Have Your Cake (and Eat It Too!) Recipe: Deep Dark Chocolate Cake
by Sandie on June 6, 2009
This recipe has moved! Find it now on A Bloggable Life: Seasonal Recipes
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Tagged as:
cake recipes,
chocolate,
chocolate cake,
chocolate cake and icing that's not too sweet,
chocolate cake recipe,
chocolate icing recipe,
deep dark chocolate cake recipe,
from scratch chocolate cake recipe,
from scratch chocolate icing recipe,
homemade chocolate cake recipe,
homemade chocolate icing recipe,
icing recipes
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I totally agree with you, it’s hard to find a cake that is both yummy and has yummy frosting. Hershey’s chocolate cake is one of my favourites too. It is delicious yet simple… nothing too fancy and really quick to make! I love how you decorated the cake.
I’m quite picky about cakes myself, but I couldn’t stop and notice how deep and rich and moist this cake looks. I’ll be trying it soon; thanks so much!
This looks too decadent for words. Going to make it for my son’s graduation tomorrow. WOW
Oh this cake is divine, look at how dark and rich it is!!
Wow, this looks SO amazing! Yum.
I definitely need to try this recipe sometime. 
oh my! i love the deep cocoa color of this cake. i use the special dark cocoa too, it’s 1 of 3 cocoa powder’s available in the store and has the best flavor of the 3.
YUM! I’m a sucker for cakes I can’t wait to try this one! Did I miss the recipe for the coconut banana bake? I’d love to try that recipe too!
Steph – I checked the Hershey’s site after reading your comment and you’re right—this cake recipe is featured there! I had no idea (and doubt my mother-in-law did either). I believe it was an aunt that originally shared this recipe with her, and it then got passed on to me. The Hershey’s tag somehow got lost in translation (as the recipe was always handwritten), but regardless—whoever created this cake was genius! It is so delicious! Thanks for bringing the Hershey’s tie-in to my attention.
pds – Deep, moist and rich describe this cake perfectly. Enjoy!
Mental P Mama – Congratulations to your son! Have fun with the graduation party—hope this cake brings you many rave reviews!
Bunny – Hi Bunny, thanks for stopping by!
Sara – Try it sometime…it’s so easy, it makes preparing a box cake look like hard work
Susan – I agree on both counts. It is the deep color of this cake that makes it so irresistible and Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa is fantastic to bake with—great flavor and because it’s so widely available in the states, I have no problem recommending it
Jan – No, you didn’t miss the recipe for the Coconut Banana Cake…I just haven’t shared it yet
Don’t worry though, it will be appearing on this site in the future so be sure to keep an eye out!
Yes, I love the Hershey’s “Perfectly Chocolate” Chocolate Cake recipe! It is my go-to recipe and forever will be. You can make it with regular or dark cocoa. As soon as I saw your recipe and your reactions to the cake, I knew it had to be the Hershey’s recipe because I reacted the same way after eating it haha.
I love how moist your blackout cake looks. Is that thanks to the milk and water?
Wow it really seems fantastic, and much tasty and better than all those light brown chocolate cakes. I’ll try to do it very soon. Thanks for the recipe and I’m looking forward as well to the coconut banana cake’s recipe.
Oh Sandie…you’re killing me! Those pictures just sucked me in and sent me running to the cupboard to see if I had the ingredients. Thanks for sharing!
Oh gosh! I want the whole cake!
Your pictures are incredible. This cake look absolutely mouthwatering. Thanks for the recipe!
Okay, you make me wish I loved chocolate specifically chocolate cake! KLove that deep dark brown!
~ingrid
This looks sinfully good!
You can never have too many good chocolate cakes in your repertoire! This really does look delicious.
I will certainly take your word for it that this chocolate cake ranks as one the BEST:D
This cake looks sinfully good!!!! I will love to make this. But the amount of sugar used is a little daunting!
Oh, this chocolate cake looks to die for. What a scrumptious treat.
I doubt I will ever eat enough chocolate cakes; hopefully this will be on I try soon. And after dark cocoa, it is mighty hard to return to plain old cocoa. Perfection!
You are so right that gorgeous-on-the-outside cakes often can be disappointing on the inside, but this looks like a winner on both counts. Can’t wait to try it — thank you so much!
well, that’s the perfect descriptive name for this cake. i might also add delicious, delightful, and delectable, for it’s surely all of those too. stunning, sandie!
