This is it: you have found THE recipe for an easy chocolate cake from scratch that comes together in under an hour, requires no fancy ingredients or equipment, and is incredibly moist, chocolatey, soft, and scrumptious!
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THE STORY BEHIND THIS EASY CHOCOLATE CAKE RECIPE
It all started with my Chocolate Malt Cake, which is the single best chocolate cake I've ever made or eaten. That recipe went mega viral, and hundreds of people recreated and loved it just as much as I do. However, I also kept getting hundreds of messages from people who couldn't get their hands on Ovaltine, sour cream or cream cheese, and wanted to know how the cake could be simplified.
So I began the process of creating a simpler version of that chocolate cake which used the most basic ingredients but was as close in texture and flavor as possible. When I finally got the recipe right, it was mind blowing! This cake is SO incredible, soft, and unbelievably easy to make.
This recipe has already been tried my many, and here are just a few of the amazing reviews I have received:
Beautiful recipe! Made the cake and it was a hit with the family, super moist and delicious!
@minibakesbyrabs
We tried this yesterday and it came out AMAZING!! It's exactly like a Layers Bakeshop chocolate cake that I absolutely love. This is definitely going on our Eid dessert menu!
@mehr.een
Made this today... oh my God! Delicious.. thank you for the recipe of a perfect quick one bowl cake!
@lubna_ke
Check out this video to see how moist and soft the cake is!
THE INGREDIENTS USED IN THIS CAKE
This cake uses no-fuss ingredients you already have in your pantry:
- All purpose flour - no explanation needed! Just make sure you fluff up the flour before measuring it so you don't add excess
- Granulated white sugar - you can also substitute caster sugar
- Baking powder and baking soda - a combination of the two raising agents leads to the lightest, fluffiest texture
- Salt - a small amount to balance the sweetness
- Egg - ideally, use a room temperature egg, but it won't make a big difference since this is an oil based cake
- Vegetable oil - I love to use oil in my chocolate cakes as they turn out a lot more moist than butter based cakes. You can use any neutral tasting oil, like canola or Avocado (love this one)
- Buttermilk - if you have buttermilk, great! If you don't, don't worry. I always make my own buttermilk by simply mixing whole milk with white vinegar or lemon juice
- Boiling water - this *blooms* the cocoa powder, enhancing its chocolatey flavor
- Instant coffee - a small amount amplifies the chocolate flavor. If you don't have it, skip it!
- Cocoa powder - you can use any 100% unsweetened cocoa powder, like Hershey's, or you can use dutch processed cocoa powder, like Valrhona!
And then I cover the cake in a simple ganache, using heavy cream and chocolate. But, to be honest, the cake is great even without the ganache!
HOW TO MAKE THIS EASY CHOCOLATE CAKE FROM SCRATCH
Let's talk through the very simple process of making this chocolate cake. I have also made a detailed video you guys can watch below!
1. Mix the dry ingredients except the cocoa powder
This is a no-fuss one bowl recipe. Simply mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Sift the ingredients to make sure there are no lumps, and use a hand whisk to combine them.
2. Add the wet ingredients except the water
Now break in an egg, and pour in the oil and buttermilk. If you want to be on the safer side, you can whisk these ingredients in a separate bowl and pour them in, but I always add them directly and have never had an issue. Use a hand whisk to gently mix until everything comes together and no visible streaks of flour remain.
3. Bloom the cocoa powder
If you wanted, you could have added the cocoa powder in step 1, and the water in step 2. But I like to add the boiling water to cocoa powder and instant coffee separately, as this helps "bloom" the cocoa powder. It sounds fancy, but it basically just means activating the cocoa powder. As you do this, you will notice the cocoa powder becomes more chocolatey in color and gives off a rich, beautiful aroma.
4. Bring it all together
Now add the cocoa powder mix to the rest of the batter, and gently fold to combine. As always, don't over mix, as you don't want to develop too much gluten.
5. Bake!
I like to bake this cake in a 9" round cake pan, like this one. It makes a medium-height cake, but using a larger pan like this helps ensure the cake bakes quickly (20-25 minutes), and rises more evenly.
6. Cover with ganache
This is optional, but not really 😉 Ganache is the easiest frosting to make for chocolate cakes, and adds just that extra yumminess. Just pour boiling cream over chopped chocolate, wait 5 minutes, and then mix. You can use any plain chocolate you like the flavor of! I like to use a milk chocolate like this one as the cake itself is quite rich.
HOW TO AMP UP THIS EASY CHOCOLATE CAKE
This is an incredibly versatile recipe, as you can use this chocolate cake as a base for any kind of cake you want. For example:
- Double the quantities and turn it into a 9x13" sheet pan
- Double the quantities, bake in two 9" pans, and make a layered chocolate cake
- Swap the ganache for a chocolate buttercream or chocolate cream cheese frosting so you can pipe patterns and make a prettier cake
- ... and many more!
