We all need an easy, reliable and extremely delicious chocolate cake recipe in our repertoires for any occasion that calls for cake, am I right? Well, here’s your new go-to chocolate cake recipe!
Best part is that this cake is made using only one bowl. So, very few dishes to wash afterwards, which means more time for digging in and enjoying this delicious One Bowl Chocolate Cake!
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The Best Chocolate Cake Recipe
Creating an easy but deliciously moist and chocolatey one bowl chocolate cake recipe was the goal here and I had a lot of fun experimenting to achieve it. This recipe contains just the basics. No special ingredients that’ll have you running to the store.
That’s the point of having a back-pocket chocolate cake recipe. You can whip it up at a moment’s notice with only pantry and fridge staples.
In-laws are stopping by after dinner? No problem! Friend’s birthday is today? Got a quick cake recipe for that! New neighbors just moved in across the street? This one bowl chocolate cake it perfect for all these occasions and more.
The Secret to Moist Chocolate Cake
The secret to ultra moist chocolate cake is a few key ingredients. First is the addition of an extra egg yolk. The extra yolk provides this one bowl chocolate cake with a good amount of richness while helping the cake stay moist and maintain structure.
Next is the buttermilk. Buttermilk helps add flavor and moisture to this cake recipe without adding a lot of fat. Vegetable oil also serves the purpose of keeping this cake moist while also creating a lofty and even crumb. Check out the pics to see just how beautiful that crumb is!
Lastly, is the secret ingredient that doesn’t necessarily add to the moistness of this chocolate cake, but helps boost the chocolatey flavor to the max. That secret ingredient is coffee!
Now, don’t be afraid of adding coffee to this one bowl chocolate cake if you don’t like coffee. You won’t taste it in the baked cake. Coffee helps elevate the flavor of chocolate, so adding it in does just that without an overpowering flavor of coffee. Try it, I think you’ll really like the results!
Tips for Making Chocolate Cake
- This chocolate cake recipe uses hot coffee in the batter to bring out the chocolate flavor of the cocoa powder. I would highly recommend giving it a try, even if you don’t particularly like coffee. The coffee flavor is virtually undetectable in the baked cake, but does enhance the chocolate flavor in the best way possible. If you are really opposed to adding coffee to your cake, simply substitute the coffee for hot water. The same holds true for the chocolate fudge frosting recipe I share here to complement the cake. If you would prefer to make the frosting without the coffee, simply omit it
- Like most baked good recipes, I recommend bringing your eggs to room temperature before adding them to the batter. This will help the eggs evenly incorporate into the batter creating an even crumb and texture to your finished cake
- The cake recipe I share here is made in one bowl, but I couldn’t resist sharing a frosting recipe to go along with the cake! You can, of course, use any frosting your heart desires or forgo the frosting altogether. Keep in mind this frosting recipe is made using a mixer and you will need to melt the chocolate on the stove top. Melting the chocolate can be done instead in the microwave. To do so, place the chopped chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on 50% power in 30 second increments, stirring between, until chocolate is just melted
- I shared my go-to Chocolate Fudge Buttercream Frosting recipe here for you too. It’s easy, silky smooth and not as sweet as most buttercream, which I really like. Feel free to forgo frosting altogether if you so choose or switch it up for your fave frosting recipe
Like this recipe? Follow me on Pinterest for lots more recipes just like this one! And don’t forget to pin this recipe for later by clicking on one of the images below the recipe. Or, click on any of the images in this post to save to Pinterest.