Memoria – I agree completely—this is definitely a go-to chocolate cake!
Jackie – I’m assuming it’s the dark cocoa that gives this cake such phenomenal color, although the milk and water may help create a chemical reaction that intensifies the hue. Perhaps this is a question for Alton Brown to address!
Juliana – Thanks for your comment. I’m looking forward to making (and eating!) that Coconut Banana Cake again so it will work out well for both of us
Mary Jo – Running to the cupboard? Did you have everything on hand? If so, I’m sure you had some pretty happy chocolate cake eaters around your table!
PigsPigsCorner – Luckily, a slice will more than satiate your chocolate cravings, making it unnecessary to eat the whole cake (an added bonus for the hips)
Hayley – Thank you, and you are welcome!
Ingrid – You don’t love chocolate, not even chocolate cake? How about brownies or fudge? Or chocolate chip cookies?
Maris – It is
Lydia – Thank you (and I agree, it’s hard to have too many delicious recipes).
Val – This cake is definitely good, but what makes it so amazing is the wonderful balance between rich, moist cake and chocolatey (but not too sweet) icing. Divine!
Mrs. Ergul – I thought that might be the case at first too, but after making and tasting this cake, I didn’t feel it was too sweet at all. Since I’m turned off by too sweet cakes myself (actually any dessert that is too sweet), I would have been the first to mention if (I thought) this cake was over the top. Surprisingly, it’s very well balanced and rich but mellow.
Donna- lol…I don’t know that it’s “to die for,” but it’s definitely worth an hour or so in the kitchen!
Cinnamonquill – I feel the same way about dark cocoa too. It’s my favorite cocoa to bake with!
Cathy – You’re welcome. And isn’t it a shame that (often) cakes that look too pretty to eat actually taste that way too? That’s a particular, baking pet peeve of mine. All cakes should taste as divine as they look—it ought to be a rule
Grace – Thanks…and you’re right: a descriptive title for a delectable cake!
Your photos make me want to bake this cake right now! I wish I had a special occasion to justify making it but I will certainly save it for the next one! Thank you
~Susan
I saved this. That says a lot! I also would love to have the banana coconut recipe as that is my all time favorite flavor combo for cake. Please let me know if you ever post that one!
Will do!
ah yes… decadence at it’s best.. thanx !!
gp
Sandie, I have been having a serious chocolate cake craving. I swear I can smell this one… looks delicious!
My husband would LOVE this cake!!!
thanks for the wonderful recipe! I made it today and was amazed at the simplicity of the recipe. I actually first ate it when my friend made it and I asked her how much butter she had to put in it to make it so moist. She shocked me with how little it used. I expected couple of sticks. A total go to cake + frosting recipe!
That cake looks so chocolaty and good!
I baked this cake today for a friends birthday and I have made many chocolate cakes before usually involving melting chocolate into the mixture and this tasted more delicious than any of those and the best part is it’s not even half as bad for you as most chocolate cakes. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much for this recipe. I have been looking for ages for a great yet simple chocolate cake recipe and I have finally found it! Everyone at work raved on about how great the cake was. It is so moist and not too sweet.
Hi, this is so far the BEST chocolate cake recipie I have ever made! My son and I took some interesting photos of my finished product and I would love, with your permission to post this recipie and my photos on my own blog. I will not submit the posting to any other recipie sites as you own this one. But would you approve if I post on my blog? Again, a wonderful cake that will be made regularly in my house!
Thymes of Change – Thanks for your comment & for asking permission to use this recipe on your own, personal blog. As recipes, per se, as a list of ingredients cannot be copyrighted, most certainly—feel free to share it on your blog. That said, I would appreciate you mentioning Inn Cuisine as the source from which you discovered this delectable cake with a link back to it (my original post) on your site. Sound fair?
Thanks again for taking the time to leave me a note. I’m so happy to hear you loved this cake as much as I did. It really is delicious!
Absolutely! I will mention your blog and please visit mine so you can see the photos! I’ll probably have this up by tomorrow!