If adjusting the quantities and pan size, just make sure to also adjust the baking time and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs attached.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
It's very easy. Simply add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar for every 1 cup of whole milk, and mix. Since this recipe needs only ½ cup buttermilk, add ½ tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice to ½ cup milk.
The cake is done baking when it visually looks set, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs attached (instead of wet batter).
A few things can cause cakes to become dense or tough:
- You could have added too much flour. Make sure you fluff up the flour before measuring, or use a weighing scale
- Your baking powder or soda could be stale
- You overmixed the batter, causing the flour to develop too much gluten
You can keep the cake in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days, or refrigerate for up to a week! If needed, it can also be frozen and will keep well for several months.
Although I am not experienced in eggless baking, you can make a flax-seed egg (1 tablespoon flax seed powder + 3 tablespoon water) and use that in place of the egg.
Any heavy cream will do! Meaning liquid cream, not whipped cream.
Try to let your cake cool for ~15 minutes after coming out of the oven, and let your ganache sit for 5-10 minutes to slightly cool down before pouring it over your cake. If you want, you can cool your ganache more to make it thicker and control the spread more.
Ready to dive in? Let's go!
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EASY CHOCOLATE CAKE FROM SCRATCH RECIPE
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 8
Description
An easy, super moist chocolate cake you can make from scratch in under an hour!
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 cup all purpose flour (130g)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar (165g)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 egg
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil (65g)
- *½ cup buttermilk (120g) -- use ½ cup milk + ½ tablespoon vinegar to make your own
- 1 tsp instant coffee (can be reduced to ½)
- ¼ cup boiling water (60g)
- ¼ cup cocoa powder (25g)
Ganache:
- ¼ cup cream (60g)
- 75g chocolate of choice (I used milk chocolate)
Instructions
Cake
- Pre-heat your oven to 350F (conventional) and prepare a 9" cake pan with parchment paper and butter / oil
- If making your own buttermilk, mix ½ cup milk with ½ tablespoon vinegar, stir, and set aside
- Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Sift the ingredients to make sure there are no lumps
- Break in the egg, and add the vegetable oil and buttermilk. Use a whisk to gently mix until the ingredients come together
- In a smaller bowl, mix boiling water with cocoa powder and instant coffee, and whisk until you get a shiny mix. This step blooms the cocoa powder and brings out its lovely chocolatey notes
- Add the bloomed cocoa powder mix to the cake batter, and gently fold until combined
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan
- Bake at 350F for about ~20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs attached
- Wait 10 minutes and then turn out the cake onto a wire rack
Ganache:
- Bring the cream to a boil, and pour over the chopped chocolate. Cover and rest for 5 minutes to allow the chocolate to melt, then mix until you get a shiny ganache. Rest for another 5 minutes so the ganache thickens slightly
- Pour the ganache over your cake, and you're ready to dive in!
Notes
- You can make your own buttermilk by mixing ½ cup whole milk with ½ tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice. It will look clumpy, don't worry
- Make sure you don't over mix the batter, as that will make it tough
- You can also bake this cake in a 8x8" or 9x9" square pan. If you want to make a 9x13" sheet cake, double the quantity and adjust the time as needed
- Prep Time: 35 min
- Cook Time: 25 min
- Category: Desserts
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Easy moist chocolate cake from scratch
ibakethings says
one of my favorite cakes. very light - perfect for when you're craving something chocolaty but don't want to over indulge.
★★★★★
Zoha says
So happy to hear you enjoyed it! 🙂
Naila says
This recipe is amazing
My kids love the flavor
I have a question..can i double the recipe and use your black forest cake frosting recipe? For decorating
Zoha says
Yes, absolutely! That's why this recipe is so versatile - you can use it as a base for any kind of chocolate cake you want to make.
Suha A says
I made a simple chocolate cake for the first time using Zoha’s recipe. Being a chocolate lover myself and my family being one too, this was a must try! I had all the ingredients available at home, and for the chocolates I used semi sweet chocolate chips. The cake turned out so soft and spongy as Zoha shows in her video. I even made homemade buttermilk using her method. The cake baked perfectly; I followed the same baking time and temperature. This recipe was so simple and easy to make. My family devoured it within 24 hours!
★★★★★
Zoha says
Wuhu!!! Exactly what I was hoping for! <3
Neha says
The flavor and texture came out perfectly! So easy to follow and so delicious, this is for all sweet tooth levels for sure
★★★★★
Zoha says
:') Thank you SO much!!
Heather says
I made this cake for the first time today and it’s absolutely delicious! My dinner guests all loved it. Zoha’s amazing recipe comes together so quickly and easily- I’m sure to be making again soon!
