was looking for. Just try it and see how it turns out for you. I'm just convinced that the cake gods are against me in the chocolate cake department! 
I wonder what other recipes are out there? I am a big chicken when it comes to trying recipes without someone elses reccomendation. I like allrecipes.com because there are so many reviews on the posted recipes. I thought for cakes, this would be the smartest group of people to ask! If you have a great chocolate cake recipe (scratch) that you swear by, please send it my way (if you don't mind sharing).
Thanks,
Sara
I like the Hershey's recipe as a 'basic' chocolate cake but I do agree that it's just "good" and not really anything to write home about. There is a fascinating thread on "best chocolate cake recipe ever" on egullet.com. Here's a link to the thread (you can't search their website unless you are a member; I found the link when I googled "best" and "chocolate cake recipe"):
http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=44287&%3Bview=old
I have made the Scott Woolley Clarke recipe that many people on that site gave top votes to (using their suggested modifications), and I now won't make any other chocolate cake! However do note that it is really, really chocolatey, and I (a chocoholic) won't frost it with chocolate because it's almost "too much" (gads, did I actually say that??). I love it with vanilla IMBC or another complementary flavor. I'd love to hear from someone who bakes this and then puts a fudge or ganache on top, too find out if maybe I'm just paranoid. The recipe also converts to cupcakes simply by adjusting the cook time.
here is one i did the other day that is really yummy. i think it is the butter and real chocolate and vinegar that makes the difference.
rich chocolate cake by wilton
2 and 1/2 c all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
6 oz semi sweet chocolate (i use milk choc-my preference)
1 and 1/2 sticks soft butter
1 and 1/2 c sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 and 1/2 c milk
1 tsp white vinegar (i add this to any choc cake , it enhances flavor and adds moisture. this is MY addition, not in the actual wilton recipe- but basically it is like adding buttermilk instead of milk and vinegar)
preheat to 350' grease and flour pans, combine dry ingredients in one bowl, melt choc and butter in another. combine choc mixture with sugar, then blen in one egg at a time, add vanilla. mix well. add dry mixture alternatively with milk and vinegar. blend until smooth either by hand or on low. bake for about 30-35 minutes for 2 8" rounds. makes 6 cups of batter.
YUM! i eat it as is, with no icing, it is such a treat!
Yes, I did - there is a post in the thread where the moderater kind of sums up the changes that all of the people suggested for that recipe, and that's the "final version" of the recipe I used. It is chocolatey-delicious 
and tastes like a gourmet cake.
I use the Hershey's recipe a lot. I think it is a great recipe~ I always put a little more cocoa powder in it though. I've had a few friends wanting only the Hershey's Choc cake. It does take longer to bake then what the recipe calls for. I bake it on 325* because it will brown too fast. The Cake Dr also has a really good choc recipe. I use that or the Hershey's~
I only use Martha Stewarts Chocolate cupcake recipe. Chocolate cake seems to be my top seller!
Sift together:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups dark cocoa powder
2 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 tsp salt
Add to dry ingredients:
2 large eggs plus 1 yolk
2 tsp vanilla (I increased what Martha had down!)
1/2 cup vege oil plus 2 TBSP
1 1/4 cup milk
combine in mixer until incorporated. Then slowly add 1 1/4 cup warm water. Mix until combined. Batter will be runny. I bake at 350 until tester comes out with only a few moist crumbs. I then wrap in plastic wrap and put in fridge. Always have very moist and dark chocolatey cakes. I wrote this from memory, so it is not word for word.
Here is a very easy chocolate cake I used to make when the kids were home. I wouldn't recommend it for a layer cake, I think it is too moist, but it is great baked in a 9X13" pan and just left in the pan, covered with cream cheese or buttercream icing.
http://recipes.betterrecipes.com/betterrecipes/printRecipe.jhtml?recipeId=00000001157
I have tried this recipe and I would say it is a very good one.
The batter is somewhat runny, but that's how it's suppose to be.