Hi this is look soo yummy and so easy to make. i have tried baking a different one last night and it was turned out to be my worst nightmare i guess. didn’t turn out the way i expected to be and i wanted to try this recipe at this time but i don’t have any cooking oil at this time i’m just wondering if i can replace it with unsalted butter or margarine. Thanks
Linny – This is one recipe I would follow exactly. If you don’t have all the ingredients on hand as required, I would put off making it until you do. This recipe (as presented) is as close to perfect as I’ve ever found. For that reason, I can’t suggest or endorse any substitutions.
I just made this an hour ago and I must say I’ve finally found the recipe for, in my opinion, the epitome of all chocolate cake recipes. If you’re looking for a cake that is chocolaty, but not overly sweet, try this recipe. Your search will stop here. Thanks, Sandie for posting this recipe!!!!!
Thanks, SZF, for such great feedback. You summarized my feelings about this cake perfectly!
This is the best cake I have ever made! I have received soooo many compliments on it!
Christine – Yay! Glad to hear this cake has brought a bit of joy to you, your family & guests.
I just made one for my wife’s birthday cake and we both love it! Do you have to refrigerate it because the icing calls for heavy cream?
Rickey – You bring up a great question that I never had to worry about (leftovers never lasted longer than 24 hours in our household)
If you’re going to consume this cake in a day or less, I’d leave it at room temperature. If not, I would suggest refrigerating the leftovers or even freezing a portion of this cake to thaw and consume at a later time. Thanks for your comment & question!
Don’t know how long in my mind I had a dream about baking a cake like that, but didn’t find recipe I liked. And I found yours, it looks so gougers and I know I’m gonna do it soon, don’t care that there is no special ocasion, just need to try it:)
Thank you so much for this great recipe!!! I am 23, and this Christmas my mother bought me my first mixer. This is the first thing I made with it and it was PHENOMENAL! I brought half home to her and she loved it, too! Thanks again! We all really enjoyed this cake!
P.S. I doubled the amounts for the icing (because I wanted to frost the sides). It was perfect.
Rebecca – Comments like these make me so happy. I’m thrilled you enjoyed this recipe as well as your first experience with your new mixer, and I’m glad to have played even a small role in your happy baking experience. Life is sweet!
Making this for a ladies’ night tonight – hoping it’s divine!
While I am not normally a cake lover, I saw this recipe and it called to me so much that I made it… At 11:30 at night. I have to say, my husband and I (and some lucky friends that were over) adored it. Thank you so much the wonderful recipe!
Decadent and sinful, right up my alley!
I made this cake and used a raspberry puree whipped cream recipe from http://www.joyofbaking.com/WhippedCreamFrosting.html. Everyone loves it!
Oh, that looks *SO good! I want to make it, but I have two questions: 1) The milk in the cake recipe…we use 1% in our house…should I get and use some whole milk?
2) Is the salt REALLY necessary?
Kim – Thanks for your questions. (1) Feel free to use 1% milk in this cake recipe (I believe it’s what I used as well). We typically keep 1% milk in our house and I have used it in a number of recipes with no problems whatsoever. That said, if a recipe calls for heavy cream or even half & half—I would not substitute 1% milk in those cases. Unless a recipe specifically calls for whole milk or cream, feel free to use 2% or 1% as necessary. (2) The salt is necessary for two reasons: 1) it aids in activating the baking soda (a chemical reaction caused by its acidity), and 2) a bit of salt really brings out the flavor of chocolate. Because the salt here is more than just a flavoring, I wouldn’t suggest leaving it out. One teaspoon of salt spread throughout an entire 2-layer cake results in very little salt intake per serving, if that helps.
This looks SOOO good! (Chocoholic here!) Can’t wait to make this for my next party
hi,
can i use rice milk instead of milk?
also, can i use brown sugar sugar instead of white?
Rea – I have never baked with rice milk, so I can’t answer your first question. I have substituted brown sugar for white sugar in various recipes, and I don’t see the harm in trying it in this one, although it’s a bit unconventional for a traditional cake recipe. The substitution will alter the flavor a smidge, making it deeper…more caramel-ly even. If you make these substitutions, be sure to let me know how they turn out! Thanks for your questions.
I just made this Hershey’s “Perfectly Chocolate” Chocolate Cake for a bday, then I found that you’d posted the recipe too. It’s such a keeper, isn’t it? Those Hershey folks sure do know their chocolate!
Will be making this in a day or two! Looks Great!!