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One Bowl Chocolate Cake with a simple chocolate ganache topping is by far the easiest and tastiest chocolate cake you will ever need. The cake is moist and super chocolaty, it will be your go-to recipe for years to come.
If you love cakes and need a recipe to cover any occasion, check out this easy yet fancy Red Velvet Cake, or these classic Vanilla Cupcakes, or the cutest Cake Pops ever!
One Bowl Chocolate Cake
I love, love, LOVE chocolate cake! I can never decline a slice of heavenly chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. But when I’m in need of a chocolate fix stat, I will rely on this trusty and easy one bowl chocolate cake recipe.
Using coffee to enhance chocolate cake flavor
Using cocoa powder to make chocolate cake is obviously a must but you may not know the easiest baker’s trick to enhance chocolate flavor is actually coffee. Just half a cup of coffee is needed for this recipe. Brew your coffee and set it aside to cool for about 15 minutes to half an hour.
How to ensure you don’t curdle the egg with hot coffee?
The correct way to make the cake batter would be to allow the coffee to cool all the way to room temperature. But I can be impatient when I need a chocolate fix. So if the coffee is still a little warm, here’s what I’d do:
- Mix the warm coffee with the cold buttermilk first to further cool the coffee down.
- Then add in the vegetable oil and whisk to combine, by this time the temperature should be cool enough to safely add the egg. Check by touching the side of the bowl.
- Now beat in the egg and vanilla extract.
How to make one bowl chocolate cake
- Mix together the wet ingredients in a large mixing bowl as described above with the warm coffee and cold buttermilk first, then vegetable, then the egg and vanilla last.
- Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder into the liquid mixture. Add salt and sugar and whisk until a smooth batter forms.
- Transfer the cake batter into a parchment-lined buttered 8” round cake pan and bake for about 35 minutes at 350°F.
Chocolate ganache topping
Chocolate ganache is super versatile. It’s made with equal parts of cream and chocolate. It’s super easy and adds another chocolaty dimension to this one bowl chocolate cake. For this recipe, I just use the ganache as is and pour it over the top of the cake. It will set pretty solid once cooled.
Another way to use it is to whip the ganache to make it fluffier and more like a chocolate frosting before you spread it over the cake.
Storing leftover chocolate cake
You can leave this cake on the counter, at room temperature, covered, for a couple of days. Or store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. It will stay moist and delicious for days.
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One Bowl Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 6 tablespoon cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup coffee cooled
- ½ cup buttermilk
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Melted butter for pan
Chocolate Ganache
- 4 oz heavy whipping cream ½ cup
- 4 oz dark chocolate melting wafers or your preferred chocolate
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Brush an 8” round cake pan with melted butter and line the bottom of the pan with a round piece of parchment paper, brush the parchment paper with melted butter as well. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together coffee and buttermilk. Whisk in the vegetable oil, then egg and vanilla. Beat until thoroughly combined.
- Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder into the liquid mixture. Add salt and sugar and whisk until a smooth batter forms.
- Transfer the cake batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 30 - 35 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean with just a few crumbs attached.
- Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 - 15 minutes before inverting it over and set it on a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the chocolate ganache, microwave the cream in a heat proof vessel for 50 - 55 seconds, watching it during the last few seconds to ensure it doesn’t boil over.
- Add the chocolate in a small mixing bowl and pour the hot cream over it. Allow it to stand for a minute or two before whisking it until the chocolate melts completely and the mixture is smooth. Let the ganache cool completely and refrigerate for about 15 - 20 minutes until it thickens but still pourable.
- Put the cooled cake on a cake stand or plate and drizzle the ganache over the top of the cake, tap the cake stand or plate lightly on the table top to even out the top of the ganache. Serve right away or let the ganache thicken further in the fridge before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
U say U prefer milk chocolate rather than dark?? Do U mean like Hershey’s or chocolate drink?
Hello! I prefer to use regular milk chocolate instead of dark chocolate in this recipe. Not the drink, just the difference in amount of cocoa.
I like all of those recipe because that i have learn more about baking. Thank you for this opportunity that I try more to bake.
superr heavy are rich but yall its bomb. i bake and cook something everyday in between classes bc i get bored and this was one of them & i also recommend using milk chocolate or something for the ganache other than dark bc its already so heavy it kinda off balances it