Hershey’s Chocolate Cake – just like Grandma’s!

This cake. Hershey’s Chocolate Cake is the most versatile and the easiest perfect one-bowl chocolate cake recipe I have ever made.

As long as I can remember, I’ve seen the well-known chocolate cake recipe on the side of the Hershey’s cocoa box and I’ve made it countless times. On a whim, I decided to try making a gluten-free version of the famous Hershey Cake a few years ago.

WOW. It turned out beautifully the very first time and I have made this cake many more times since then, both the original recipe and the gluten-free variation.

There is nothing quite like having a lightning-fast homemade cake recipe that turns out perfectly every single time. 

Hershey’s Perfectly Chocolate Cake

The cake is sturdy enough to hold together in layers, as cupcakes or to slice as a bundt cake. I’ve made this recipe into cupcakes and topped them with Fresh Strawberry Frosting.

I’ve made a layer cake filled with strawberry frosting, and a layer of berries, and then topped the cake with chocolate frosting.

I’ve made bundt cakes and simply poured the warm frosting over the cake. Every way I’ve served this cake, it has disappeared in no time at all!

Hershey Chocolate Cake

Nothing sparks that warm fuzzy feeling like the aroma of chocolate cake baking in your home. Put something chocolatey in the oven and watch as all the members of your family suddenly flock to the kitchen like moths to an iridescent light.

Don’t get me wrong. I love an adventurous dessert ( hello, Flourless Hot Chocolate Cake) and sometimes you need an elegant showstopper like Chocolate Lava Cakes to wow a table.

But at the end of the day, it’s hard to beat the familiar pleasure of a simple Hershey’s chocolate bundt cake.

The original version of this recipe has been on the side of Hershey’s unsweetened cocoa box for decades so chances are you grew up eating this cake or something close to it.

There’s something fun and a little magical about recreating a familiar dessert from childhood! And if you didn’t get to experience this deliciously perfect Hershey cake recipe as a kid, now’s your time.

Is Hershey’s cocoa powder gluten free?

YES! Baking without gluten shouldn’t mean having to live without enjoying a classic Hershey’s chocolate cake, which is why I am sharing this gluten-free version of Hershey’s famous cake.

For another ultra-rich and unforgettable gluten-free chocolate cake, be sure to try this gluten-free chocolate cake with salted caramel frosting too. It’s a little bit fussier, but the payoff is worth it.

Cake Frosting Recipes

This Hershey’s Perfect One Bowl Chocolate Cake recipe includes directions for making a creamy chocolate icing that you pour over the cake once cooled. It’s an easy way to create a visually appealing cake without a ton of extra fuss.

That said, this cake is an amazing vehicle for all kinds of frostings. Fluffy Chocolate Buttercream Frosting would be a dream on top of this Hershey’s cake, as would Fresh Strawberry Frosting.

This recipe makes awesome cupcakes as well. Simply fill two cupcake pans evenly with batter and bake for slightly less time than you would a sheet or bundt cake.

Hershey’s Chocolate Cake Recipe

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a bundt pan and lightly flour it with a couple of tablespoons of cocoa powder. (Alternatively, grease (2) 9″ round pans or prepare (24) cupcake liners.)
2. Stir together the sugar, flour, baking soda, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl. Add the eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla and beat with a mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes.
3. Slowly pour in the boiling water and continue stirring to combine. The batter should be very thin and watery. Pour into the prepared bundt pan or divide between two round pans or cupcake holders.
4. Bake the bundt cake for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. (2) 9″ rounds will bake in 30-35 minutes and cupcakes will bake in 22-24 minutes. Cool completely.

Hershey‘s Chocolate Frosting

1. Heat the cream on the stove-top over low heat until steaming, or in a medium size glass bowl in the microwave until simmering. (About 2 minutes at high heat was all it took in the microwave.)
2. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate to the hot cream. Let this sit for a few minutes. Stir or whisk to combine, until the chocolate mixture is smooth and glossy.
3. Add the sugar and cocoa powder and whisk or stir until completely smooth. Pour the frosting over the cooled cake. Serve immediately or place the cake in the refrigerator to chill until the frosting is set. 

Make this one-bowl cake over and over again and have fun experimenting with different toppings.

Hershey’s Perfect One Bowl Chocolate Cake is:

• Rich and chocolatey
• Easy and quick to make from scratch
• Versatile
• Easily made gluten-free 

Check out all of the Gluten Free Dessert Recipes on this site!

Hershey’s Cocoa Recipes

Want a few more recipes that use Hershey’s cocoa? Try a scoop of homemade chocolate ice cream over your cake for a chocolate lover’s dream dessert.

Flourless chocolate brownie cookies and this cold chocolate snacking cake are must-try recipes too. Grandma’s old-fashioned crazy cake is a recipe my kids always loved to make and so is this striped zebra cake.

It’s hard to go wrong with a Hershey cake recipe. They’re classics for a good reason.

{originally published 4/30/14 – recipe notes and photos updated 5/30/23}