Every recipe box needs a staple chocolate cake recipe! This chocolate cake recipe is my go-to for a rich, dense, moist cake that is perfect on it's own or slathered in frosting!
As with a lot of my favourite cakes, this one is super simple and takes very little time to prepare. All the ingredients are whisked together in one bowl (no electric mixer required!).
I hope you enjoy this fabulous cake as much as I do! It'll be sure to make you popular among your friends and family as well 🙂
One Bowl Moist Chocolate Cake
Yield:
8 Servings
Prep Time:
15 minutes
Cook Time:
1 hour
Total Time:
1 hour 15 minutes
It doesn't get much better than this ultra moist and rich chocolate cake! This is my go-to chocolate cake recipe for birthdays, dinner parties or just to enjoy. This cake only needs one bowl and no electric mixer.
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
- ¾ cup canola oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup caster sugar
- 1 cup plain flour / all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ cup boiling coffee or water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160°C / 320°F (fan/convection) or 180°C / 355°F (standard). Grease and line a 20 cm (8 inch) circular cake tin with baking paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together milk and vinegar. Allow to sit for 5 minutes until thickened. Whisk in oil, eggs, brown sugar and caster sugar.
- Sift over flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Whisk together until well combined. Whisk in boiling coffee (or water).
- Pour into prepared tin and place in the lower half of the oven. Bake for 55-60 minutes or until well risen and a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean (don't open the oven until at least the 45 minute mark). The top may crack slightly but it will sink back down once the cake cools. Allow to cool in the tin for 20 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Storage
- You can keep the cake stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Substitutions & Tips
- Vinegar: the vinegar reacts with the milk to create a homemade buttermilk substitute. You can use any type of vinegar (apple cider, brown, malt etc.) or the same amount of lemon juice. You can also substitute both the milk and vinegar with 1 cup of buttermilk.
- Oil: you can use any flavourless cooking oil or vegetable oil. I don't recommend using strongly flavoured oils like olive oil as these can give the cake an odd flavour.
- Caster sugar: you can substitute caster sugar with white sugar. The cake may have a crispier crust if you do.
- Will the cake taste like coffee? No. Coffee just emphasises the chocolate flavour. I use 1 tsp of instant coffee and combine it with half a cup of boiling water.
- Why did my cake sink in the middle? This means that you have opened the oven door too early. Make sure to wait until at least the 45 minute mark before opening the oven door. Try to avoid moving the cake around too much before it has finished cooking. If worst comes to worst, you can cover any sunken parts with frosting!
Nutrition Information:
Serving Size: 1/8th of the CakeAmount Per Serving: Calories: 443Total Fat: 24gSaturated Fat: 2.9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0.5gCholesterol: 46.3mgSodium: 501.2mgCarbohydrates: 58.3gFiber: 3.4gSugar: 41.1gProtein: 5.8g
Sonia says
I’m planning on making this cake today - what size pan did u use? I only have two 8 inch round pans that are short to make a double layer.
Chloe says
Hi Sonia! I use a single 20 cm (8 inch) circular pan for this cake. You can also use my Devil's Food Cake recipe if you like (https://bakingenvy.com/devils-food-cake), which is designed to be an 8-inch two layer cake 🙂
Hope you enjoy!
Joanne Schumacher says
Hi Chloe!
Cake looks amazingly delicious!!
I don't drink coffee. What kind of Instant Coffee did you use for this cake recipe?
I would love to make this!
Thanks!
Joanne
Chloe says
Hi Joanne! Thank you for your lovely words 🙂 I use Moccona Instant Coffee granules (but you can use any instant coffee granules) and combine half a teaspoon with a 1/2 cup of boiling water, then stir until the granules dissolve. Of course, you can leave the coffee out if you like and just use boiling water. The coffee just brings out the chocolate flavour a bit more! Hope that helps!
Diksha says
Hi .
Could you please help me with the brand of coco powder. I am always confused while choosing brands.
Thanks
Chloe says
Hi Diksha! I'm in Australia, and I use either the Coles homebrand Cocoa Powder or the Nestle Baking Cocoa. To clarify, these are unsweetened, bitter chocolate powders which are made for baking. It's not hot cocoa powder. If you're in the US or Canada, you can use Hersheys 100% Natural Unsweetened Cocoa (Cacao) Powder. Hope that helps!
Courtney says
THIS LOOKS AMAZING! I only have a 9 inch pan, could that work? Would I have to adjust cooking times?
Chloe says
Hi Courtney! Thank you so much! 🙂 You can definitely use a 9 inch pan. I don't believe it would reduce the cooking time that much, but start with 45 minutes and see how it looks and/or test with a skewer. Hope you enjoy!
Jiahn says
I just made this! Wow the texture is amazing, and it looks perfect. My only problem is, it tastes a little sour? Not like usual chocolate cake. I was wondering why this may be, and if there is anything I can do to fix. Otherwise this is an amazing recipe!
Chloe says
Hi Jiahn! I'm so so glad you liked the cake for the most part! Hmmm... it definitely shouldn't have a sour taste to the cake, even with the addition of vinegar. Firstly, check to see that all your ingredients are not expired, particularly your baking powder and your milk! If not, then the only other reason I can think of is the type of baking powder you used. Make sure it's baking powder and NOT baking soda as baking soda is very bitter in large quantities. If your brand of baking powder contains sodium aluminum sulfate, this can also make the cake more bitter, so try and find a brand that is aluminium free! I hope that helps 🙂
:) says
Hey there!
I've found this recipe on Pinterest and I can't wait to try it out. Before tryin it out, I wanna ask somethin. How much time does this cake take in a standard oven?
Regards
🙂
Chloe says
Hi! This cake will take the same amount of time to bake in a standard oven (55-60 minutes) at 180 C / 355 F. Hope that helps 🙂