Hershey’s Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Buttercream Filling and Frosting
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Cake:
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1-¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup cocoa powder
- 1-½ tsp. baking powder
- 1-½ tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup whole milk or heavy cream
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 cup boiling water
For the Whipped Cream Cheese Buttercream:
- 1 cup cream cheese
- ¾ cup butter
- ½ tbsp. vanilla extract
- 4 cups confectioners' sugar
For the Chocolate Cream Cheese Buttercream:
- ¾ cup butter
- ¾ cup cream cheese
- 1-¾ cups Hershey's cocoa powder
- 5 cups confectioners' sugar
- ½ cup, plus 3 tablespoons whole milk
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
Instructions
To prepare the Hershey's chocolate cake:
- Pre-heat the oven to 350°F.
- Spray 3 round cake pans with cooking spray; dust the pans lightly with flour; set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, or mixer, combine the flour, Hershey's cocoa, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Add the milk, oil, eggs and the vanilla extract; mix until everything is thoroughly incorporated.
- Once all combined, stir in the boiling water last; mix again; the batter will be very thin.
- Pour the batter evenly in each of the sprayed/floured cake pans.
- Place in oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of each layer comes out clean.
- Once fully baked, remove from oven and allow the 3 cakes to cool for at least 10 to15 minutes before removing from pans.
- Once removed, transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
- While they finish cooling, prepare the buttercream frostings.
To prepare the whipped cream cheese buttercream:
- Whip the cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer, on high speed, for about 30 seconds.
- Once combined, begin adding in 1/2 cup of confectioners' sugar at a time, making sure each half cup is fully incorporated before mixing in another 1/2 cup.
- Add in the vanilla extract and whip one last time for about 30 more seconds on high; beat one minute more until nice and fluffy.
To prepare the chocolate cream cheese buttercream frosting:
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer and begin adding in the confectioners' sugar 1/2 cup at a time.
- Add in the cocoa, the milk and vanilla.
- Whip all ingredients until they are thoroughly incorporated; beat, at high speed, for about one minute or until fluffy.
How to assemble the cake:
- If available, use a cake leveler to assure perfect stacking of the cake layers; a serrated knife works too.
- Place the bottom layer on a cake plate; spread 3/4 cup of the cream cheese buttercream filling over the cake layer.
- Top with the second leveled layer and repeat the process.
- Lastly, top with the third layer.
- Frost just the very top with the remaining whipped cream cheese buttercream; refrigerate for about 15 minutes.
- Finally, remove from the refrigerator and frost the top layer gently with the chocolate cream cheese buttercream and all over the sides of the cake.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve.