This super simple Homemade Chocolate Cake with creamy vanilla frosting is so moist and delicious, you won’t believe it was made using just one bowl!
Easy One-Bowl Chocolate Cake with Creamy Vanilla Frosting
For those moments when only a rich, decadent chocolate cake will do, but you’re short on time or simply don’t want to face a mountain of dirty dishes, this Easy One-Bowl Chocolate Cake recipe is your ultimate savior. While I often enjoy the convenience of boxed cake mixes and love experimenting with them, there’s an undeniable satisfaction that comes from baking a cake entirely from scratch. This recipe delivers all the homemade goodness you crave, without the fuss. It’s incredibly moist, deeply flavorful, and topped with a luscious vanilla frosting that perfectly complements the rich chocolate base, all prepared using just a single bowl for the batter!
“Made this for my husband’s birthday since he loves chocolate cake but I am not the best baker but this was so easy! Came out amazing! He couldn’t stop raving! It was the best chocolate cake I think I have ever had and the frosting was perfection with this cake. Thank you so much!!”
– Jessica
Why You’ll Love This One-Bowl Chocolate Cake
This isn’t just another chocolate cake; it’s a game-changer for home bakers. Here’s why this recipe will quickly become a favorite in your kitchen:
- Effortless Preparation: The “one-bowl” method dramatically cuts down on prep and cleanup. All dry ingredients are whisked together, then wet ingredients are added, making for a streamlined process perfect for busy schedules.
- Unbelievable Moisture: Thanks to key ingredients like vegetable oil and real buttermilk, this cake boasts an incredibly moist and tender crumb that stays fresh for days.
- Rich Chocolate Flavor: The combination of unsweetened cocoa powder and hot water truly “blooms” the chocolate, intensifying its flavor and creating a deep, satisfying cocoa taste.
- Perfectly Creamy Frosting: The vanilla cream cheese frosting strikes the ideal balance between sweetness and tang, creating a heavenly topping that complements the rich chocolate cake without overwhelming it.
- Foolproof for All Skill Levels: Whether you’re a seasoned baker or just starting, the simple steps and clear instructions make this recipe a joy to follow, guaranteeing a delicious outcome every time.
Frequently Asked Questions About Baking This Chocolate Cake
Yes, absolutely! Buttermilk is a crucial ingredient in this recipe for achieving its signature moist texture and tender crumb. Its acidity reacts with the baking soda, creating air pockets that contribute to a light and fluffy cake. More importantly, real buttermilk provides essential fat content that regular milk lacks, which is vital for the cake’s richness and moisture. Many people suggest mixing regular milk with vinegar or lemon juice as a substitute, but for this specific recipe, that will not work properly because it fails to provide the necessary fat. Only consider that substitute if you happen to have heavy cream on hand to thin out. The fat content in genuine buttermilk truly makes all the difference! If you find yourself with leftover buttermilk, you must try my Butter Dip Biscuits – they are incredibly delicious!
Adding coffee or espresso is a fantastic way to enhance and deepen the chocolate flavor in a cake, often resulting in a richer, darker chocolate appearance. For this particular One-Bowl Chocolate Cake recipe, we’ve found that it’s wonderfully delicious as it is, without the addition of coffee. However, if you prefer a more intense chocolate experience, you can absolutely substitute the hot water in the recipe with an equal amount of hot, prepared coffee or espresso. The hot liquid in the recipe, whether water or coffee, plays an important role in helping the cocoa powder to ‘bloom’ and release its full, rich flavor. It’s a matter of personal preference!
Incorporating hot water into chocolate cake batter serves a couple of essential purposes. Firstly, the heat helps to dissolve the granulated sugar more effectively, preventing a grainy texture and ensuring a smoother batter. Secondly, and crucially for chocolate cakes, hot water ‘blooms’ the cocoa powder. This process brings out the full depth of flavor from the cocoa, making the chocolate taste significantly richer and more robust. Without hot water, the chocolate flavor can sometimes fall a bit flat, so it’s a simple trick that yields big results!
Yes, this chocolate cake recipe can easily be adapted to be gluten-free. Simply substitute the all-purpose flour with a good quality 1:1 gluten-free flour blend. Ensure that your chosen blend contains xanthan gum, or add a small amount separately, as it helps with the cake’s structure and elasticity in the absence of gluten. Baking times might vary slightly depending on the specific gluten-free flour used, so keep an eye on the cake towards the end of the baking process.
Absolutely! Freezing chocolate cake is an excellent way to preserve its freshness and enjoy it later. The key to successful freezing is to wrap the cake very well to protect it from freezer burn. For best results, first, wrap the completely cooled cake (or individual slices) tightly in plastic wrap, ensuring no air is trapped. Then, add another layer of aluminum foil around the plastic wrap. This double layer provides superior protection. When you’re ready to enjoy, thaw the cake overnight in the refrigerator before bringing it to room temperature for serving.