★★★★★
Zoha says
Made my day! It's an honor to be a part of your dinner <3
Annie says
I made this chocolate cake. It was the yummiest chocolate cake I ever baked. It was so easy to prepare. Thank you, Zoha.
Zoha says
Yay!! Thank you so much, Annie!
Fathima Ally says
Veru quick and easy to make, the cake is deliciously moist.
★★★★
Zoha says
You are so kind - thank you!!
Mumtaz says
Very easy and super fast recipe and the output - super chocolatty and yummy yumm😋😋😋 Thanks Zoha ❤️❤️
★★★★★
Zoha says
Hehe, thank you so much! <3
Noor Afzaal says
I came across this recipe last week and since then have made it twice! It’s super easy to make and hands down the best chocolate cake recipe I have come across!
The cake was soft, moist and the perfect amount of chocolatey, thanks Zoha!
★★★★★
Zoha says
Wow, that's amazing! Thank you for trusting my recipe <3
Nilupul Fernando says
Made this cake so many times. This is an absolute Chocolate delight! Bravo!
★★★★★
Zoha says
Yay! Thank you for trying it! <3
Abi says
The best chocolate cake recipe ever, it was so moist and tasted so delicious, perfection ! It was so easy making it , didn't need much time and simple hand whisking. My friends loved it so much, DEFINITELY THE BEST RECIPE, try it!
★★★★★
Zoha says
WUHUUUU!!!! SO happy to hear that
Mrs. Abdul Rahim Sada says
Amazingly Delicious and very easy to make cake recipe.. I must say that as a dessert lover and as a baker myself, this is one of the most moist, chocolaty cake I have ever tried.. Glad I came across such a recipe!! It’s surely worth-trying and I can assure you won’t be disappointed..
★★★★★
Zoha says
Thank you so much!! This means the world to me - i am so happy you tried and loved the recipe as much as I do 🙂
Kawsar says
One of the best and easiest recipe I've tried. It was moist and so yummy. I made it twice already. Everyone loved it. Thank you for making the video, it really helps. Keep up the great work ☺️☺️
★★★★★
Zoha says
Yayyyy!!!! You made my day! <3
Arati Tambwekar says
This cake recipe is absolutely amazing and easy to make. But I have a question..
Can I replace eggs with anything else?
★★★★★
Zoha says
I haven't tried it myself, but you can try to make flax seed eggs 🙂
Maryam Lucman says
Delish!
★★★★★
Zoha says
Thank you!
Tehreem says
This turned out SO GOOD! As a newbie in the kitchen this recipe is just what I needed to boost my confidence! So easy to follow and execute. Love that it was basically one pot and had no butter! The cake was so fluffy. One thing I did to elevate the flavors was to double the ganache for a fudgier feel!
★★★★★
Zoha says
Yay!! I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Tehreem! <3
Nazma says
Hey, this cake looks delish, my son loves chocolate cake so I'll be trying this.
Slightly confused as you have the sugar as 3/4 cup at 165g, and the flour at 1 cup at 130g.Was this supposed to be the other way around?
We are in the UK so use grams rather than cups. Could you clarify the correct grams quantity.
Thank you!
Zoha says
Hi Nazma! The measurements are correct. Flour weighs less than sugar, so 1 cup of flour is 130g while 1 cup of sugar is ~220g.
Shahana Beegum says
So when we are using cups for measurement, is it okay to take one cup sugar and one cup flour? or should we measure and take?
Zoha says
Hi Shahana! I don't think I understand your question fully (sorry), could you kindly 1explain?
Ashona says
Hi Zoha,
Thank you for the lovely recipes.
I tried making this cake and it came ok. it sank in the centre. It tasted good though. could it be because I don't have a convection oven? I baked it for 20-25 min in a normal oven at 180 degrees.
Please can you tell me what mistake I made. thanks.
Zoha says
Hi Ashone! It sounds like your cake was underbaked. I also don't have a convection oven, but not every oven is built the same and its possible your oven isn't properly calibrated. This is why it's imp to always do the toothpick test before taking a cake out 🙁
Musa says
My 10 year old made this today. Will defo be thinking of you when indulging later on at Iftar time x
Zoha says
Aww!! Much love!
Madiha Hameed says
Can we use normal coffee instead of instant one ?
Zoha says
You can replace the hot water + instant coffee with the same amount of brewed hot coffee
Najah says
The best chocolate cake I’ve ever made! So easy and delicious.
Zoha says
Thank you so much, Najah! Means the world to me
Poornima says
My 10 year old and 8 year old helped me to make this cake for my husband's birthday. It was super delicious. You won't believe the cake was done in minutes. Everyone enjoyed it especially my 2 year old didn't want to share the cake with anyone.
