No.17 The 100 Most Popular Recipes Ever · October 2026

Chocolate layer cake

Made famous by The Hershey Company

Photo: Peulle, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

From "Hersheys Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake, printed on the Hershey's cocoa tin.

Possibly the most baked chocolate cake in America: the recipe on the back of the cocoa tin, with boiling water for a moist, dark crumb.

Ingredients

• For the cake: 2 cups (400 g) sugar
• 1 3/4 cups (220 g) all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup (65 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup (240 ml) whole milk
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) neutral oil
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup (240 ml) boiling water (or hot coffee)
• For the frosting: 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, softened
• 2/3 cup (55 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 cups (360 g) powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup (80 ml) milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Steps

1. Heat the oven to 350F (175C). Grease two 9-inch round pans, line the bottoms with parchment and grease again.
2. Whisk the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, soda and salt in a large bowl.
3. Add the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes, until smooth.
4. Stir in the boiling water. The batter will be very thin; that's correct.
5. Divide between the pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick in the center comes out clean and the tops spring back when pressed.
6. Cool 10 minutes in the pans, then turn out onto racks, peel off the paper and cool completely, about 1 hour.
7. For the frosting, beat the butter until creamy. Beat in the cocoa. Add the powdered sugar and milk alternately, beating on low, then add the vanilla and beat on medium 2 minutes until fluffy. Add a spoonful more milk if too stiff.
8. Set one layer upside down on a plate, spread with 3/4 cup frosting, top with the second layer right side up, and frost the top and sides.

Chef's tips

• Hot coffee instead of water makes it taste more of chocolate, not of coffee.
• The thin batter means the layers are fragile while warm; let them cool fully before frosting.

← No. 16Cocoa brownies→ No. 18Egg fried rice