Looking for more Chocolate recipes? Give these a try:
- Dalgona Coffee Chocolate Cake
- Chocolate Madeleines
- Baked Chocolate Fudge Doughnuts
- Milk Chocolate Mousse
One-Bowl Chocolate Cake
A super easy, delicious chocolate cake recipe is mandatory in any home bakers recipe repertoire! And this one is made using only one bowl.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 16 slices 1x
- Category: Chocolate Cake
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Cake
- 1 cup (120 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
- ÂĽ cup (20 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon (5 grams) baking soda
- ½ teaspoon (2 grams) baking powder
- ½ (2 grams) teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
- ½ cup (118 ml) vegetable oil
- ½ cup (118 ml) buttermilk
- ½ cup (118 ml) hot coffee or water
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
Chocolate Fudge Buttercream Frosting (optional)
4 ounces (113 grams) semi-sweet baking chocolate (not chocolate chips if you can avoid it)
½ cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tablespoon (15 grams) heavy cream
½ teaspoon (2 ml) vanilla extract
1 ½ cups (180 grams) sifted confectioners’ sugar
½ tablespoon (2 grams) instant coffee granules + 2 teaspoons (10 ml) hot water, optional
- Sprinkles, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350Âş F (180Âş C). Line an 8 x 8 inch square baking pan with parchment paper and set aside
- Prepare the Chocolate Cake: In a large bowl, add flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisk until combined. Add to the bowl the egg, egg yolk, vegetable oil, buttermilk, and vanilla and whisk until thoroughly combined and no dry spots appear. Then add hot coffee. Whisk well until evenly combined. Pour batter into prepared baking pan and bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool on a wire cooling rack while you prepare the frosting
- Prepare the Frosting: Chop the chocolate and place it in a heatproof bowl over a pan set over simmering water (be sure the bowl is not touching the water). Stir the chocolate until just melted and set aside until cooled to room temperature. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until light yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the heavy cream and vanilla and continue beating for 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to low, gradually add the confectioners’ sugar, then beat at medium speed, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until smooth and creamy. In a separate bowl, dissolve the coffee in 2 teaspoons of the hottest tap water. With the mixer on low speed, add the chopped chocolate and dissolved coffee to the butter/sugar mixture and beat until blended and smooth. Spread immediately on the cooled cake and top with sprinkles, if using
Notes
- Store frosted cake covered in the fridge for up to 5 days
- Cake may be baked up to 3 days in advance. Once completely cooled after baking, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and store at room temperature or in the fridge. Unwrap and frost
- The cake recipe I share here is made in one bowl, but I couldn’t resist sharing a frosting to go along with the cake! The frosting recipe is made using a mixer and you will need to melt the chocolate on the stove top. Melting the chocolate can be done instead in the microwave. To do so, place the chopped chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on 50% in 30 second increments, stirring between, until chocolate is just melted
- For the frosting recipe, if you prefer to make it without the coffee, simply omit the coffee granules and hot water from the recipe
- Frosting recipe adapted from Ina Garten
Keywords: easy chocolate cake recipe, easy chocolate cake, one bowl chocolate cake, one bowl cake recipe, moist chocolate cake recipe, chocolate cake, chocolate cake recipe, simple chocolate cake, easy moist chocolate cake, chocolate cake ingredients, rich chocolate cake, chocolate frosting, chocolate fudge frosting, nut free recipe
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Thank you so much for visiting me at kickassbaker! I'm Kim. I'm a working mom and home baker who's constantly in search of a life in balance. Come join me in baking up some sweet treats mixed in with the occasional healthy and savory recipe. Thanks for joining me on my journey called everyday life!
Could I use a duck egg instead?
That’s a good question! I’ve never used duck eggs in my baking before, but I have read that they can be substituted for chicken eggs in cake recipes. Give it a try and let me know how it comes out!
Can this recipe be doubled for a 13x 9 baking pan? Thanks
I haven’t tried that, although I would presume you may have more batter than needed for a 9×13″ pan if you doubled the recipe. If you do, you can make some cupcakes with the additional batter. And be sure to extend the bake time to account for the larger amount of batter.
This cake looks fantastic and the recipe sounds amazing. I will try it exactly as you posted. Yet, I will need to make a trip to the store this time. I love the idea of just making it in a dash, so I am wondering if I can use some items I always have on hand. Can the buttermilk be substituted with whole milk? And the vegetable oil with light flavored olive oil? And for kids, if I want to remove the coffee could more milk or apple sauce be used or is as you mentioned, water the best sub.
Hi Rachelle! I’m so glad you want to make this cake, it’s really tasty! Yes you can substitute milk for buttermilk. However, I would recommend adding a tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar to the milk and letting it sit for 5-10 minutes before adding it to the batter. This will act more like buttermilk in the recipe. You can certainly substitute vegetable oil for light flavored olive oil or other neutral-flavored oil you have in the house. With the olive oil, you may taste it in the cake but it shouldn’t be very overpowering at all. I would recommend substituting the coffee for hot water. I’ve done this many times and it comes out really well and it’s easy! Good luck and let me know how it turns out!
Thank you so much for replying. I will give it a go.
Made it yesterday and it was delicious!!! Moist sponge and the coffee really brings out the chocolate flavor in frosting. My husband hates coffee and never knew it was in there 🙂 Thanks for a great recipe!
Posted it on Insta @bubbles_and_batter
★★★★★
this is great to hear Courtney! I totally agree about the coffee, thanks for sharing your husband’s reaction. I’ll check out your insta for sure!