Sometimes a girl just needs a birthday cake – or cake in general. No, it wasn’t my birthday, but a dear friend just celebrated a lackluster day so I decided to throw her an impromptu party.
While I’ve never made a chocolate cake before, this just might be the easiest cake recipe ever. I started with the Better Homes and Gardens recipe for One-Bowl Chocolate Cake and tried to fancy things up by topping it with homemade ganache and fresh raspberries. I had no idea how easy it could be to make ganache, from now on it will be my go-to chocolate topping. With less than an hour of effort (this did not include cooling or baking times), we had a delicious chocolate cake to feast on!
Easiest Chocolate Cake Recipe Ever
Cake Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup cooking oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 egg
Ganache Ingredients
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 12 ounces semisweet chocolate (I used 10 oz of semisweet chocolate and 2 ounces of bittersweet chocolate)
To make the cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and lightly flour a 9×1-1/2-inch round or 8x8x2-inch baking pan.
- In a large mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add milk, oil, and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed just until combined. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add egg and beat 2 minutes more. Pour batter into prepared pan.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean. Cool cake on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove cake from pan. Cool thoroughly on a wire rack.
To make the ganache:
Bring whipping cream just to boiling over medium-high heat. Remove from heat and add chocolate – DO NOT STIR. Wait 5 minutes and then stir until smooth. Cool chocolate for 15 minutes and then spread on cake.
Garnish with fresh raspberries or strawberries, makes 8 servings.
