Desserts

Serving

Desserts Kid-friendly

Chocolatetown Special Cake

Name: Chocolatetown Special Cake
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 12 servings
Cuisine: Desserts
Ingredients: 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder; 1/2 cup boiling water; 1/2 cup shortening; 2/3 cup sugar; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 2 large eggs; 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour; 1 1/4 tsp baking soda; 1/2 tsp salt; 1 1/2 cups buttermilk

A rich, tender chocolate layer cake made extra moist with buttermilk and a deep cocoa flavor.

45 minutes

Serves 12

Dessert

16 min prep

25 min cook

Contains common allergens

Egg Dairy Wheat

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Instructions

5 steps

1
In a small bowl, combine the cocoa powder and boiling water, stir until smooth, and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
2
Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans. (Avoid 8-inch pans, as the batter will overflow.)
3
In a large bowl, cream the shortening, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and beat well.
4
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add this alternately with the buttermilk to the creamed mixture, mixing until smooth. Blend in the reserved cocoa mixture, then divide the batter between the prepared pans.
5
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the layers completely, then frost with the icing of your choice.

Chocolatetown Special Cake — plated and served — Serving moment. How Chocolatetown Special Cake looks plated and ready to eat — a representative photo, not a step in the recipe.

Listahan Family Score™

75/100

Good fit for most families

Allergen-friendly 70

Kid-friendly 85

Weeknight-easy 64

Budget-friendly 86

Great leftovers 93

Pantry-friendly 54

Score reflects how well this recipe fits a typical busy household. In the app, your Family Score is personalized to your household's allergens, kids, and pantry.

Nutrition

per serving

220

Calories

5 g

Protein

29 g

Carbs

10 g

Fat

Estimated per serving. Actual values depend on the brands and portions you use.

Listahan cooking guide

Chef notes & practical guide

Technique notes, ingredient swaps, serve-alongside ideas, storage guidance, and equipment for this recipe.

Cultural context

This cake belongs to a family of American cocoa cakes that were developed in partnership with chocolate manufacturers in the early-to-mid 20th century. The Hershey Company, headquartered in Hershey, Pennsylvania -- nicknamed Chocolatetown -- produced this style of recipe as part of its promotional cookbook campaign, which began in earnest in the 1930s. Hershey cocoa-based cake recipes became embedded in American home baking culture precisely because cocoa powder (rather than melted chocolate) was shelf-stable, affordable, and produced a consistently moist, deeply chocolate crumb when combined with buttermilk.

Listahan note

This version uses the bloom technique -- dissolving cocoa in boiling water before combining with other ingredients -- which deepens the chocolate flavor significantly without adding more cocoa.

Technique cues

Blooming the cocoa in boiling water before adding it to the batter dissolves the cocoa solids fully and activates flavor compounds that do not develop when cocoa powder is incorporated dry; the resulting flavor is noticeably deeper and less raw.
Buttermilk reacts with the baking soda to produce carbon dioxide for lift, but it also keeps the crumb tender by inhibiting gluten formation through its acidity; do not substitute regular milk without also adding a tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar per cup.
Shortening (rather than butter) was the original fat choice because it produces a uniformly tender crumb that stays soft at room temperature for days; butter-based versions are richer but stale faster -- choose based on whether the cake is for same-day serving or a multi-day event.

Kitchen flow

Parallel prep: While the cocoa blooms in boiling water and cools, cream the shortening and sugar and prepare the pans; the batter comes together quickly once the cocoa is ready.
Make-ahead: The unfrosted cake layers can be baked 1-2 days ahead, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, and stored at room temperature; frost the day of serving.
Leftover move: Leftover slices keep well at room temperature under a cake dome for 2-3 days; a square of bread placed cut-side-down against the exposed crumb keeps it from drying out.
Cleanup rhythm: Wipe out the bowl used to bloom the cocoa with a dry paper towel before washing -- dried cocoa paste cleans off a dry surface more easily than when wet water is added first.

Ingredient brief

Role, handling, and swap guidance for each key ingredient.

