Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Filling and Chocolate Frosting

This homemade Chocolate Cake is layered with Cream Cheese Filling and is then topped with a rich, chocolate frosting. This simple, great tasting cake is an enhanced adaptation of Hershey’s “Perfectly Chocolate” Chocolate Cake.

I know a lot of people consider the Hershey’s “Perfectly Chocolate” Chocolate Cake recipe as the gold standard when it comes to making a chocolate cake. I’m a huge chocolate fan, as well as a sucker for enticing pictures on Pinterest. I found a recipe for a chocolate cake with cream cheese filling and a chocolate cream cheese buttercream frosting that had my chocolate cravings going crazy.

When I first made this recipe, I made it as a three layered cake using eight inch round baking pans. Here’s a picture of my first attempt. Instead of using a chocolate cream cheese buttercream frosting, I decided to stick with a chocolate buttercream frosting.

The cake came out really good, but something kept niggling at the back of my mind. I know I baked the cakes for the right amount of time, but I couldn’t say it was the moistest chocolate cake I’ve ever had. I’ve trialed a lot of recipes over the past year. Quite a few don’t even get posted as they don’t make the cut. I eventually went and compared recipes and noticed that my new “go to” recipe for chocolate cake has a 1/4 cup more flour and 1/2 cup more vegetable oil than the original Hershey’s recipe. I wondered if these changes really made much of a difference, so I decided to make the cake again.

I ended up only making a two layered cake this time using nine-inch round pans, and I was much happier with the results. I have to say that the extra oil really does make a difference. (I probably should have used the same sized pans to make the test more accurate, but to be honest, I forgot)

If you’re looking for a moist, great-tasting chocolate cake, I hope you’ll give this recipe a try. Since there is oil, not butter, in this recipe, you get to skip the step of creaming the butter with the sugar. It’s simply just a matter of adding the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and then adding a cup of boiling water. It takes less than five minutes to make the batter.

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In another large bowl, add in vegetable oil, milk, beaten eggs, and vanilla extract. Blend with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until ingredients are combined.

Slowly add in the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, continuing to blend until all ingredients are combined.

Now add in a cup of boiling water. Blend with electric mixer just until blended. Batter will become very soupy, but this is normal.

Pour batter evenly into the two, nine-inch round cake pans. (You can also use three, eight-inch round pans if you want more layers – shorten baking time by a couple minutes). Pans should be lightly-greased and floured. I also put a piece of parchment paper on the bottom of the cake pan to help prevent cake from sticking.

Bake the cakes at 350 degrees F for 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean.

Remove pans to wire rack to cool for 10 – 15 minutes. Remove cake from pan and allow to finish cooling prior to frosting.

To make the cream cheese filling:

In large bowl, cream the butter and cream cheese together with an electric mixer on medium-high speed for 2 – 3 minutes.

Add in powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Continue to blend until smooth and creamy.

To make the Chocolate Frosting:

In large bowl, add in melted butter and cocoa powder. Stir until combined. Add in vanilla extract, powdered sugar, and a tablespoon of milk at a time, blending on medium-low speed. If frosting is too thick, continue to add small amounts of milk until desired consistency is reached.

How to assemble the cake:

Use a serrated knife to level cake layers if needed. Place the bottom layer on a cake plate or stand. Spread cream cheese filling > frosting on top of cake.

Add second layer of cake and proceed to frost top of cake with cream cheese filling. Place in refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes before adding the chocolate frosting.

Remove cake from refrigerator and add large dollop of chocolate frosting on top of cake. Spread from the middle outward. Start spreading a thin layer of chocolate frosting on sides as well and then repeat with another layer.

I ended up using a piping bag with a 1M tip to decorate the borders of the cake. I then sprinkled the center with a few mini chocolate chips.

Unfortunately, there’s nothing dietetic about this cake, but if you’re having a craving for chocolate and feel like splurging, give this recipe a try.

Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Filling and Chocolate Frosting

A homemade chocolate cake with layers of cream cheese filling and topped with a rich, chocolate frosting. This great tasting recipe is an enhanced adaptation of Hershey's "Perfectly Perfect" Chocolate Cake.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings 12

Author beckysbakingdelights

Ingredients

Chocolate Cake:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups granulated sugar

3/4 cup Hershey's unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup milk, whole or 2%

2 large eggs, beaten

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup boiling water

Cream Cheese Filling/Frosting:

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 tbsp vanilla extract

4 cups powdered sugar

Chocolate Frosting:

1/2 cup butter, melted

2/3 cup Hershey's unsweetened cocoa powder

3 cups powdered sugar

3-4 tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Chocolate Cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease and flour two, nine-inch round cake pans. Line bottom of pans with parchment paper.

2. In large bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

3. In separate large bowl, blend together oil, milk, beaten eggs, and vanilla extract with electric mixer until combined.

4. Slowly add in dry ingredients to wet ingredients, continuing to blend with electric mixer until combined.

5. Add in cup of boiling water and blend on medium speed for one minute. (Batter will be very thin)

6. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean.

7. Remove pans to wire rack to cool for 10 - 15 minutes. Remove cakes from pan and finish cooling on wire rack prior to frosting.

Cream Cheese Filling/Frosting:

1. In large bowl, blend cream cheese and butter with electric mixer on medium speed for 3 minutes.

2. Add in powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Continue to blend until smooth and creamy.

Chocolate Frosting:

1. In large bowl, add in melted butter and cocoa. Stir.

2, Add in vanilla extract. Add in powdered sugar along with a tablespoon of milk at a time. Blend with electric mixer on medium speed. 

3. Continue adding milk until desired consistency of frosting is reached.

Assemble the cake:

1. Place bottom layer of cake on cake stand or tray. Use serrated knife to even out cake layer if needed.

2. Add generous portion of cream cheese filling to top of cake.

3. Place second layer of cake on top of cream cheese filling. Spread cream cheese filling on top of second layer.

4. Refrigerate cake for 10 - 15 minutes.

5. Add large dollop of chocolate frosting to top of cake and spread from middle outward. Continue to frost sides of cake.

6. Decorate cake as desired.

Recipe adapted from hersheys.com

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