Zoha says
Honestly made my day. Thank you so much!
Pj says
This looks so good! Planning to bake for my son, can I reduce the amount of sugar?
Zoha says
Hi!! I don't find this cake to be too sweet so I don't think you need to, but you can try!
Aabida Banu says
I made it. It was pretty quick to make and my son who isn't a fan of chocolate cake said it was delicious 😋
★★★★★
Zoha says
Yay! That's a huge compliment!
Zara says
Hello, loving your recipes so much!
I was wondering if I could make cupcakes from this recipe?
Zoha says
Hi Zara! Yes for sureee!!
Kauser says
Loved this recipe, turned out the best chocolate cake I’ve ever made. Thank you so much dear. Just one question, can I use 8 inch tray to bake?
★★★★★
Zoha says
Aww thank you so much, Kauser! Makes me so happy to hear that. And yes, you can do that too - just adjust the timing if needed.
Catherine Sadler says
Hi
Are the baking cups American or English please?
Zoha says
American! 1 cup = 8 fluid ounces
Maryam Khan says
This has to be the best chocolate cake recipe I have come across. Ticks all the boxes for me. Texture is insane, taste is insane and recipe easy and quick. Zoha I would like to personally thank you for creating such a beautiful cake. I've made 2 cakes in less than 12 hours that's how good it is.
★★★★★
Maryam Khan says
This has to be the best chocolate cake recipe I have come across. Ticks all the boxes for me. Texture is insane, taste is insane and recipe easy and quick. Zoha I would like to personally thank you for creating such a beautiful cake recipe. I've made 2 cakes in less than 12 hours that's how good it is and both times it just disappeared lol. My 4 year old nephew just kept going back for more. It reminded me of the famous matilda scene with Bruce. Cannot wait to try more of your recipes
★★★★★
Zoha says
Dear Maryam, I wish I could explain to you how much your comment means to me. This is why I love doing this. Thank you for trying my recipe, loving it, and taking the time to send me this encouragement. So grateful for you!!!
Luxmi Devi Ramlochun says
Thank you very much for the easy chocolate recipe. I tried it on Sunday it was so easy to make and also very delicious
From Anjoo a small island called Mauritius 💞😍
Thank you again.
★★★★★
Zoha says
Thank you so much, Luxmi!! Sending so much love to you in Anjoo 🙂 <3
Jyotsanah says
Hello
The cake was awesome
Can we make it one day before or should we consume it on the same day ?
Zoha says
Yes, you can make it the previous day!
Fatima says
I’ve tried so many different recipes for chocolate cake and some are better than others, but THIS one is the best! 💕💕 It has become my new go-to recipe for chocolate cake. So simple and easy and the results are mind-blowing! I always double the recipe and make two cakes because why not 😛
★★★★★
Zoha says
Awww thank you SO much Fatima!!! This makes my heart so so happy <3
Mary says
We baked the cake today and we love it! My little chefs aged 7, 5 and 3 helped me and it came out perfectly! Just a question about the sugar, could we use honey as a substitute?
★★★★★
Zoha says
Thanks so much for trying my recipe, Mary!! I don't recommend swapping the sugar for honey as they have completely different properties and the end result will be quite different. It is not something I have tested myself.
Zinneerah Abbas says
heyy!! i tried ur no fuss chocolate cake yesterday and it was so SO good & super easy to make. i couldn’t take a picture but everyone loved it. thanku for ur amazing work!!💗
★★★★
Zoha says
Aww, thank you so much, Zinneerah! That means the world to me 🙂
Tanees says
What a delicious cake! Such a non fuss and easy recipe. Everyone in the family loves it. I have served it in multiple ways - cool and when the ganache has set. Warm with slightly runny ganache or with icecream or custard. It's always spot on and always so mosit and fluffy. Thank you for this !!
★★★★★
Zoha says
Thank you so much for the love, Tanees! It means a lot to me!!! <3
Maida says
Hey zoha tried the chocolate ake it was amazing .every one was asking if I used betty crocker cake mix .thanks a lot for the recipe
Zoha says
AWWW! That's so sweet - thank you so much 🙂
Saumya says
This chocolate cake is such a treat! Me and my 4 year old bake together regularly and since we first tried this cake, every three weeks or so she reminds me that baking day is due and requests this exact cake .So basically we haven’t eaten any cake other than this one for months, but that’s not a bad thing at all! This is a simple and quick bake with maximum flavour. We put in less sugar, it‘s nonetheless super delicious and simply chocolate heaven! Even better the next day! Thank you so much Zoha for the recipe!
★★★★★
Zoha says
Aww, you made me so happy with this wonderful review. And how lovely that you baked with your little one. <3 Lots of love.
nigga says
its gay asf
★
coon says
nigga
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