This was a great thing to make. I loved it!

The perfect cake for cupcakes or for children who are partial to chocolate. This cake is moist, flavorful and simple to make. It also went perfectly with the chocolate butter cream frosting I made to go with it!

First attempt, I used regular all-purpose flour - recipe doesn't specify. Cake came out dense but edible - it did not rise. (It filled a 5 x 9 x 2.5 inch bread pan.) The second time, I substituted self-rising flour (has baking powder and salt in it), left out the salt, and substituted vegetable oil for the shortening in equal measure. Result - fluffy cake that filled a 9 x 13 x 2 inch foil pan. SO: make sure to add 1/2 tsp. baking powder to recipe if using all-purpose (plain) flour, or use self-rising and leave off the salt.

I'm impressed with this recipe. It was easy to make and the cupcakes baked evenly and looked beautiful. Most importantly, they were delicious!

So I made the cake with regular flour and it rose perfectly fine and it was not dense at all.

OMG this is the best cake I've ever had! I hate chocolate, but I love this cake and I make my homemade frosting, its delicious!

My cake turned out great but I added a little more to it for moisture. 1/4 c. melted milk chocolate chips and 1/8 c. chocolate syrup and only used 3/4 c. water. I even stirred in some chocolate chips at the end. Found and awesome chocolate frosting recipe even. 1 1/2 c. water boiling add 2 c. sugar, 6 tbsp. coco, 6 tbsp. corn starch, 1/8 tsp. salt. Cook on med until thick, takes a bit of time. After thickened add 4 tsp. butter and 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla, mix well and pour hot frosting on cake, let cool. I poked a few holes with knife in cake before I poured frosting over. It is very yummy and chocolately!

I followed the recipe and would say the cake came out very moist. I was able to make a 10-inch square cake which rose 2-inches deep. The cake was good but it didn't taste like regular chocolate cake it was less sweet and it tasted as though I had just added a small of chocolate to give it some chocolate flavor. Overall, I think this is a good recipe for those that don't care for chocolate and as well as giving chocolate lovers a little chocolate without it being rich in flavor. Thanks for the recipe.

Great recipe. I'm 13 and I don't know how to make much but this recipe has gotten me a great baking status with my family and friends. It's delicious and "so moist it doesn't even need icing or milk!" In my dads words.

Wow! I baked the cake and it was delicious. Thanks for the recipe!