Easy Chocolate Cake
Published Apr 21, 2022•Updated Oct 15, 2024
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The absolute best easy chocolate cake recipe. Made in one bowl, no mixer needed, and baked in an 8×8 pan. Best of all, you don’t need eggs or butter to make it. As a cooking instructor, this is my go-to cake for teaching everyone from first-time to more experienced bakers. The results are perfect every time.
Kayla says: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “I was blown away by how good this cake was! It’s so simple and not too costly to make considering the basic ingredients, and it’s one of the best chocolate cakes i’ve ever had! Incredibly rich, moist, and so delicious, I used a combination of dutch process and regular cocoa powder, so good!!”
If you’ve been following this site for some time, you know that my favorite type of recipes are quick, easy, and weeknight friendly. Perhaps you’re here because you’re already a fan of my chewy chocolate chip cookies (with 1,000+ positive reviews), my oatmeal chocolate chip bars (that readers call “delicious and easy”) or my marshmallow cornflake treats (so fun and sprinkle-packed). But if you want an easy chocolate cake, this recipe is IT. No one ever guesses that it’s made without eggs or butter because the flavor is so rich, moist, and fudgy.
This is my go-to cake recipe. It’s easy, delicious, and endlessly adaptable for different occasions! – AB
What makes this chocolate cake so easy?
This easy chocolate cake recipe uses just one bowl and the cake is naturally dairy-free. No milk, eggs, or butter needed. You can mix it all by hand and it bakes in under 30 minutes.
It’s fantastic with just a dusting of powdered sugar, but chocolate whipped cream frosting is always a welcome addition.
What is a Depression Chocolate Cake?
This style of cake is known as a Depression Chocolate Cake because it doesn’t use milk, butter, or eggs – ingredients that were expensive and difficult to find during the Great Depression. However, the resulting cake doesn’t taste like any sacrifice has been made – it is rich, moist, and incredibly delicious.
This Chocolate Cake is perfect for:
- Taking to friends with a new baby, new house, or who just need a little love
- Potlucks
- Baking with kids
- Late-night chocolate cravings
- Birthdays
- St. Patrick’s Day (try this Guinness version with an Irish twist)
- Tuesday nights
Chocolate Cake without Eggs
One of the surprising perks of this recipe is that it doesn’t require eggs! It is naturally egg-free and naturally vegan. But whether you came here looking for an egg-free / vegan cake or not, you’ll love this cake. It is tender and full of chocolate flavor.
This was amazing! First time baking without eggs! Me and my family loved it.
– Jenni
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Ingredients
- Flour – All-Purpose Flour is the best bet here. I’ve also tested with White Whole Wheat flour with great results. (I’d guess that a gluten-free blend / sub would also work really well in this simple recipe, though I haven’t tried it.)
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder – Look for natural unsweetened cocoa powder, not cocoa powder labeled Dutch-process. Regular Hershey’s Cocoa Powder is my go-to, but I also make this recipe with Hershey’s Special Dark and the results are great.
- Vegetable Oil – I keep vegetable oil on-hand for baking, but any other neutral oil would work.
- Mini Chocolate Chips – These are optional, but add a great bonus chocolate element. Mini chocolate chips work best – they bake evenly into the cake and you get a little in each bite. Standard-sized chocolate chips would work too, but will be more pronounced in the final product.
- Sugar, Pure Vanilla Extract, Baking Soda, Salt – Standard baking ingredients.
How to make the easiest chocolate cake
- Prepare a baking pan. Spray it with nonstick cooking spray. You can line it with parchment paper to make the cake easy to remove.
- Combine dry ingredients.
- Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix just until combined.
- Pour batter into prepared pan.
- Bake at 350 degrees F. until the cake pulls away from the edges and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow cake to cool completely.
- Just before serving, add frosting (optional).
- Slice and serve!
Best Toppings for Chocolate Cake
All chocolate cake really needs is a dusting of powdered sugar, but it’s also great with any of these
- Powdered sugar
- Creamy Chocolate Frosting
- Vanilla Whipped Cream Frosting
- Nutella Frosting
- Peanut Butter Frosting
- Whipped Cream
- Chocolate Shavings
- Fresh Berries
Storing Leftovers
Store frosted or unfrosted chocolate cake in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If the cake is not frosted it can also be stored at room temperature, but with this chocolate cake recipe, I prefer the fudgy texture it gets in the fridge. 😉
FAQs
Yes! Allow a baked cake to cool completely at room temperature. Wrap or cover it well and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature for a couple of hours. Frost just before serving.
