Perfect One-Bowl Chocolate Birthday Cake

Jump to Recipe

There are several recipes that I consider my “white whales”. These are recipes I’ve attempted several times and they haven’t turned out as expected. Crepes are one. Pizza is another. And then there’s chocolate cake. 

I’ve made many chocolate cake recipes that are kind of fussy and the cake ends up tasting fine, but not amazing. I was a boxed-cake-mix girl for a long time because of that reason. So I decided to knuckle down and figure out how to make a homemade chocolate cake that is easy and delicious.

My benchmark for this cake was the cake that Bruce Bogtrotter eats in the movie Matilda. It’s somehow the most visually appealing and appetizing cake I’ve ever seen and I, like many 90’s kids, dreamt of eating that cake. I achieved this by adding more fat to the cake in the form of buttermilk and sour cream. I also added cream cheese to the frosting, which makes for a luscious and creamy chocolate frosting that’s not too sweet. 

I also wanted to remove any steps that felt high maintenance. I’ve made recipes that have you reverse creaming, boiling water, making coffee. And those are totally valid. But I wanted to make this recipe extremely approachable. 

I have pared this down to a single layer to give you some versatility. Make a single layer if it’s just for you and a small group. And then, if you want a double layer cake, just double the ingredients! I would triple the ingredients for the frosting just to be safe if you want to make sure you have enough to cover the sides. 

Something else I learned in testing is that you have to use cocoa powder that is labeled “Dutch-processed”. Otherwise, the cake will be light-colored and not as chocolatey. 

What makes this recipe enchanting:

• It's versatile; you can make the recipe's single layer cake for your family, and then double the recipe and make a double layer cake for a party!

• This is absolutely foolproof and dead simple. No special steps, and the batter can be made in one bowl.

• The frosting is not too sweet, a common complaint from folks that usually don't like cake frosting.

More fun cake recipes:

• Molten Lava Cakes

• Unbirthday Cake: Chocolate Chunk Dream Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

• Mood Food: Heartbreak-Healing Honey Spice Cupcakes

---

Video with step-by-step instructions:

---

Makes 1 single-layer cake with frosting

Cake:

• Baking spray 

  
  

• 1 large egg

• 1 large egg yolk

• ¾ cup (150 grams) dark brown sugar

• 2 tablespoons (25 grams) white sugar

• ½ cup (118 ml) canola oil

• ½ cup (118 ml) buttermilk

• ½ cup (113 grams) sour cream 

• 1 teaspoon instant coffee 

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 cup (120 grams) all-purpose flour

• ½ cup (60 grams) Dutch-processed cocoa powder

• ½ teaspoon baking powder

• ¼ teaspoon baking soda

• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a round 9x9 cake pan with baking spray. 

2. In a large mixing bowl, use an electric hand mixer to mix the eggs, sugars, oil, buttermilk, sour cream, instant coffee, and vanilla. Mix until combined.

3. Place a sifter over your mixing bowl. Add your flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and baking soda to the sifter, and use a spoon to push the ingredients through the sifter. Remove the sifter and add the salt. Mix until just combined. If you don’t have a sifter, just add your dry ingredients like normal to the wet ingredients. Either way just mix on low first so flour doesn’t go flying everywhere. 

4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick or chopstick inserted into the center comes out clean. If the chopstick comes out slightly gooey, but not totally gooey, I usually go ahead and take it out. I’d rather the cake be underbaked than overbaked. 

5. Let cool completely before frosting, maybe an hour, otherwise the frosting will melt off. 

   
   

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 3 oz. cream cheese, softened at room temperature 

• 6 tablespoons (¾ stick) butter, softened at room temperature 

  
  

• 1 ¼ cups powdered sugar

• 2 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder 

• ½ teaspoon kosher salt 

• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract 

  
  

Directions:

1. Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

2. Add powdered sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and vanilla, and beat again, scraping down sides of bowl, until completely smooth.

3. Smooth icing over top of cooled cake.