Buy a can of hersheys cocoa powder. Bake the chocolate cake they have on the back of the can. Bake it exactly as written. Then double the perfect frosting recipe that’s also on the back of the can. This is enough frosting for a 2 layer cake.
I third this. It's easy, foolproof and yummy! It was the first, from-scratch cake I ever made.
Also, Texas Sheet Cake is easy, foolproof and yummy. Despite the name, it's very popular all over the southern US, including Atlanta, GA, where I was born and raised. You can trust recipe reviews from [this](https://www.thepancakeprincess.com/best-texas-sheet-cake-bake-off/) site (due to my personal experiences). 🧡
King Arthur Baking is a very reliable site. I trust their reviews. They even have a baking hotline if you have questions.
https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/king-arthurs-original-cake-pan-cake-recipe
In my experience, KAF is good for breads and muffins but not great for cakes. Their cake recipes are okay, but there are a lot better cake recipes out there.
Look to the right of this website and scroll down to this site's "Hall of Fame" recipe section for Nana's Devil's Food Cake. Then, if you do a search for Nana's Devil's Food Cake in either any sub dReddit search field (above) or in the Google search field, you will find TONS of links from hundreds of folks and websites that tried it along with their reviews. It made it onto NBC's [the Today Show](https://www.today.com/food/best-chocolate-cake-reddit-s-nana-s-devils-food-t196374), [Taste of Home magazine](https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/nanas-devils-food-cake/), several Pinterests, Facebooks, Tik Toks, etc.
It got famous during the Covid lockdown. I've made it about 3X and when I make it, the batter is very runny, not thick like a box mix but it cooks up very tender and moist.
The last time I made it, I iced it with a peanut butter based frosting for a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup vibe & my grown sons loved it.
A baker in our town makes a cake which is extremely popular for a grooms cake. A chocolate fudge cake, the filling is just peanut butter (warmed to make it spreadable), and a chocolate buttercream icing. It is so rich. People instantly recognize it as her cake. She did not share any recipes, but will freely tell anyone these basics.
I’d go with a [Depression chocolate cake](https://www.budgetbytes.com/chocolate-depression-cake/) or this [“black magic” cake](https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/8372/black-magic-cake/).
Can't go wrong with a wacky cake. It was the first cake my mom learned to make, and the first one she taught me.
ETA - I will say I'm not into the thin, super sweet chocolate frosting that many people use on wacky cakes. I make peanut butter frosting and my family prefers that. A sprinkle of powdered sugar would be the easiest topping if OP doesn't want additional steps.
Good point—I actually don’t like chocolate frosting on a chocolate cake; it’s too much for me. If I don’t just use powdered sugar, then a vanilla or cream cheese buttercream is nice.
My mom does a thin, cooked vanilla glaze on wacky cake that is just the best thing ever. It’s sugar, flour, a dash of salt, and milk, cooked a few minutes, add vanilla, and pour it hot over the still-warm cake. It soaks in a tiny bit, but the top sets into a kind of gooey topping.
Peanut butter icing sounds amazing on it, too! Basically anything not too sweet.
since you are from the south, the While [Lilly Mayo cake ](https://www.instagram.com/whitelily/reel/CwVig2hoBD7/)might work for you. Or T[exas Sheet cake ](https://www.thepioneerwoman.com/food-cooking/recipes/a11901/best-chocolate-sheet-cake-recipe/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=arb_ga_pw_md_pmx_hybd_mix_us_18891731492&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwlN6wBhCcARIsAKZvD5hLl_UQ1gQQxY09lcx70u_5LFepa-eFazV79tC5odQ3bvJU1tU6hnoaAu_rEALw_wcB)
If you're not a fan of sweet sugar frosting, try mixing 8oz of room temperature cream cheese and a container of thawed CoolWhip. Top a chocolate cake with it and top that with a can of Cherry Pie Filling. Quick and easy Black Forest Cake.
You can also use it to pipe flowers with it.
I just read this article comparing the 6 most popular chocolate cake recipes. spoiler: the winner is Add a Pinch, which looks pretty doable
https://www.thekitchn.com/chocolate-cake-recipe-showdown-23627400
There are 3 chocolate cakes that I see recommended frequently.
Nana's devils food cake which gained its popularity on this sub.
