- Categories:1970s, Vintage advertisem*nts, Vintage birthday celebrations, Vintage dessert recipes, , Vintage recipes
- By The Click Americana Team
- Added or last updatedAugust 14, 2022
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So many memories of our parents and grandparents wouldn’t be quite complete without the tastes that bring us back to childhood. For many Americans, a big, sweet part of our past involved chocolate — especially Hershey’s chocolate in cakes and cupcakes. Some of the most popular dessert recipes from the past came from the label on the can of Hershey’s cocoa. Here’s a look at a few classic chocolate cake recipes developed in years past, over in Hershey, Pennsylvania.
GET THE FROSTING RECIPE! Hershey’s easy chocolate buttercream frosting, made with cocoa
1. Hershey’s Collector’s Cake recipe
3/4 cup butter or margarine
1-3/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups unsifted all-purpose flour
3/4 cup Hershey’s Cocoa
1-1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/3 cups water
Cream butter and sugar in large mixer bowl. Add eggs and vanilla; beat 1 minute at medium speed. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; add alternately with water to creamed mixture.
Pour batter into two greased and floured 8-inch or 9-inch layer pans. Bake at 350° for 35 to 40 minutes for 8-inch layers, 30 to 35 minutes for 9-inch layers or until cake tester comes out clean.
Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans. Cool completely; frost.
2. Hershey’s Disappearing Chocolate cake, aka Hershey’s Prize Chocolate Cake (1978)
Ingredients
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup shortening
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup Hershey’s Cocoa
1-3/4 cups unsifted all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1-3/4 cups milk
Generously grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans. Cream butter, shortening, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy; blend in eggs.
Combine baking soda, cocoa, flour, baking powder and salt in bowl; add alternately with milk to batter. Blend well.
Pour into prepared pans; bake at 350° for 30 to 35 minutes or until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans.
And use cocoa in your favorite frosting recipe, too!
3. Hershey’s Devil’s Food cake
3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1-1/2 cups sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs
1-3/4 cups unsifted all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Hershey’s Cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup buttermilk or sour milk*
1/2 cup boiling water
Fluffy Vanilla Frosting (below)
Cream butter, sugar and vanilla in large mixer bowl. Add eggs; beat well. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; add alternately with buttermilk to creamed mixture. Add boiling water; beat until smooth.
Pour batter into wax paper-lined 13x9x2-inch pan. Bake at 350° for 40 minutes or until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean.
Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan and remove paper. Cool completely; frost with Fluffy Vanilla Frosting. Store extra frosting, covered, in refrigerator for later use.
* To sour milk: Use 1 tablespoon vinegar plus milk to equal 1 cup. Have milk at room temperature before combining with the amount of vinegar indicated in the recipe. Let mixture stand several minutes before using.
Fluffy vanilla frosting recipe
1/2 cup butter or shortening
5 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 to 5 tablespoons milk
Cream butter, 1 cup confectioners* sugar, vanilla and salt in large mixer bowl. Add remaining confectioners’ sugar alternately with milk, beating to spreading consistency. Makes 3 cups frosting.
4. Hershey’s Chocolatetown Special Cake
1/2 cup Hershey’s Cocoa
1/2 cup boiling water
2/3 cup shortening
1-3/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
2-1/4 cups unsifted all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/3 cups buttermilk or sour milk*
Burnt sugar frosting (see below)
Stir together cocoa and boiling water in small bowl until smooth; set aside. Cream shortening, sugar and vanilla in large mixer bowl; blend in eggs.
Combine flour, baking soda and salt; add alternately with buttermilk to creamed mixture. Blend in reserved cocoa mixture.
Pour batter into two greased and floured 9-inch or three 8-inch layer pans. Bake at 350° for 35 to 40 minutes for 9-inch layers, 25 to 30 minutes for 8-inch layers or until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean.
Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans. Cool completely. Fill and frost with Burnt Sugar Frosting.
* To sour milk: Use 1 tablespoon vinegar plus milk to equal 1 cup. Have milk at room temperature before combining with the amount of vinegar indicated in the recipe. Let mixture stand several minutes before using.
Burnt sugar frosting recipe
Pour 3/4 cup sugar into large heavy skillet. Cook and stir constantly over low heat until sugar melts and begins to turn a dark golden color; gradually stir in 3/4 cup boiling water. Cook and stir over low heat until sugar dissolves and mixture comes to a boil; boil and stir 2 minutes. Cool completely.
Cream 3/4 cup butter or margarine in large mixer bowl. Add 2 egg yolks; blend well. Add 6 cups confectioners’ sugar and sugar syrup, reserving 2 tablespoons syrup; beat to spreading consistency. Frost cake; drizzle with reserved syrup. [Editor’s note: Using raw egg yolks is no longer recommended.]
5. Hershey’s chocolate sour cream cake
1-3/4 cups unsifted all-purpose flour
1-3/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup Hershey’s Cocoa
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
1-1/2 cups dairy sour cream
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
Combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt in large mixer bowl. Blend in butter, sour cream, eggs and vanilla on low speed. Beat 3 minutes on medium speed.
