This One Bowl Chocolate Cake is nearly as easy to make as a boxed mix. This simple, classic recipe results in a perfect chocolate cake every time!
For another easy, homemade chocolate treat, try my recipe for Classic Fudge Walnut Brownies—they’re simple to make and packed with rich, fudgy goodness.
This is my go-to easy chocolate cake recipe that I’ve made countless times over the years for birthdays, summer parties, and pretty much any other excuse I can think of. Most recently, it was a much needed comforting dessert that we delivered to my my son and daughter-in-law after they welcomed our new baby grandson into the family.
If you know me well, you’ve had this cake.
In addition to being our family’s favorite chocolate cake, this One Bowl Chocolate Cake recipe has a seriously no-fuss method that I love. All you’ll need is a large bowl, an electric mixer, and a few minutes on your hands to get it in the oven.
The fudgy chocolate icing is made quickly on the stove and seals the deal in the most delicious way.
Table of contents
Ingredient Notes
- Dry ingredients: All-purpose flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Wet ingredients: Eggs, buttermilk, vegetable oil, pure vanilla extract, and some very hot water.
- Chocolate icing: Butter, unsweetened cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and a little additional buttermilk and pure vanilla extract. From time to time, I will add some finely chopped pecans or walnuts. Nuts are totally optional.
Variation
For something a little different, try using hot brewed coffee in place of the hot water. Coffee naturally intensifies the richness of cocoa, making the chocolate taste deeper and more complex. It enhances the chocolate flavor without making the cake taste like coffee.
How to Make One Bowl Chocolate Cake
This is a quick overview of how to make this recipe. You’ll find detailed instructions and a video in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Then, add the wet ingredients and mix with an electric hand mixer until combined. You could do this all in the bowl of your stand mixer if you’d like.
- Add the very hot water and mix again briefly until combined. The cake batter will be quite thin.
- Transfer the batter to a 9- x 13-inch baking pan (glass or metal) that has been coated with nonstick cooking spray.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
If you’re making this cake to deliver to a friend or family member, bake it in a 9- x 13-inch disposable aluminum foil cake pan with a lid. Or be like me and divide it between two 8-inch foil pans so you can give one away and keep one for yourself! The baking time can differ slightly when you use foil pans so just watch it carefully towards the end of the baking time.
The Fudgy Chocolate Icing
- In a large saucepan, whisk melted butter with the cocoa powder, buttermilk and vanilla.
- Reduce the heat and whisk in powdered sugar, using as much as you need until you’ve reached the desired consistency. It should be thick but pourable.
- Continue whisking vigorously until smooth. This is where you would stir in chopped nuts, if you want a nutty frosting, or reserve them to use as a garnish on top.
- Immediately pour the icing over the cake and use an offset spatula or butter knife to spread it out evenly over the surface. Allow the icing to set for a few minutes before slicing and serving the cake.
Alternate Layer Cake and Cupcake Instructions
I nearly always use a 9- x 13-inch pan for this recipe but it works well as round layer cake too.
- Divide the batter between two greased 9-inch round cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 28 to 32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
I frost my round cakes with a sturdier, buttercream-style frosting which works better for a layer cake than a thinner icing. I’ve even been known to buy a tub of chocolate fudge frosting from the store (gasp!) to make it super easy. No one will ever know!
Want to make cupcakes? No problem!
- Grease or line your cupcake pan with liners, and fill each cup about two-thirds full with cake batter.
- Bake your cupcakes at 350 degrees F for about 18 to 22 minutes. Allow them to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
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One Bowl Chocolate Cake
Video
Ingredients
One Bowl Chocolate Cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups sugar
- ¾ cup cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup very hot (boiling) water, or hot brewed coffee
Fudgy Chocolate Icing
- ½ cup butter
- 4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 6 tablespoons buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 16 ounces powdered sugar, or up to 4 cups, as needed to reach desired consistency
- ½ cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts, optional
Instructions
For the Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9- x 13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Using an electric hand or stand mixer, beat in eggs, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla. Add hot water and mix until combined. Batter will be quite thin.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely in the pan before frosting.
For the Icing
- Melt butter in a large saucepan over MEDIUM heat. Whisk in the cocoa powder, buttermilk and vanilla. Turn the heat to LOW and whisk in the powdered sugar, using as much as you need until you've reached the desired consistency. It should be thick but pourable. Continue whisking vigorously until smooth. Stir in chopped nuts, if using, or reserve them to use as a garnish on top.
- Immediately pour the icing over the cake and use an offset spatula or butter knife to spread it out evenly over the surface. Garnish with nuts, if desired. Allow to set for a few minutes before slicing and serving the cake.
Notes
- Divide the batter between two greased 9-inch round cake pans. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 28 to 32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
- Grease or line your cupcake pan with liners, and fill each cup about two-thirds full with cake batter.
- Bake your cupcakes at 350 degrees F for about 18 to 22 minutes. Allow them to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
More Easy Cake Recipes
This post was originally published on July 27, 2016. It has been updated with new text and images.
