Summary: This is a perfectly moist, wonderfully chocolate cake with a great crumb. It holds up well over time and under frosting. I've tweaked the original Hershey's recipe only slightly to include a bit less sugar and some whole wheat flour which no one has ever noticed.

Yield: two 9" round cakes or 28 cupcakes

Ingredients:

1¾ cups unrefined, granulated sugar
1 cup all purpose flour
¾ cup whole wheat flour
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1½ teaspoons baking powder
1½ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoons salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
½ cup canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Grease and flour two 9" round cake pans or enough muffins tins to hold 28 cupcakes.

Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl if you're using a hand-held mixer, or the bowl of a stand mixer if you're going that route. Add the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla, and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (the batter will be thin; stir to an even consistency though). Pour into your prepared pans.

Bake 30 minutes (less for cupcakes) or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes; remove cakes from pans and place on wire racks to cool completely.