Made from scratch, with simple ingredients you likely have in your pantry, this easy chocolate cake is amazingly good with rich chocolate flavor. It boasts a perfect spongey texture and it’s always super moist. How long it takes: less than 40 minutes! Equipment you’ll need: cake pan(s), whisk, mixing bowl, cooling rack Servings: 12 Whether frosted with chocolate buttercream frosting, tangy cream cheese frosting, creamy peanut butter frosting, or simply topped with a generous spoonful of whipped cream or ice cream, chocolate cake is always a hit. In just ten minutes, this chocolate cake can be baking in your oven, filling your home with the delectable aroma of warm chocolate. Shouldn’t you make a cake today? I think you should!
About this easy chocolate cake
This really is an amazing homemade cake. Most cakes use lots of butter and eggs and you have to use an electric mixer to really cream together the butter, sugar, and eggs. Thorough beating is essential to a light, fluffy cake. Except for this cake! I’m always a little amazed at how easy it is make this chocolate cake and how great it turns out every time! Some people call it a “wacky cake” or a “crazy cake.” It is a little crazy! No mixer, no eggs, no butter! GASP! It has white vinegar in it! Plain ol’ white vinegar, in your cake! Weird, huh? All you need is a big bowl, a whisk, and about 10 minutes. If your pantry is fairly well stocked, I bet you could make this cake right now! You won’t even have to open your refrigerator. Some recipes don’t even use a bowl. The cake is stirred together right in the baking pan! Even weirder and more magical. I’ll give you a quick run through so you can see just how seriously easy this chocolate cake is. I’m pretty serious about easy, aren’t you?
Ingredients List
Flour: Use all-purpose flour for this cake. There’s no need to buy special flour to make this cake. We usually buy unbleached flour because fewer chemicals are used in its production (Healthline). Sugar: Regular granulated white sugar is all you need. Cocoa Powder: Unsweetened cocoa powder is made from ground cocoa beans and has a surprising amount of nutrients and minerals. Baking Soda and Distilled White Vinegar: When these two ingredients are combined, a chemical reaction takes place. This reaction is what causes all the tiny air pockets in your cake. In other words, it makes the cake rise. Use plain white vinegar, none of the fancy kinds needed here. In fact, you don’t want to use a fancy kind because it will add a flavor to your cake that you’re not looking for. Vegetable Oil: This cake is made with oil instead of butter. We usually use canola oil but other kinds work fine, too. Hot Water: The water helps make the cake moist. Why hot? It helps the cocoa dissolve. Pure Vanilla Extract: Enhances the flavor of the chocolate. You can also add espresso powder to the cake, if you like a mocha flavor. Keep reading for more ideas.
How to make Easy Homemade Chocolate Cake
Get your oven preheated. It’s important to have your oven ready and waiting, nice and hot. Once the cake batter is mixed, you’re going to want to get it in the oven ASAP. Time is of the essence here. I’ll explain why in a minute.
Measure out your ingredients.
Spray your pans with nonstick cooking spray. There will be enough batter to make a 9 x 13-inch pan or two round layer cakes. If you plan on removing the layer cakes from the pan, it’s helpful to cut a round of parchment paper to lay on the bottom of the pan.
Using a whisk, mix the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, sugar, and espresso powder, if using) in a big mixing bowl.
For the hot water, regular tap water is fine so start running the water so it heats up. (For some reason, it takes forever for the hot water to get to my faucet!) You can heat water up in a kettle otherwise.
In a different bowl, combine vinegar, oil, vanilla, and hot water. It doesn’t really have to be thoroughly blended, just kind of mixed.
Is your oven preheated? Is your pan ready? Good, because here we go.
Dump the wet ingredients, all at once, into the dry ingredients. Stir lightly with the whisk, making sure all the dry ingredients are getting moistened.
Do you see any action taking place in the bowl? Is the batter bubbling? It should be! Once the vinegar hits the baking soda, it’s volcano time. Well, not really, nothing is going to spew out of the bowl, but the bubbles are what give the cake its sponge-like texture.
Immediately pour the batter into the prepared pans. Immediately put the cake into the oven. Set the timer.
Wasn’t that so easy? Hope you didn’t get stressed out by the lightning quick speed of your cake making experience. Wait ’til you taste it! It truly is the best chocolate cake, ever!
How to make this easy chocolate cake recipe your own
See the question above for inspiration. Frosting can add a whole new dimension to your cake.
Flavor variations: Replace the vanilla extract with mint extract or maple extract. Add finely grated orange zest to the batter. Try a baked topping. Instead of frosting, sprinkle the cake batter with chocolate chips and chopped nuts. Sprinkle a few tablespoons of sugar over the whole cake, and bake as directed. No need to frost it! Serve the cake unfrosted with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or cookies and cream ice cream and a drizzle of Bourbon Caramel Sauce or Hot Fudge Sauce. Tell me that doesn’t sound good! Fruit topping: Top the cake with whipped cream and raspberries, or homemade strawberry sauce.
Make Ahead Ideas
If you’re looking to get a head start on this cake, mix the dry ingredients in a big mixing bowl, cover, and set it aside until you’re ready to bake.
Storage Suggestions
If your kitchen is fairly cool, or if you have a different cool spot (like a garage or unheated room), the cake doesn’t have to be refrigerated. Make sure you cover it tightly, out of reach of your pets, and it will keep for a few days. I’ve noticed that if the weather’s really warm, the cake begins to deflate a bit and gets sticky. If you frosted your cake with cream cheese frosting, it should be refrigerated.
Leftover Love
Hmmmm, what to do with leftover cake? EAT IT! Who has leftover cake, anyways?!! Is that a trick question? But if you wanted to switch things up a little, you could crumble it in small parfait bowls and layer with pudding or whipped cream for a fun and easy trifle!
