I bake this simple one-pan chocolate cake when I want something chocolatey but uncomplicated. The beauty of it is that you can mix all of the ingredients right in the cake pan, which means less fuss and fewer dishes.
The sponge is light and incredibly moist with slightly crisp edges. There’s a hint of almond flavouring that pairs beautifully with the chocolate, but if you’d rather stick to just vanilla, that works just as well.
Jump to:
A Few Notes Before You Start
- You can mix this chocolate cake batter directly in your cake pan. If you prefer, use a bowl and pour it in — but I’ll always choose fewer dishes.
- Instant coffee enhances the chocolate flavour. Prepare the coffee before you start to bake. Water works just fine if you’d rather skip it.
- I usually skip frosting and liberally sprinkle chocolate chips and flaked almonds on top before baking.
- Chopped pecans or walnuts work well too, or leave the nuts out entirely.
- If you prefer frosting, try my Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting or Biscoff Cream Cheese Frosting.
- For a sweet and salty finish, sprinkle a little flaky sea salt over the cake while it’s still warm.
Serving / Storage
Because the cake contains oil and not butter, it doesn’t dry out and will still be moist a few days after baking.
- It will keep well for 3 – 4 days at room temperature in a covered container
- I like to eat the cake slightly warm and will warm slices up in the microwave for 15 seconds or so before serving.
Equipment
I bake this cake in an 8” round cake pan, but it would also work in an 8” square pan.
You’ll also need a fork.
That’s it.
*This recipe is adapted from the One-Pan Chocolate Cake recipe in Laura Calder’s Kitchen Bliss.
Simple One-Pan Chocolate Cake (No-Bowl Needed)
Equipment
- 1 8-inch (20 cm) round cake pan
Ingredients
- ½ cup vegetable oil (125 ml)
- 2 ounces dark chocolate (80% cocoa) (60 grams)
- ¾ cup coffee, prepared (175 ml)
- 1 cup sugar (200 grams)
- 1 egg (large)
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour (155 grams)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (170 grams)
- ⅓ cup flaked almonds (40 grams)
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°℉/180℃.
- Pour the oil into the cake pan and break up the chocolate and add to the pan. Place the pan in the warm oven for 3 – 4 minutes until the chocolate melts.
- Remove the pan from the oven and add the coffee, sugar, egg, flour, salt, baking soda, vanilla, and almond extracts and mix everything together with a fork until smooth.
- Sprinkle the chocolate chips and flaked almonds over the cake batter.
- Bake the cake until the edges are firm and when you poke a toothpick into the centre of the cake, it comes out clean without any wet batter sticking to it. This will take about 45 minutes.
- Let the cake cool completely and then cut and serve right from the cake tin.
Notes
- You can mix the batter in a bowl first and then pour it into a greased cake tin to bake.
- Instant coffee enhances the chocolate flavour. Water works just fine if you’d rather skip it.
- Chopped pecans or walnuts work well too, or leave the nuts out entirely.
- For a sweet-salty finish, sprinkle a little flaky sea salt over the cake while it’s still warm.
Leave a Reply