Are you looking for an easy one-bowl chocolate cake? This is my go-to chocolate cake recipe, rich, moist, delicious and perfect for birthdays and celebrations. Add my intensely chocolatey mascarpone frosting to make this the BEST chocolate cake ever!
You will also love my Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes
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End of September to beginning of November is birthday central in my family. There’s four birthdays including my own, spaced only slightly apart, two Libras and two Scorpios.
This one-bowl chocolate cake is always requested for birthday celebrations as it tastes and looks so spectacular. You can bet there’s never a single crumb left once the candles have been blown out 😉
The recipe comes from an 80s cookbook I bought in a charity shop and has an exciting name: ‘Black Magic Cake’ which sounds all witchy and Halloween-y. This cake would be perfect for Halloween paired with some spooky decorations!
The only magic here is how incredibly easy it is to bake, easy enough for kids and novice bakers. It requires no mixer and only one bowl – but more on that later.
What goes in one-bowl chocolate cake
This cake uses the usual suspects: flour, sugar, eggs and cocoa powder. But it also relies on vegetable oil instead of butter, buttermilk and strong coffee.
Not everyone is a fan of coffee, but I guarantee that you can’t actually taste the coffee in the cake, it simply enhances the chocolate flavour.
If you really don’t want to use coffee, you can replace with coffee essence like Camp syrup or with hot water. I have also used Guinness instead of coffee with great success!
Buttermilk is really easy to find these days. But if you don’t have any you can still make this cake – simply add 1 tsp of lemon juice to milk, mix and let it stand for a few minutes. The milk will sour and look a bit curdled but don’t be put off – it works a treat.
Best chocolate cake frosting
This cake is so rich it could be eaten on its own. But it pairs incredibly well with most frostings including
- American buttercream: made with butter and icing sugar, plus any flavourings you want to add. I find it a bit too sweet for this cake, but perfect if you are making cupcakes.
- Italian or Swiss buttercream: made with egg whites, sugar and butter and a bit more tricky to make. Delicious, silky and perfect for piping. Not my first choice for this simple cake, especially if you are new to baking.
- Chocolate ganache: made with chocolate and cream. Relatively simple to make but incredibly rich. As the cake is also quite rich I find it a bit OTT.
- Nutella frosting: easy and delicious and a great choice here.
- Chocolate mascarpone frosting: BINGO! We have found a winner. This frosting is so easy, tastes sensational and pipes beautifully. Plus it only needs one bowl and a stand or hand mixer. See below for the recipe!
How to make this one-bowl chocolate cake
As you will see I lost my head and used one bowl and a measuring jug when I made this recipe video. You don’t need to do that, just read on!
Step 1. Mix the eggs, coffee, buttermilk, oil and vanilla together in a large bowl or a measuring jug.
Step 2. Sift all the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, cocoa powder, raising agents and salt) over the wet ingredients in the bowl or pour the wet ingredients over the dry if you have used a measuring jug.
Step 3. Mix well, scraping over the bottom and sides of the bowl and making sure no dry pockets of flour remain. The batter will be quite runny – this is normal.
Step 4. Divide the batter between greased and lined tins. I used three 15cm (6in) tins to create a taller cake, but you could also use two 20cm (8in) tins if you prefer. Bake for 35 minutes and cool completely before frosting. You might need to level the tops slightly before assembling the layer cake.
How to make the chocolate mascarpone frosting
This makes a generous amount of frosting so you could cover the cake with frosting if you like.
Step 1. Whisk icing sugar, mascarpone, ground cinnamon and instant espresso powder together in a large bowl using a hand mixer (or in your stand mixer) on low speed to combine. Increase the speed so that the frosting is well mixed.
Step 2. Add the melted chocolate and whisk together until the frosting is glossy, smooth and holds peaks. Make sure to lick the whisk;)
How to assemble this chocolate cake
Step 1. Transfer the frosting into a piping bag. Pipe a generous amount of frosting over the bottom cake layer and top with the second. Repeat and top with the final layer, smooth side up.
Step 2. Pipe more frosting over the top of the cake and drizzle with chocolate sauce. Add sprinkles or chocolate shavings to decorate and serve immediately.
How long will this chocolate cake keep?