But I really liked it and I would keep making it..
Thank you all for your great ideas! I ended up using the recipe on the cake flour box, and I'm not sure how the cake will taste but the batter was awesome! The cake cooked up really nice as well. I cannot wait to try it tomorrow. I'm not a pumpkin pie fan at all, so this is my "other" dessert besides pumpkin pie.
Happy Thanksgiving!!
i personally love scott wooley's chocolate cake, i follow the recipe to a tee and it is perfect everytime. i think the hershey one is okay but not nearly as rich and decadent as scott's.
ceshell, i covered it with chocolate fudge icing (recipe from chef annie on egullet) for a birthday cake i did a couple months back and got 2 more orders for the exact same cake/icing combo. very rich but very good.
Aha, see, maybe there is no such thing as "too chocolately"! All I know is the first time I made it, for a baby shower, all the ladies raved about how it was the best choc. cake they'd ever eaten, yet none could finish a slice (mind you, it was after a large meal...but still, how can you throw away chocolate??!!!) But ya know, I love the stuff so I am going to try to nab that icing recipe and give it a try myself. Thanks!
your welcome, i'll save you the trouble of looking for the recipe : )
by chef annie:
2 oz butter softened
7 1/2 cups of powered sugar
1 cup cocoa (i used dutch-processed)
1/2 cup milk (or heavy cream)
12 oz cream cheese softened
*more milk (cream) if needed
whip butter and cream cheese on low until fluffy. then add rest and mix till fluffy. add more milk if needed.
*annie told me she uses heavy whipping cream because it makes it richer, shinier and doesn't crust as much. i used the cream when i made it and really loved it!
The Hershey recipe is good... I put some instant coffee in the boiling water before adding it. Always sift the dry ingredients first and use only room temperature eggs, milk....
sometimes I also add a dash of cinnamon to it.
I always use it 'cause it is simple to make and the ingredients is always at hand.
I personally think the Chocolate cake recipe on the cocoa can is amazing. It is so good and eveyone here raves about it. The icing with it is great too.
I have the wooley book but haven't tried the cake yet. Maybe this week. it sounds yummy!
I'm not a big chocolate fan (SORRY!!!) but everyone that has tasted the Hershey's cake recipe has loved it. I really like it because it isn't too rich, so when you add the frosting to it, it doesn't get sickly rich.
I like to use good, dark cocoa powder. I have even accidently over-baked it and it turned out amazing and stays moist for days. You can't mess this one up at all! Highly recommend.
Angie
Angie,
I just made it Friday with an almond buttercream icing. If you want a remarkable taste that is it!
patticakesnc,
Thank you for the suggestion! That sounds delicious. I am supposed to make a holiday cake for my husband to take to work this week, and I think that would be great combination!
Angie
I made the Woolley cake this past weekend and it was SO good! It is probably my favorite chocolate cake recipe right now. It is very chocolatey and adding chocolate buttercream made it soooo sinful, but my goal was to make a very chocolatey cake so it met the challenge!
For me the best chocolate cake with out a doubt is the Double Chocolate Layer Cake from Epicurious.com
Here is a link to a discussion at egullet last month where members were in search of the "best" chocolate cake. They started with the Scott Woolley recipe but eventually the consensus was the epicurious recipe was the best and they started tweaking that recipe to improve it. I haven't tried the any of the modifications to the recipe yet. But I'm looking forward to doing so maybe after the first of the year.
Tammy
Actually the egullet thread is super confusing. At first it starts very orderly but then someone says wait, lets stop using wolley, lets use the double chocolate cake. If you notice it is different people in the discussion of the epicurious recipe. They did not test the cakes after one another or tested the new tweaked recipe against woolley. This is where it gets confusing and frustrating. There IS another post that follows tweakings for the wolley cake that make a lot of sense (i.e. using a creaming method for the cake.) I am trying the woolley cake today and will report on it. Its a shame that people on egullet couldn't work to actually improve the woolley cake
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