Yes, you can certainly substitute softened salted butter for the margarine in the frosting recipe. I personally enjoy the unique creaminess and slightly softer texture that margarine often provides in frosting, which contributes to a very smooth and spreadable consistency. However, real butter works beautifully and will give the frosting a rich, classic butter flavor that many prefer. Just make sure your butter is at room temperature to achieve the best, lump-free frosting.
Due to the presence of cream cheese in the frosting, it is essential to keep this cake refrigerated to maintain its freshness and prevent spoilage. Store any leftover cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator. This will help keep the cake moist and the frosting stable. For the best flavor and texture, allow slices to come to room temperature for about 15-20 minutes before serving.
Key Ingredients for the Perfect One-Bowl Chocolate Cake
The magic of this cake lies not just in its simplicity, but in the quality and purpose of each ingredient. Here’s a closer look at what you’ll need and why each component is important:
For the Moist Chocolate Cake:
- All-Purpose Flour: The structural backbone of our cake. You can use standard all-purpose flour. If you opt for self-rising flour, remember to omit the additional baking soda and salt called for in the recipe, as these leavening agents are already included in self-rising varieties.
- Granulated Sugar: Not just for sweetness, sugar also contributes to the cake’s moistness and tender texture. I haven’t tested this recipe with sugar substitutes, so I cannot guarantee the same results in terms of texture or flavor if substitutions are made.
- Baking Soda: This is our primary leavening agent, crucial for a good rise. It reacts with the acidic buttermilk to create carbon dioxide, resulting in a light and airy cake. Ensure your baking soda is fresh and not expired; old baking soda will lead to a dense, flat cake.
- Salt: Just a touch of regular table salt balances the sweetness and enhances the overall chocolate flavor, making it taste even richer.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: The star of our chocolate cake! I typically use unsweetened Hershey’s cocoa powder for its consistent quality and flavor. Using unsweetened cocoa allows us to control the sweetness of the cake.
- Vegetable Oil: Unlike butter, which can make cakes drier when cold, vegetable oil ensures a consistently moist and tender cake at room temperature and even when refrigerated. It’s key to the cake’s luscious texture.
- Large Eggs: Eggs provide structure, richness, and help bind the ingredients together. For a lighter and fluffier cake, it’s always best to use room temperature eggs. They incorporate more easily and evenly into the batter.
- Real Buttermilk: This is a non-negotiable ingredient for this recipe’s success. The acidity of real buttermilk reacts with the baking soda to create a soft, tender, and incredibly moist crumb. Crucially, real buttermilk contains fat which contributes significantly to the cake’s moistness and richness. Do not attempt to substitute with milk combined with lemon juice or vinegar; while that creates a “sour” milk, it lacks the essential fat content needed for this cake’s specific texture.
- Hot Water: As discussed in the FAQ, hot water is essential for ‘blooming’ the cocoa powder, which deepens and intensifies the chocolate flavor, making it taste richer and more pronounced.
For the Creamy Vanilla Frosting:
- Margarine: I’ve found that margarine lends an exceptional creaminess to this frosting, making it wonderfully smooth and easy to spread. However, softened real butter can certainly be used as a substitute for a richer, more traditional butter flavor.
- Cream Cheese: The base for our tangy and delicious frosting. It is absolutely vital that your cream cheese is at room temperature. Cold cream cheese will result in a lumpy frosting that no amount of mixing will smooth out.
- Powdered Sugar: Also known as confectioners’ sugar, this fine sugar dissolves easily to create a silky-smooth frosting texture.
- Vanilla Extract: Pure vanilla extract adds a lovely aromatic depth to the frosting, perfectly complementing the chocolate cake.
- Mini Chocolate Chips: (Optional) These are purely for decoration, adding a delightful visual appeal and a tiny pop of extra chocolate to the finished cake.
How to Make This Easy Homemade One-Bowl Chocolate Cake
The beauty of this recipe lies in its straightforward process, allowing you to create a show-stopping cake with minimal effort. Follow these simple steps for a perfect outcome:
Preparing the Cake Batter:
- Preheat Oven & Prepare Pan: Begin by preheating your oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly spray the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. This prevents sticking and ensures easy removal.
- Combine Cake Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, salt, unsweetened cocoa, vegetable oil, large eggs, and buttermilk. Mix these ingredients until they are well combined and a smooth batter forms. This step can be done effortlessly by hand with a whisk or using an electric hand mixer or stand mixer for convenience.
- Stir in Hot Water: Once your batter is smooth, gently stir in the hot water. It’s important to do this by hand with a spatula or whisk, rather than an electric mixer, as the thin batter can easily slosh out of the bowl. The batter will be quite thin at this stage, which is perfectly normal.
Baking the Cake:
- Pour & Bake: Pour the thin batter evenly into your prepared 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Bake Until Done: Bake for approximately 35-45 minutes. The cake is done when it springs back lightly to the touch in the center, or when a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean or with moist crumbs attached, but no wet batter.
Making the Creamy Vanilla Frosting:
- Cool Completely: This step is critical! Allow the cake to cool completely in the pan before you even think about making the frosting. Attempting to frost a warm cake will result in melted, messy frosting.