- The unfrosted layers can be baked up to three days in advance and kept wrapped at room temperature. The cake will feel rather damp and sticky – this is as it should be – so keep the layers separated by greaseproof paper if you are stacking together.
- The frosted cake will last for 2-3 days in the fridge without any ill effects, not that I have ever had any leftovers! Bring back to room temperature before serving.
- I haven’t tried freezing this cake but I have a feeling it would do fine in the freezer. Let me know if you do!
More recipes for chocolate lovers
- No-bake salted caramel chocolate tart
- Baileys chocolate ice cream
- Vegan chocolate gingerbread layer cake
- Ultimate Chocolate and Nutella Cake
Have you made my one-bowl chocolate cake?
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One-bowl chocolate cake with chocolate mascarpone frosting
Ingredients
For the cake
- 200 g | 7oz plain flour
- 340 g | 12oz sugar
- 75 g | 3oz cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 large eggs
- 225 ml | 8 fl oz strong black coffee
- 225 ml | 8 fl oz buttermilk or milk soured with 1 tsp lemon juice
- 100 ml | 4 fl oz vegetable oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or paste
For the frosting
- 450 g | 1lb mascarpone cheese
- 100 g | 3 1/2 oz icing sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp instant espresso coffee powder
- 200 g | 7oz dark chocolate melted
For the chocolate sauce
- 60 g | 2oz dark chocolate chopped
- 80 ml | 1/3 cup double heavy cream
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp runny honey
To decorate
- sprinkles chocolate shavings (optional)
Instructions
Make the cake
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Spray 3x15cm (6in) tins with cake release and line the bottoms with baking paper. Alternatively use 2x20cm (8in) tins.
- Mix the eggs, coffee, buttermilk, oil and vanilla together in a large bowl or a measuring jug.
- Sift all the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, cocoa powder, raising agents and salt) over the wet ingredients in the bowl or pour the wet ingredients over the dry if you have used a measuring jug.
- Mix well, scraping over the bottom and sides of the bowl and making sure no dry pockets of flour remain. The batter will be quite runny – this is normal.
- Divide the batter between greased and lined tins and bake for 35 minutes
- Cool in the tins for 10 minutes then carefully turn out onto a wire rack. Cool completely before frosting. You might need to level the tops slightly before assembling the layer cake.
Chocolate mascarpone frosting
- Place the chopped chocolate in a bowl and microwave for 30 second bursts, stirring, until melted and smooth. Set aside.
- Whisk icing sugar, mascarpone, ground cinnamon and instant espresso powder together in a large bowl using a hand mixer (or in your stand mixer) on low speed to combine. Increase the speed so that the frosting is well mixed.
- Add the melted chocolate and whisk together until the frosting is glossy, smooth and holds peaks.
Chocolate sauce
- Make this just before you assemble the cake. Put all the ingredients in a bowl and set it over a bowl of barely simmering water (double boiler method). Stir until completely melted and smooth.
Assemble the cake
- Transfer the frosting into a piping bag. Pipe a generous amount of frosting over the bottom cake layer and top with the second. Repeat and top with the final layer, smooth side up.
- Pipe more frosting over the top of the cake and drizzle with chocolate sauce.
- Add sprinkles or chocolate shavings to decorate and serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- If you don’t have any buttermilk, add 1 tsp of lemon juice to whole milk, mix and let it stand for a few minutes.
- If you don’t like coffee you can use coffee essence or hot water instead and leave it out of the frosting.
- The unfrosted layers can be baked up to three days in advance and kept wrapped at room temperature. The cake will feel rather damp and sticky – this is as it should be – so keep the layers separated by greaseproof paper if you are stacking together.
- The frosted cake will last for 2-3 days in the fridge without any ill effects, not that I have ever had any leftovers! Bring back to room temperature before serving.
Jen says
Would it matter if you only have one cake tin and bake one layer at a time? Can you keep it in the fridge while one bakes or is it preferred to cook both layers together?
Lucy Parissi says
Hi Jen, ideally the batter needs to go in the oven soon after it is mixed. I think you might get away with baking one layer at a time if you bake them one after the other (clean the cake pan tho). Keep the cake at room temperature not in the fridge where it will dry out