The fudgy yet fluffy layers of chocolate cake and the swirls of creamy frosting are synonymous with childhood joy. You share a dessert, and it is your first date. It is also a huge birthday celebration with many candles. It’s all these things and more; it’s the ultimate celebration food. It is always a good idea to make chocolate cake.

Not all chocolate cake recipes can be made the same.

We make chocolate cakes from scratch only once or twice per year. Need a recipe that we can trust when making. In a side-by-side taste test, I compared four popular chocolate cake recipes.

Some recipes called for chocolate, while others used cocoa powder. Some cakes were made with vegetable oil to preserve their moistness, while others used butter to give them a pleasant dairy taste. It was a great learning experience. The winning recipe was the clear winner.

How I chose my four chocolate cake contenders

There are many types of chocolate cake, including sheet cakes, layer cakes and chocolate cakes with flavoured frostings. I chose to stick to two-layer cakes that have chocolate frosting. I omitted recipes that included fruits or spices.

The classic Hershey’s back-of-the-box chocolate cake was my favourite recipe. This classic recipe has been a favourite for many years.

The Add A Pinch recipe had over 2000 reviews and an average rating of 4.97/5 stars, so it was worth trying. I was intrigued to find out what all the fuss was about.

How I Tested the Cakes

Each cake was baked exactly as it was written and on the same day. I followed the instructions exactly as they were written and didn’t allow any creative freedom. I only used a specific brand of ingredient in a recipe. It was a fair competition, so I made sure to keep things consistent.

I invited them to try the cakes to see what my friends thought. Surprisingly, there was much agreement among us, and we all left with many tips for baking better cakes.

Meet our 4 Chocolate Cake Contenders

The Way Too Dry Recipe

  • Overall rating 4/10

Unfortunately, this cake was disappointing. Although the flavour was good, it was dry and crumbly. The cake was not as rich and fudgy as chocolate cakes, and it tasted more like a sponge cake. Although the frosting was delicious and fluffy, it didn’t make up for the disappointment of the cake.

It was a strange process to make the cake. You had to mix butter until it was “light and fluffy”, which required a rubber spatula. This made the texture difficult. Unfortunately, I won’t be making it again. Sorry, Martha!

The Unsurprising Classic: Hershey’s “Perfectly Chocolate” Chocolate Cake

Overall rating 6/10

The standard, boring chocolate cake was good but not exceptional. It was too sweet and a little bland. It was delicious but nothing to rave about.

Hershey’s is struggling with the texture of its cake. 

It’s very moist, almost overwhelming. It was so rich after just a few bites that I needed to drink milk to wash it down. Salt was also necessary to balance out the sweetness of the frosting. This frosting is perfect if you want to make something that tastes fresh out of the box. This is a safe and reliable recipe, but it’s not for you if you want a more “elevated” chocolate cake.

The Crowdpleaser: Add Pinch’s “The Best Chocolate Cake Recipe” to your list

  • Overall rating 8/10

This recipe is for a solid cake. This cake is rich and moist with a light texture. It’s not too dry or overpowering. This is a great recipe for a go-to cake, but it’s not groundbreaking. It is quick and easy to prepare, takes little time, and does the job. It was made richer by adding espresso powder to the frosting and cake. This brought out the bitterness in the chocolate and made it shine.

The cake was very close to winning (so close! It was delicious and very enjoyable to eat. This was close and an excellent, quick alternative to the winner if you hurry.

The Clear Winner: “Beatty’s Chocolate Cake”.

  • Overall rating10/10

This is my favourite chocolate cake. It is simple but elegant and sophisticated. The combination of coffee and salt creates a rich, intense chocolate flavour. Although you wouldn’t know it was coffee, the bitterness of the coffee helps to bring out the chocolate flavour.

It was also the most delicious of all the frostings I tried. It was light and smooth. It is made with uncooked egg yolks, which greatly improves the texture. It is also the only frosting to use real melted chocolate. This recipe was a clear winner because of the delicious cake and the gorgeous frosting.