- Whip Fats & Cream Cheese: Once the cake is cool, in a medium bowl, use an electric hand mixer to combine the softened margarine (or butter) and room temperature cream cheese. Beat them together until the mixture is completely smooth and free of lumps. This is where room temperature cream cheese is essential!
- Add Sugar & Vanilla: Gradually add the powdered sugar, a cup at a time, mixing well after each addition until fully incorporated. Finally, mix in the vanilla extract. Continue mixing until the frosting is light, fluffy, and perfectly smooth.
Finishing Touches & Serving:
- Frost & Garnish: Generously spread the creamy vanilla frosting evenly over the completely cooled chocolate cake. If desired, sprinkle a handful of mini chocolate chips on top for an added touch of elegance and crunch.
- Slice & Serve: Slice your beautiful cake into generous portions and serve immediately. Remember, because of the cream cheese in the frosting, this cake should always be stored in the refrigerator.
Baking Tips for a Perfect Cake Every Time
- Don’t Overmix: While the “one-bowl” method is forgiving, overmixing the batter after adding the flour can develop the gluten too much, leading to a tough cake. Mix until just combined.
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Especially for eggs, butter, and cream cheese, bringing ingredients to room temperature before mixing helps them emulsify better, creating a smoother batter and a lighter, more uniform texture.
- Check Your Baking Soda: Baking soda loses its potency over time. To check if yours is still active, mix about half a teaspoon with a tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice. If it fizzes vigorously, it’s good to go!
- Calibrate Your Oven: Oven temperatures can vary. If you frequently bake, consider investing in an oven thermometer to ensure your oven is truly at 350°F (175°C). Consistent temperature is key to even baking.
- Cool Completely: Patience is a virtue, especially when it comes to frosting. Ensure your cake is completely cool before applying frosting to prevent it from melting and sliding off.
Variations and Serving Suggestions
This One-Bowl Chocolate Cake is fantastic on its own, but it’s also a versatile canvas for creativity!
- Alternate Frostings: While the vanilla cream cheese frosting is divine, feel free to experiment. A classic chocolate buttercream, a rich ganache, or even a peanut butter frosting would be excellent.
- Flavor Enhancements: A teaspoon of instant espresso powder added to the hot water will deepen the chocolate flavor without making it taste like coffee. For a hint of mint, add 1/2 teaspoon of peppermint extract to the cake batter or frosting. A touch of orange zest can also brighten the chocolate notes.
- Topping Ideas: Beyond mini chocolate chips, consider toasted nuts (pecans or walnuts), shaved chocolate, fresh berries (raspberries or strawberries), or a dusting of cocoa powder.
- Serving Pairings: A slice of this cake is wonderful with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream, a dollop of whipped cream, or a warm cup of coffee or tea. It’s perfect for birthdays, holidays, or just an everyday treat.
CRAVING MORE CAKE RECIPES?
- White Texas Sheet Cake
- Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake
- Homemade White Cake
- Homemade Yellow Cake
- Italian Cream Cake
- Grandma’s Texas Sheet Cake
- Coca-Cola Cake
- Cinnamon Roll Cake
- Italian Love Cake
- Chocolate Sheet Cake
- Southern Caramel Cake
- Chocolate Pudding Bundt Cake
- Homemade Yellow Cake Mix
Originally published: January 2017
Updated photos and republished: February 2022
Easy Homemade One-Bowl Chocolate Cake
This super simple Homemade Chocolate Cake with creamy vanilla frosting is so moist and delicious, you won’t believe it was made using just one bowl!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Servings: 12
Author: Brandie Skibinski
Print Recipe | Pin Recipe
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup hot water
For the frosting:
- ¼ cup margarine
- ½ block (4 ounces) cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar (also called confectioners sugar)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Mini chocolate chips (for topping, optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, mix together 2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 cups granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa, 3/4 cup vegetable oil, 2 large eggs, and 1 cup buttermilk until combined well. This part can be done by hand or with an electric/stand mixer.
- Once combined, gently stir in 1 cup hot water. This needs to be stirred by hand. If you use an electric or stand mixer, the water may slosh right out of the bowl. The batter will be thin.
- Pour batter into prepared baking dish.
- Bake for about 35-45 minutes (until it bounces back to the touch or a toothpick inserted comes out clean).
- Allow to cool completely before making frosting.
- When cake is cooled, in a medium bowl, with an electric hand mixer, mix together 1/4 cup margarine and 1/2 block (4 ounces) cream cheese, softened to room temperature, until smooth.
- Then slowly mix in 2 cups powdered sugar along with 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract until smooth and combined well.
- Spread frosting onto cake, then sprinkle a few mini chocolate chips evenly on the top. Slice and serve! Keep cake refrigerated.
Video
Notes
- This cake will need to be kept refrigerated due to the cream cheese frosting.
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Nutrition (Estimated per serving)
Calories: 497kcal | Carbohydrates: 72g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 22g | Sodium: 367mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 54g
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
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