This one bowl chocolate cake is what decadent chocolatey dreams are made of. Frost this super moist chocolate cake with a rich chocolate buttercream for a sinfully delicious treat!
This one bowl chocolate cake is what decadent chocolatey dreams are made of. Frost this super moist chocolate cake with a rich chocolate buttercream for a sinfully delicious treat!
Hello, fellow chocolate cake fiends. Today I am sharing my absolute favorite recipe for the best chocolate cake you’ll ever eat. It’s rich, but not too rich; chocolatey, but not too chocolatey (if there’s even such a thing). It sits in that perfect sweet spot between dense and fluffy. Plus, it’s made in bowl (no mixer required!) with just ten ingredients.
Basically you’re going to love it.
Ingredients for Chocolate Cake
This chocolate cake recipe is made with pantry staples you probably already have in your cupboard. It only calls for ten ingredients, so there’s really no excuse to not make this chocolate cake.
Granulated sugar – Plain old white sugar is the only sweetener you’ll need for this decadent chocolate cake.
Cocoa powder – Cocoa Powder is what gives this cake its deep chocolatey flavor, so make sure you use a high quality cocoa powder. We always use Rodelle’s cocoa powder and cannot recommend it enough.
All Purpose Flour – No fancy cake flour required! You can use regular ol’ all purpose flour to create that velvety crumb.
Baking powder + Baking Soda – A combination of baking powder and baking soda will create a beautiful rise in your chocolate cake.
Eggs – Use large eggs at room temperature for the best results!
Buttermilk – Buttermilk is an absolute must when it comes to cake baking. It will give your baking soda a little extra oompf and really deepens the flavor fo your cake. If you don’t have buttermilk on hand (does anyone?!), you can make your own buttermilk at home!
Strongly Brewed Coffee – Coffee will deepen the flavor of the chocolate. I promise you, your cake will NOT taste like coffee. Just deep, rich, velvety chocolate 🙂 Make sure your coffee is at room temperature to prevent cooking your batter!
Tips for the best chocolate cake
This chocolate cake tastes straight from a bakery, but a child could make it. Which is about the level of difficulty I can handle today lololololololol. In all serious though, you don’t even need a stand mixer for this recipe and it’s the perfect indulgent treat to whip up with your nonbaker friends or a kiddo. Just follow these three simply steps and you’re guaranteed a gourmet cake.
Don’t use hot coffee: Brew your coffee and then pop it in the fridge for ten minutes to cool it down so that you don’t scramble the eggs in your batter!
Use high quality cocoa powder: The quality of your cocoa powder will make or break your cake, so please splurge an extra dollar on the higher quality stuff. Your cake will thank you.
Do not over bake your cakes: There is nothing sadder than a dry chocolate cake. Take your cakes out when a knife comes out mostly clean rather than waiting for it to come out completely dry. Your cake will continue to bake as it cools!
What size cakes can you make from this one bowl chocolate cake recipe?
This recipe will make a killer Matilda style two inch layer cake, but you can also use it to make some different sizes and shapes:
3 6 inch round layers
2 8 or 9 inch round layers
1 9 x 13 sheet pan
Happy chocolate cake eating, loves! What else are you going to bake up this weekend?
This one bowl chocolate cake is what decadent chocolatey dreams are made of. Frost this super moist chocolate cake with a rich chocolate buttercream for a sinfully delicious treat!
This one bowl chocolate cake is what decadent chocolatey dreams are made of. Frost this super moist chocolate cake with a rich chocolate buttercream for a sinfully delicious treat!
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line two 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk oil, vanilla, eggs, and buttermilk.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, whisking until no lumps remain. Pour in brewed coffee, mixing until just combined.
Pour batter into prepared pans and bake for roughly 30 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
To make the frosting, place butter and cream cheese in a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (an electric hand mixer also works). Cream on high speed for 1 minute, then turn speed to low and add in cocoa powder. Mix until combined, then add in powdered sugar, brewed coffee, vanilla extract, and salt. Cream on high speed for 1 minute, until mixture has lightened slightly and is fluffy.
Frost cake by placing first cake layer onto a cake stand. Top with a healthy dose of frosting. Spread evenly, then repeat with second layer. Use remaining frosting to frost sides of the cake. Last, use the back of a spoon to create a large swirling pattern all around the cake!
Hi Sarah, can I use heavy whipped cream instead of buttermilk? If yes, is it the same measurement? Also, can I just cut half of the ingredients if I want to bake one layer of 7 or 8 inch cake?
Hi Samantha! You can definitely halve the recipe for a 1 layer cake, but I would not recommending subbing out the buttermilk with heavy whipping cream–you need the acidity of the buttermilk to help the cake rise! What you could do is make a faux buttermilk from your heavy cream by adding lemon juice or vinegar to it! You can find directions on to do that here.
Leave a comment and rate this recipe!
OUTSTANDING! This recipe is so easy to follow. The result are FANTASTIC! Thank you so much for this recipe, Sarah!
★★★★★
I absolutely loved making this cake! Made it for my mom’s bday. Everybody complimented me on the cake☺ This has become my new #1 Chocolate Cake recipe
★★★★★
Could u pls give the measurements/quantities for the strong coffee
We just brewed a normal cup of coffee in our french press!
Hi Sarah, can I use heavy whipped cream instead of buttermilk? If yes, is it the same measurement? Also, can I just cut half of the ingredients if I want to bake one layer of 7 or 8 inch cake?
Hi Samantha! You can definitely halve the recipe for a 1 layer cake, but I would not recommending subbing out the buttermilk with heavy whipping cream–you need the acidity of the buttermilk to help the cake rise! What you could do is make a faux buttermilk from your heavy cream by adding lemon juice or vinegar to it! You can find directions on to do that here.
Hi there, would this recipe work to make cupcakes and just adjust the baking time?