Before I made it, I googled Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Cake. Out of 99 reviews, only one person had the problem you had. Everyone else raved about it and I found it so very easy to make. If you don't have 9" pans you can use 9 x 13. I am so sorry it didn't turn out well for you, but do try it again with proper pans. It's really very good.

Dottie

But I didn't overfill the pans.Didn't even use all of the batter in the two pans,so that is why I was puzzled.Maybe the smaller pans would have made a difference in the cooking time.I can see that being logical,but why would they run over? It IS easy.I will try it again but next time I will use one 9x13 and see what happens.I wanted to do the layers because it was a birthday cake. Live and learn!LOL

Wasn't that Pattico's post for the chocolate cake? I copied/pasted it into my word and gave Pattico credit for the recipe?? Let me know if it was Glenda, and I'll go back and edit.

I'm not familiar with that recipe, but I have a chocolate cake recipe which--when put in the proper sized pans, the batter is only about 1/2" deep, but it rises to the point of filling the pan. I suspect this must be one of those cakes that uses a couple of types of leavening and ends up having a lot of rise.

However, if you are suspicious that there's a problem with your oven's temperature, an oven thermometer only costs a few $$$. Everyone should have one in their oven, IMO, so you can periodically check to make sure the oven is heating to and maintaining the proper temp. That way, if you know there's an issue (your oven routinely heats 25 degrees too hot), you can just adjust the temp dial so that your food cooks at the proper temp.

The recipe is on the Hershey cocoa can...

Azzalea-The recipe does have baking powder and baking soda.I purposely filled the pans a little less than half full,just in case!LOL I am also wondering if the altitude might have had something to do with it as we are in NM right now,but I rarely have a problem with baking here.I'm not even sure what the altitude is in Albuquerque.The oven temp could have something to do with it.This is a rental and the stove came with it.I don't know how old it is, though it looks fairly new.I guess I should invest in a thermometer if I plan to do much baking.Maybe this is an excuse for me not to bake anything!LOL
Ruthie- I didn't use Hershey's cocoa.Maybe that was the problen.LOL I did copy the recipe that was here and I'm wondering if maybe something on it wasn't exactly right.I don't have the Hershey's can so I can't check it out.Guess I can go check it online though.DUUUH
I dug the cake out of the pans and put what was salvageable and "molded" it together thinking I could save it.LOL even made the icing and put on it.Didn't look too bad.I was going to tell everyone it was a new "dump cake" recipe! LOL Haven't tasted it yet but I have a feeling it will end up trashed.Too bad the dog can't eat chocolate.She would probably love it. I do wish I hadn't wasted all that icing though!

My experience has been that all chocolate cakes rise more than other flavors. When I was new to cake decorating I was told to try to use chocolate cakes in molds that had two parts because that guaranteed that the entire mold would be full with no voids after baking.

You could crumble it up and make a trifle out of it. It's a sin to waste chocolate. :-)

Okay, here's the chain of events. I mentioned the cake in another post where someone was looking for a cake recipe. I had just made it for my bridge group and everyone loved it. I was too lazy to get up and get the recipe so I recommended this person google 'Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Cake'. Pattico saw the post, googled the recipe, made it and posted how good it was, Glenda commented that she thought it sounded good and Sandy in IA was kind enough to post a link to the recipe. That is the story and I'm sticking to it. LOL. It really is good and I'm so sorry lillipad had such a disastrous result, especially because it was for her daughter's birthday. I hadn't made a layer cake in many years and found this to be very good (and I don't even care for chocolate cake especially with chocolate icing) and would make it again.

Could you have accidentally measured Tablespoons instead of teaspoons?

At 15 minutes...that's not much cooking time... With 9 additional cupcakes, it doesn't sound like you would have had extra batter. I have a feeling you read/made the recipe wrong. I would think a bad oven could make a recipe be over or under cooked...but generally, not create a run over pan problem. Then again, possibly it does have something to do with the altitude.

Just out of curiosity I looked at my can of Hershey Cocoa to get the recipe.

What a surprise!

On each side of the can is what might be a recipe . . written in a foreign language. Chinese, maybe?

On the back of the can is more writing and then this in English:

"Manufactured by Hershey International, a division of The Hershey Company, 100 Crystal A Drive, Hershey PA 17033 USA."

I have used over half of this can and never noticed that until now.

Just thought that was interesting.

Sue

Georgiesmom-Thanks for clearing that up! LOL I do remember now that it was patti that made it and posted how good it was.
Carla-I'm pretty syre I measured right.I got out the measuring spoons ahead as I was assembling the ingredients.I have been busy today and haven't had time to google it and seeif my recipe was copied correctly.
After 15 min or so the batter had run out of the pans and what was left was so thin it was done and pretty much stuck to the pan!LOL
Patti43-I did try to salvage it.I got as much as possible out of the pans in one piece the molded all the rest together.I felt like I was a potter.I iced it and it is still sitting on the counter in the cake holder.I may have to just try it in a bit and see what it is like.May have to throw the whole thing away.
I cleaned the oven today and what a mess.Scraped of as much as I could then set the self cleaning cycle.had to open kitchen windows and turn on the vent-a-hood and ceiling fan.It was smoking as bad as it did yesterday when everything was burning in the bottom of the oven!I'm surprised the neighbors didn't call the fire department! LOL
So Sue,does that mean that cocoa was made in China? Probably so! Strange.Well I'm going to go try that cake.I may check back with the taste test results before I go to bed.

OK.......the frosting was delicious! Wish I hadn't put it on the cake. It was horrible!! It tasted really salty for one thing and was of course very dry.
I did google the recipe and I have the correct one written down.Sooo I guess my cake mishap will continue to be an unsolved mystery.
Now I'm going to see if I can salvage any of that frosting!

I know the feeling. Monday I made some peanut butter cookies for my son (his favorite). Now, I've been making them for years and I do not know what I did wrong, but they were flat, tasteless and a total waste of time........back to the cake.......it is a very moist cake. I hope you give it another try. It is as good as the frosting.

Thanks georgiesmom for clearing that up. When I save recipes I like to come back and post a "thank you" to the person who posted about it. I know none of us make up these recipes, but I think it's polite to let people know we've tried them and how they turned out. Most of the time, the recipes here turn out great.

I think it must have been the altitude, lilliepad. I'd sure hate to have to clean that oven!

Well.....couldn't salvage much of the chocolate frosting,except for what was right on top.Ate a little bit but it is so rich I was almost gagging!LOL Didn't have any other use for it any time soon.Today was trash day so it ended up in the garbage can.
Patti43-I am just about convinced the altitude may have been the problem.I will remember that when I bake another one.the oven cleaning wasn't so bad since it's a self cleaning one.Just smoked quite a bit and smelled funny! LOL Now I just have to wipe it down and it's ready for another cake! NOT!! LOL