One Bowl Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
CAKE:
2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/4 cup white granulated sugar
1 cup cocoa powder
1 tablespoon instant espresso
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup warm water
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
FUDGE-Y CHOCOLATE FROSTING:
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
6 ounces dark chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted
2 tablespoons sour cream or buttermilk or cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
TO MAKE THE CAKE:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and line a 9×13-inch rectangular cake pan with parchment paper.
In a the bowl of a stand-up mixer, with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl, using an electric hand mixer), add the flour, sugar, powder, instant espresso, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix, on low speed, until combined.
Crack in the eggs, pour in the buttermilk, water, olive oil and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth. The batter will be thin—that’s ok!
Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for about 25 to 35 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the cake pan for about 5 minutes and then invert onto a cooling rack and cool until room temperature before frosting.
TO MAKE THE FROSTING:
In the bowl of a stand-up mixer, with the paddle attachment, add the butter and powdered sugar; beat until smooth and fluffy, about a minutes. Pour in the chocolate, sour cream and vanilla extract. Beat again until smooth, about 1 minute.
TO FROST THE CAKE:
Scoop the frosting onto the top of the cake and make a bunch of swoops, decorating the top how you like. Sprinkle with a handful of sprinkles.
Cut and serve. If you want nice, neat slice, transfer to the fridge to chill for about 15 minutes and then slice and serve.
This cake can be wrapped with plastic wrap and kept for up to 4 days at room temperature or in the fridge.
Notes
Tips and Tricks
Use instant coffee! You can’t taste it in the final cake but it’s used to make the chocolate taste more chocolatey.
Want to make it ahead of time? Cake: Keep it in the fridge wrapped tightly in plastic wrap for up to 3 days. To freeze: Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, for up to 3 months. Frosting: Keep it in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to 3 days. To freeze: store in a freezer-safe container or bag, for up to 3 months.
Invert the cake while it cools. This ensures that your cake stays light and fluffy. Oftentimes the cake will cave in on itself as it cools resulting in a denser cake, so inverting helps to prevent that!
If you don’t own a sheet cake pan, it’s worth the investment. This is my favorite one.
Nutrition
Calories: 483kcal | Carbohydrates: 76g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 47mg | Sodium: 376mg | Potassium: 175mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 58g | Vitamin A: 557IU | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 2mg