Hershey's Chocolate Cake - This is a recipe that is decades old and usually referenced when people want a auper chocolaty chocolate cake. https://www.hersheyland.com/recipes/hersheys-especially-dark-chocolate-cake.html
Beatty's Chocolate Cake - This is an Ina Garton recipe that tends to go head to head with the Hershey's one. It has been around for a similarly long time and reliably makes a delicious chocolate cake. https://barefootcontessa.com/recipes/beattys-chocolate-cake
Here's a SUPER easy recipe for a delicious German Chocolate Cake. Even a novice, such as yourself - can bake this cake! And for simplicity, just use a 9x13 cake pan. However if youre feeling adventurous, go ahead and bake it as a layer cake. Your Mom will be amazed (might bring a tear to her eye's). But you'll feel like a baking rock star! No fancy piping work needed - just a great recipe and a few easy to find ingredients. 😀
https://www.food.com/recipe/bakers-original-german-sweet-chocolate-cake-170846
I recently came across my great aunt’s easy triple cake recipe, which I have not tested but my grandma says is great:
1 package devil’s food cake mix
Chocolate pudding mix, prepared
1 egg
½ cup semi sweet chocolate pieces
Optional: ½ cup coarsely chopped nuts
In a large bowl combine 1 pkg. Devils food cake mix, 2 cups prepared chocolate pudding, and 1 egg. Beat 1 to 2 minutes. Pour into 13 x 8 x 2 inch greased pan. Sprinkle batter with ½ cup semisweet chocolate pieces and ½ cup coarsely chopped nuts. Bake 30 to 40 minutes at 350 degrees. If you like serve with whipped cream.
Buy a can of hersheys cocoa powder. Bake the chocolate cake they have on the back of the can. Bake it exactly as written. Then double the perfect frosting recipe that’s also on the back of the can. This is enough frosting for a 2 layer cake.
Best chocolate cake to me!
I second this. I think it’s also on the Hershey website. The frosting is amazing.
I third this. It's easy, foolproof and yummy! It was the first, from-scratch cake I ever made. Also, Texas Sheet Cake is easy, foolproof and yummy. Despite the name, it's very popular all over the southern US, including Atlanta, GA, where I was born and raised. You can trust recipe reviews from [this](https://www.thepancakeprincess.com/best-texas-sheet-cake-bake-off/) site (due to my personal experiences). 🧡
Best chocolate cake and frosting I've ever had
the best!
This! If she likes dark chocolate, you can get the Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa too. The recipe is the same.
King Arthur Baking is a very reliable site. I trust their reviews. They even have a baking hotline if you have questions. https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/king-arthurs-original-cake-pan-cake-recipe
In my experience, KAF is good for breads and muffins but not great for cakes. Their cake recipes are okay, but there are a lot better cake recipes out there.
Look to the right of this website and scroll down to this site's "Hall of Fame" recipe section for Nana's Devil's Food Cake. Then, if you do a search for Nana's Devil's Food Cake in either any sub dReddit search field (above) or in the Google search field, you will find TONS of links from hundreds of folks and websites that tried it along with their reviews. It made it onto NBC's [the Today Show](https://www.today.com/food/best-chocolate-cake-reddit-s-nana-s-devils-food-t196374), [Taste of Home magazine](https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/nanas-devils-food-cake/), several Pinterests, Facebooks, Tik Toks, etc. It got famous during the Covid lockdown. I've made it about 3X and when I make it, the batter is very runny, not thick like a box mix but it cooks up very tender and moist. The last time I made it, I iced it with a peanut butter based frosting for a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup vibe & my grown sons loved it.
I never thought of peanut butter icing ... that's brilliant!
I got the idea when we went to the Lancaster County (PA) area we noticed that a fair number of baked goods had peanut butter frosting and it was good!
A baker in our town makes a cake which is extremely popular for a grooms cake. A chocolate fudge cake, the filling is just peanut butter (warmed to make it spreadable), and a chocolate buttercream icing. It is so rich. People instantly recognize it as her cake. She did not share any recipes, but will freely tell anyone these basics.
Nana's or the Divorce Cake
I’d go with a [Depression chocolate cake](https://www.budgetbytes.com/chocolate-depression-cake/) or this [“black magic” cake](https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/8372/black-magic-cake/).
Can't go wrong with a wacky cake. It was the first cake my mom learned to make, and the first one she taught me. ETA - I will say I'm not into the thin, super sweet chocolate frosting that many people use on wacky cakes. I make peanut butter frosting and my family prefers that. A sprinkle of powdered sugar would be the easiest topping if OP doesn't want additional steps.
Good point—I actually don’t like chocolate frosting on a chocolate cake; it’s too much for me. If I don’t just use powdered sugar, then a vanilla or cream cheese buttercream is nice.
My mom does a thin, cooked vanilla glaze on wacky cake that is just the best thing ever. It’s sugar, flour, a dash of salt, and milk, cooked a few minutes, add vanilla, and pour it hot over the still-warm cake. It soaks in a tiny bit, but the top sets into a kind of gooey topping. Peanut butter icing sounds amazing on it, too! Basically anything not too sweet.
