I Tried Aunt Doris’ Chocolate Cake That Reddit Is Obsessed With — And Now I Am Obsessed with It Too

Mention chocolate cake, and you’ve got my full attention. It is my all-time favorite dessert. And while I’ve baked some of the most popular ones out there (cue: Ina’s chocolate cake and the viral Reddit hit, Nana’s devil’s food cake), I am always game to try rave recommendations — especially when they come in the form of beloved family recipes. So when I was scrolling the Old Recipes subreddit recently and saw a chocolate cake recipe touted as being a staple at every family birthday for at least the past 40 years, I was immediately intrigued. 

The recipe was shared by Reddit user /MrsNacho8000 who explains that the cake comes from their grandmother’s best friend (and maid of honor), Aunt Doris. “Aunt Doris has been gone since the early ’80s, but she’s been a part of every birthday in our family since with her moist and rich chocolate cake.” Simple math tells us that this cake has been a family favorite for at least the past 40 years, although likely much, much longer. One commenter chimed in to say that their grandmother made the same cake for birthdays, and it was a total hit. 

A quick look at the recipe card told me this cake would likely be easy to bake, plus I had all the ingredients in my pantry, so I knew I had to give it a try immediately. Here’s how it went. 

The instructions are rather vague, and simply say “mix all ing well. Batter is thin. Bake in 13×9. 350℉, 45m”. I love loosely written recipe cards — they always feel like such a fun challenge. And I knew exactly how to approach this one. Having baked a lot of cakes over the years, I know that the order in which ingredients are added is important, so I used that as a guide here. And while I’m sure Aunt Doris didn’t use a stand mixer, I did. 

I started by whisking together the flour (I used all-purpose), unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda, and baking powder. Then I creamed softened butter and granulated sugar in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (you could also use a large bowl and electric hand mixer) until light and fluffy, and beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of bowl as needed. I alternated between adding the wet ingredients (milk, coffee, and vanilla extract) and dry ingredients, and continued to beat until the batter was smooth. I poured the batter into a greased 9×13-inch baking pan and baked at 350℉ for 45 minutes.

While the recipe mentions frosting, it doesn’t include a recipe, although the original poster mentions in the comment section that their family just used buttercream covered in coconut. I opted for this easy chocolate frosting recipe, although skipped the coconut so I could focus on the cake itself.

I’ll cut right to the chase: Aunt Doris makes a totally delicious chocolate cake with the most amazing texture. 

I still can’t decide what I love more about this cake: the texture or the height (it is so tall!). The lofty height was the first thing I noticed when I pulled the cake from the oven. There was no way to miss it. The cake is incredibly tender, moist, and pillowy soft, but not so soft that it’s too delicate. I don’t think I’ve ever described a cake as plush, but that’s the first word that came to mind when I tasted this. In my book, this texture is totally perfect. 

As I read through the recipe, the cake immediately reminded me of my favorite chocolate cake recipe — but this version has more lift and height, which I really love. It was also so simple to make, which is always a plus in my book. The only drawback for me is that I expected and craved a richer, more chocolatey flavor. 

I’ll definitely make this cake again, with a couple of my own tweaks to boost the chocolate flavor (don’t worry — I’ll share them below!).