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

primary flavor and color

Purpose: Cocoa powder gives the cake its dark color and intense chocolate note; the bloom step is what converts a pleasant chocolate cake into a deeply flavored one.

Handling: Add to a heatproof bowl and pour the boiling water directly over it; stir immediately to form a smooth paste, then cool slightly before adding to the batter.

Adaptation: Dutch-process cocoa produces a darker, milder cake (not as acidic); if using it, reduce baking soda by a quarter teaspoon.

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

tenderizer and leavening activator

Purpose: Buttermilk's acidity reacts with baking soda, creating lift, and its fat and acid together inhibit gluten development for a soft, moist crumb.

Handling: Use cold from the refrigerator; add alternately with the flour for more even incorporation.

Adaptation: Mix 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice into 1 1/2 cups of whole milk and let stand for 5 minutes for an effective buttermilk substitute.

1/2 cup shortening

fat and crumb tenderness

Purpose: Shortening has no water content (unlike butter, which is about 16-20% water), so it produces a consistently soft, shelf-stable crumb.

Handling: Cream at room temperature with the sugar until the mixture lightens in color and appears fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.

Adaptation: Room-temperature unsalted butter replaces shortening in equal measure for a richer, butterier flavor at the cost of a slightly denser crumb.

1 1/4 tsp baking soda

chemical leavening

Purpose: Baking soda reacts with the acidity from the buttermilk and the cocoa to generate the carbon dioxide bubbles that give the cake its rise.

Handling: Add with the dry ingredients; stir or sift briefly to ensure even distribution before alternating with the buttermilk.

Adaptation: No reliable direct substitute for baking soda in a buttermilk cake; if only baking powder is available, use 3 times the quantity and replace buttermilk with whole milk.

2 large eggs

structure and emulsification

Purpose: Eggs bind the fat and liquid components into a stable emulsion and provide the protein structure that prevents the cake from collapsing as it cools.

Handling: Add one at a time to the creamed shortening-sugar mixture, beating well after each addition for a smooth, evenly emulsified batter.

Adaptation: A commercial egg replacer or 3 tablespoons of aquafaba per egg can be used for an egg-free version, though the crumb will be slightly denser.

Technique notes

Alternate adding the dry ingredients and buttermilk in three flour additions and two liquid additions (flour-buttermilk-flour-buttermilk-flour), starting and ending with flour; this method maintains the emulsion without overworking the batter.
The batter will appear quite thin after all ingredients are combined -- this is correct; the high buttermilk content produces a pourable batter that bakes into a moist cake, not a stiff one.
Test doneness at the earliest suggested time; cocoa cakes can look done on the surface while still being underbaked in the center -- a clean toothpick inserted at the center is the most reliable indicator.

Ingredient swaps

Dairy-free direction: Replace buttermilk with a plant-based milk (oat or almond) plus 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar per cup; replace shortening with refined coconut oil at the same quantity.
Gluten-free direction: Replace all-purpose flour with a 1-to-1 gluten-free baking blend; add an extra egg to compensate for the reduced structural support from gluten.
Butter instead of shortening: Substitute unsalted butter at the same quantity for richer flavor; the crumb will be slightly denser and the cake is best eaten within 2 days.

Serve alongside

vanilla buttercream or chocolate ganache frosting
fresh whipped cream and sliced strawberries
a scoop of coffee ice cream
powdered sugar and a few raspberries for a simpler presentation
cold whole milk
black coffee or Americano
a glass of tawny port

Serving suggestions only — check pairings for your household's allergens.

Storage & reheating

Store frosted cake covered at room temperature for up to 3 days; a cake dome or overturned bowl works better than plastic wrap for preserving the frosting.
Refrigerate if the frosting is cream-based; bring to room temperature for 30 minutes before serving as cold cake loses its moisture perception.
Freeze unfrosted cake layers individually, wrapped in plastic wrap then foil, for up to 2 months; thaw at room temperature overnight.

Equipment

two 9-inch round cake pans or one 9x13-inch pan
stand mixer or hand mixer
heatproof bowl for blooming the cocoa
cooling rack

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