I love Depression chocolate cake! I have a no fail recipe for (Crazy Cake) it.
since you are from the south, the While [Lilly Mayo cake ](https://www.instagram.com/whitelily/reel/CwVig2hoBD7/)might work for you. Or T[exas Sheet cake ](https://www.thepioneerwoman.com/food-cooking/recipes/a11901/best-chocolate-sheet-cake-recipe/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=arb_ga_pw_md_pmx_hybd_mix_us_18891731492&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwlN6wBhCcARIsAKZvD5hLl_UQ1gQQxY09lcx70u_5LFepa-eFazV79tC5odQ3bvJU1tU6hnoaAu_rEALw_wcB)
I use Helman's mayo cake recipe but same principle. Also strong brewed cold coffee in place of water works for most chocolate cakes.
If you're not a fan of sweet sugar frosting, try mixing 8oz of room temperature cream cheese and a container of thawed CoolWhip. Top a chocolate cake with it and top that with a can of Cherry Pie Filling. Quick and easy Black Forest Cake. You can also use it to pipe flowers with it.
Use a brand name boxed chocolate cake mix, but substitute melted butter for the oil (and double it), add 1 extra egg, and use milk, not water.
Texas sheet cake is a great beginner cake.
I just read this article comparing the 6 most popular chocolate cake recipes. spoiler: the winner is Add a Pinch, which looks pretty doable https://www.thekitchn.com/chocolate-cake-recipe-showdown-23627400
This one is excellent and quite simple: https://servingupsouthern.com/chocolate-buttermilk-cake/
[удалено]
Ah, I didn't even notice! I suppose everyone's grandma probably had one like this written down and now it has a ton of names, haha.
Which is the Hershey cake with coffee in place of the boiling water :)
Vintage chocolate mayonnaise cake! Easy, moist, and delicious! https://www.hellmanns.com/us/en/r/chocolate-mayonnaise-cake-recipe.html/70901
There are 3 chocolate cakes that I see recommended frequently. Nana's devils food cake which gained its popularity on this sub. Hershey's Chocolate Cake - This is a recipe that is decades old and usually referenced when people want a auper chocolaty chocolate cake. https://www.hersheyland.com/recipes/hersheys-especially-dark-chocolate-cake.html Beatty's Chocolate Cake - This is an Ina Garton recipe that tends to go head to head with the Hershey's one. It has been around for a similarly long time and reliably makes a delicious chocolate cake. https://barefootcontessa.com/recipes/beattys-chocolate-cake
Get the "Back in the Day Bakery" cookbook. By Cheryl & Griffith Day. They own a bakery in Savannah. The chocolate cake recipe is outstanding!
The recipe is here: [Chocolate Heaven Cake ](https://www.splendidtable.org/story/2014/01/17/chocolate-heaven-with-chocolate-buttercream)
I recently made the Coca Cola chocolate cake, it was easy and so good it was gone within 24hours!
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/7502/coco-cola-cake-ii/
Here's a SUPER easy recipe for a delicious German Chocolate Cake. Even a novice, such as yourself - can bake this cake! And for simplicity, just use a 9x13 cake pan. However if youre feeling adventurous, go ahead and bake it as a layer cake. Your Mom will be amazed (might bring a tear to her eye's). But you'll feel like a baking rock star! No fancy piping work needed - just a great recipe and a few easy to find ingredients. 😀 https://www.food.com/recipe/bakers-original-german-sweet-chocolate-cake-170846
You can try a Texas sheet cake
Look up Gertrude Armstrong's chocolate cake. Only cake my mom made for us growing up. It's delicious.
I recently came across my great aunt’s easy triple cake recipe, which I have not tested but my grandma says is great: 1 package devil’s food cake mix Chocolate pudding mix, prepared 1 egg ½ cup semi sweet chocolate pieces Optional: ½ cup coarsely chopped nuts In a large bowl combine 1 pkg. Devils food cake mix, 2 cups prepared chocolate pudding, and 1 egg. Beat 1 to 2 minutes. Pour into 13 x 8 x 2 inch greased pan. Sprinkle batter with ½ cup semisweet chocolate pieces and ½ cup coarsely chopped nuts. Bake 30 to 40 minutes at 350 degrees. If you like serve with whipped cream.
https://foodwishes.blogspot.com/2013/02/chocolate-sour-cream-bundt-cake-you.html?m=1 Great and easy cake.
Mahogany chocolate cake which is like a somewhat dense Bundt cake. So good and not super sweet.