Pour batter into greased and floured 13x9x2-inch pan. Bake at 350° for 35 to 40 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. Cool completely; frost.
6. Hershey’s Wacky cocoa cake
3 cups unsifted all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup Hershey’s Cocoa
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups water
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 teaspoons vanilla
Combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt in large mixer bowl. Add water, oil, vinegar and vanilla; beat 3 minutes at medium speed until thoroughly blended.
Pour batter into a greased and floured 13x9x2-inch pan. Bake at 350° for 35 to 40 minutes or until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Cool; frost as desired.
7. Cocoa party cake recipe
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
2-1/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-3/4 cups unsifted cake flour
1/2 cup Hershey’s Cocoa
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups buttermilk or sour milk*
Cream butter and sugar in large mixer bowl. Add eggs and vanilla; blend well. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; add alternately with butter¬ milk to creamed mixture. Pour into three greased and floured 8-inch layer pans or a 13x9x2-inch pan.
Bake at 350° for 30 to 35 minutes for layers, 55 to 60 minutes for oblong cake or until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans. Cool completely; frost.
* To sour milk: Use 1 tablespoon vinegar plus milk to equal 1 cup. Have milk at room temperature before combining with the amount of vinegar indicated in the recipe. Let mixture stand several minutes before using.
Hershey’s chocolate fudge frosting recipe (cooked)
1/3 cup butter or margarine
2/3 cup Hershey’s Cocoa
2-2/3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat; add cocoa, stirring constantly until smooth. (Mixture will be very thick.)
Remove from heat; pour into medium bowl. Cool slightly.
Add powdered sugar alternately with milk and vanilla, beating to spreading consistency.
Makes about 2 cups frosting.
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- Categories: 1970s, Vintage advertisem*nts, Vintage birthday celebrations, Vintage dessert recipes, , Vintage recipes
- Tags: 1877, 1970s, 1978, cake frosting, cakes, chocolate cakes, cocoa, cupcakes, desserts, hershey's, recipes, Vintage chocolate, vintage dessert recipes
- Source: Recipes from vintage advertising & from Hershey's Cocoa Cookbook (1970s)
- Added or last updatedAugust 14, 2022
- Comments: 13 Comments
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Comments on this story
13 Responses
This frosting is fabulous
Reply
great recipe, can you instruct me on how to increase the size of the cakes(Depth)like a 4 to 5 inch deep cake without making more cakes and layering them & with keeping this cake just as great as the regular size one???? !!!!! the recipe would be for any of the 3 Vintage & classic chocolate cakes !!!! Love your site !!! Thanks in advance for your advice here !!!! Jesse… Please email me at: two2four4jesus@gmail.com .
Reply
THANK YOU — I found my Grandma’s chocolate cake recipe here. People thought I was crazy talking about a ‘lost’ Hershey Cake Recipe that was better than the cakes Hershey currently prints in their recipe collection. I’m making it this weekend – the Hershey’s Chocolatetown Special Cake is the one my grandma made with the Chocolate Fudge Frosting. That frosting is amazing! My family will be so impressed. I know I’ll bring her back with this cake. Thank you!!
Reply
That is the exact same reason I was looking too! My nonna can not remember the recipe she used and other recipes I have tried are just not the one. Which of these recipes did you use?
Reply
Incredible Post…Thanks!!!!
Reply
For your chocolate pound cake had a chocolate frosting recipe made with Hersey cocoa, I have looked o!ine and your archives cannot find it. Looking for original recipe not with morsels.
Reply
Thank you for the request! We just added the frosting recipe for you: https://clickamericana.com/recipes/dessert-recipes/hersheys-easy-chocolate-buttercream-frosting-made-with-cocoa
Reply
Looking for a Herseys Groovy chocolate cake recipe from the 1960. It was made with buttermilk and I have lost the receipt and can not find it anywhere. Can anyone help?
Reply
Could this possibly be a Hershey bar cake? I couldn’t find anything in my archives about a groovy chocolate cake, but I did find a recipe for one that has buttermilk and chocolate bars. It’s not online here now, but if that sounds like it could be what you’re looking for, let me know! :-)
Reply
I have a thin cookbook in found called “Ideals HERSHEY’S Chocolate and Cocoa Cookbook” that dated 1973. In it, there’s listed a chocolate cake recipe called “5-Way Chocolate Cake” that uses 2 cups of Buttermilk, serves 8-10. If interested, contact me at: farmallpa@aol.com.
Reply
My grandma use to make the Rave Review Coconut Cake and also the Chocolate Town Special Cake with the burnt sugar frosting
So good…both were the best Ive ever had
I had lost the recipe that she gave me years ago…Im so thrilled to find these or your website.Reply
I can’t believe I found this recipe after all these years. I’ll be 75 next week and I want to make it for my birthday. I remember my mother’s chocolate cake. It was so good and I’ve never tasted another chocolate cake I enjoyed like the ones she would make.
Reply
Lost my Collector’s cake, found it here!! Thank you so much! I want to make it for my birthday.
Thank you for preserving these wonderful recipes!Reply
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