Easy One-Bowl Chocolate Cake

Kitty FloridoSeptember 30, 2011

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A few weeks ago, there was a family gathering and I offered to bring the dessert… Surprise, right? I wanted something that would be easy to transport (more or less a 90 minute ride), something that wouldn’t need refrigerating, enough for 9-12 people and that it wouldn’t take long to bake.

I found this great recipe at MarthaStewart.com and knew it was going to be a winner from the start. This recipe is originally called Busy Day Chocolate Cake, but I made a few adjustments to the recipe as I had to do it over again weeks later. The first time, I doubled the recipe and used Cream Cheese Frosting (link on the notes below the recipe) to make sure it wouldn’t be an overpowering sweetness over the chocolate decadence of this cake.

I made it a few weeks later and managed to take pictures from it- last time there was a mistake with the camera card and the pictures were lost. But, this time around I was good with the pictures. My dad said that he didn’t care much for the frosting, so the second time around I left the cake as it was, but I had some chocolate spread around, so I served it with a spoonful of chocolate goodness next to the cake.

This recipe is a winner: we also made the test of placing the cake in the fridge so it was chilled- and I can safely assume that this will go heavenly with Vanilla Ice-Cream on the side! Enjoy this recipe! Perfect for a unexpected request to take a cake for school ;)

Kitty

Easy One Bowl Chocolate Cake

Adapted from Martha Stewart
Serving Size: 8

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
1 cup sugar
3 ½ tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon coarse salt
⅓ teaspoon ground Cayenne Pepper
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 cup cold water
1 tablespoon of instant coffee, optional

Directions:

Preheat oven at 350ºF.
Grease and flour an 8inch square baking pan, but instead of flour use cocoa – that way, if you bake it on a glass pan, you won’t get any “white” dusty sides to the cake!
Sift and together all-purpose flour, sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda, coarse salt and cayenne pepper in a bowl. If you’re using instant coffee, add it to the bowl as well.
Make a well in center of flour mixture and add vegetable oil, pure vanilla extract, white vinegar, and cold water. Whisk until well combined.
Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes.
Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

Note:

If you want to put some frosting on top of this chocolate cake, I recommend you use half of the Cream Cheese Frosting from the Rhubarb Cupcakes recipe. This type of frosting is neither buttery or overly sweet that will be so overpowering that would kill the chocolate goodness from the cake.

Have you made this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture with the hashtag #thefoodieskitchen!

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