Bayyyyy Beyyyyy! When I tell you this is it Right Here! I have tried a many “ Chocolate Cake recipes” and they all fell flat. I am a true baker and have been for over 30 years. If you have not, if you are thinking about baking this cake and icing. Do yourself a favor and look no further! And as one commenter stated; you will not stop at one piece. No ma’am! No ma’am! Thank you soooooo much for sharing this recipe!
You win best comment of the day, Auntie 🙂 So glad you loved it!
Hi. I have a few questions:
1) Do you measure 120 grams for 1 cup of flour?
2) Can I reduce the sugar without changing the cake’s texture? My family hates things that are too sweet.
3) Can I use “homemade buttermilk” instead of the real stuff by combining 1 T vinegar with 15 T milk to equal one cup?
4) For the frosting – how much butter? One stick? Half a cup?
5) For the frosting – are you saying use 16 ounces of powdered sugar or 4 cups? I looked it up and 16 ounces equals 2 cups, so I am confused.
1. All measurements on the site are given in cups vs. grams but there are many free tools available online to help with conversions.
2. I would not recommend reducing the amount of sugar listed in the recipe.
3. Yes, you can use homemade buttermilk.
4. 1/2 cup butter = 1 stick.
5. The frosting calls for 16 ounces of powdered sugar which measures approximately 3 1/2 cups but you may find you need to use up to 4 cups to reach the desired consistency.
Hope this helps!
I have a question is it okay to use butter instead of cooking spray
Sure!
Hi—going to try this recipe now, but unclear on the language in frosting directions about “1/2 stick one cup butter”. Does that mean 1/2 Cup=1 stick, or use 1 stick plus an additional 1/2 stick? Thanks!
The frosting calls for 1/2 cup of butter which is 1 stick.
Thank you. It is delicious!!
Hi there, I really love this cake. When I got married 4 years ago we used this cake in the gift boxes for our guests. Would this cake be suitable for stacking a 2 layer cake with with buttercream in the middle and around?
Yes, I’ve done this as a layer cake frequently. The batter fits perfectly in 2 9-inch round cake pans. Check on them about 10 minutes before the end of the stated baking time.
I made this today and it was so good…I only had about 1/4 of the amount of regular cocoa and had to sub with a dark cocoa. It came out perfect. Deep chocolate flavor and intensely dark. So good, that may be the only way I make this cake going forward…also, no one in my family was willing to wait for the cake to cool enough to frost it. We just dove in. Next time I make this cake, and I will make this cake again, I’ll do it when everyone is at work because I really want to try the frosting recipe. Thanks for sharing the recipe. It was super good
I hope you try it again with the frosting. SO good! Thanks for your comment, Wendi 🙂
Hi, I made this cake in a 13” x 9” glass baking dish and the middle is sinking. ? Help!
I’m sorry to hear this, Kaytlyn. There are several things that can cause a cake to sink. It could be it wasn’t baked through but one of the most common causes is overbeating the batter. It’s okay to really go at it when you are beating the wet ingredients together but once the dry ingredients are added, you just want to mix it until combined. I’m betting the cake will still taste wonderful 🙂
You’re right – it turned out DELICIOUS!! Thank you ?
2 cups of sugar??? really!!! cut in half would be healthier
Hi Aurelia. This is a common ratio of flour to sugar for a cake recipe. I don’t think the result would be very tasty if you cut in in half.
This was the first cake I’ve ever made not from a box. Everything came out perfect! Sooo delicious.
Ome me too
This is the most amazing chocolate cake recipe ever! And the frosting is like a dessert all in itself! My mom recommended it after trying it herself and loving it. I’ve made it now 5 times, it’s such a hit! My husband likes things a little less sweet than most people, so when I made this for his birthday I added an extra tablespoon of cocoa powder to the frosting, since the icing sugar amount is still needed for consistency. It was fantastic, I might just do that again next time. When my mother in law heard I was making this cake again for an event, she was so excited for it again. That’s a win in my books!
I use a hand mixer to mix the frosting, it gets deliciously thick as it cooks, but I hurt my neck whisking it so hard the first time. But it’s so delicious that I found a way to make it work to make it again!
I usually bake it in a metal pan because my glass pan is usually in the freezer with a ready to go casserole in it. I’ve found that a little less heat is best for the metal pan, but I always forget and end up keeping it at 350 for the first 20 minutes, then I remember about the pan difference and turn down the heat to 325 for the remainder. Sometimes it needs a few more minutes, sometimes it doesn’t. But it STILL turns out delicious even with my wonky style of haphazard baking!
This is the BEST chocolate cake EVER! My family requests this once a week. Extended family and coworkers say it is a must to bring for special occasions. Super easy to make but be careful, you might not stop eating at just once piece!! Try it…you will LOVE it.
Sounds very yummy! Any idea on how long to bake if I want to make cupcakes for my grandkids?
Hi Karen. Cook at the same temp and check after 15 minutes. I’m betting they’ll take between 15 to 20 minutes.
Hi There!! Love this cake!! I am just curious if the 460 calories is per serving (one slice) or for the entire cake!
Much thanks,
Shelby.
Where there is butter and sugar there are calories! That’s just for one slice, Shelby. Gosh darn it.