I haven’t tried it, but I’m sure it would work. Just keep a close eye on it as it bakes because the cook time may vary. Or just use my favorite recipe for the Best Chocolate Bundt Cake.
This recipe works great as a batch of cupcakes. Divide the cake batter between the spaces in a muffin tin. Update the baking time to between 13 and 17 minutes.
Yes! It’s naturally vegan. Just be sure to use dairy-free chocolate chips if you choose to add some to the recipe.
Yes! Bake multiple recipes in separate cake pans and let cool completely before completing the frosted cake.
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Easy Chocolate Cake Recipe
Equipment
- Mixing Bowl
- 8-inch square or 9-inch round baking pan
Ingredients
One Bowl Chocolate Cake:
- 1 1/4 cup All-Purpose Flour (150 grams)
- 1 cup Sugar, granulated (200 grams)
- 3/4 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (not Dutch-process cocoa)
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1/8 teaspoon Salt
- 1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
- 1 1/4 cup Water
- 1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 cup Mini Chocolate Chips (optional)
Optional Topping:
- A dusting of powdered sugar (this is really all it needs!)
- Chocolate Frosting
- Whipped cream and chocolate shavings
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Spray an 8-inch square or 9-inch round baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add oil, water, and vanilla extract all at once and stir just until everything is combined and no dry spots remain.
- Stir in chocolate chips.
- Pour batter into prepared baking dish.
- Bake until the cake is set in the middle, 27 to 30 minutes. (Note: In a thicker pan made of glass or ceramic, the cake may take up to an extra 5 minutes to cook all the way through.)
- Allow cake to cool completely. Once cool, top however you'd like (I like a simple dusting of powdered sugar or this chocolate frosting).
- Slice and serve! (This makes 9 generous slices or 12-16 smaller slices.)
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I make a lot of chocolate cake “from scratch” recipes and this is my new favorite. I served it to three friends who had come over for lunch. Oh my, everyone loved it. We all couldn’t believe how much chocolate flavor it had. And, this recipe is so easy and quickly comes together. (A definite plus in my book.) So glad I found my new favorite cake recipe. Thank you!
I didn’t have choc chips and it said optional so I left them out! The cake wasn’t sweet at all and was bitter from the cocoa powder. Maybe if you omit chips you should cut cocoa in half. Wasn’t good with just powdered sugar.
Hi Dana – this is a really sweet cake! I often make it without chocolate chips. You included the full cup of granulated sugar in the cake itself? (It shouldn’t need the chocolate chips or the powdered sugar on top.)
same here. disappointed. any advice?
Hi Mia – can you give more details? What disappointed you about the results?
Amazing cake! I never write reviews but it was that good! I made it with my 2 year old and I can’t even tell you if we followed the recipe to the t but it came out so moist and delicious and it was easy!! Can’t wait to make it again!
Oh yay! I’m so glad you liked it and took the time to write a review. It really is one of my all-time favorites!
Super easy to make and so delicious!
I’m so glad!
I was blown away by how good this cake was! It’s so simple and not too costly to make considering the basic ingredients, and it’s one of the best chocolate cakes i’ve ever had! Incredibly rich, moist, and so delicious, I used a combination of dutch process and regular cocoa powder, so good!!
This cake was moist and delicious. Definitely adding to favorite recipes.
I’m so glad you liked it!
Don’t you put eggs in this cake recipe?
Nope! It doesn’t need eggs at all!
OMG! The best, and easiest, chocolate cake recipe ever! I looked all over for an 8″ German chocolate cake recipe to no avail. I stumbled on this cake recipe by accident and frosted it with a German chocolate frosting. Didn’t change a thing. My house smelled wonderful while it was baking. The best part was that I didn’t have to buy any special ingredients. I ran my regular size chocolate chips through my small food chopper, and they were perfect.
My mother used to make this cake back in the 40’s and 50’s, but I never got her recipe. Thank you for publishing it!
Oh I love that idea! I’m going to have to try the German chocolate cake twist on this one – thank you for sharing!
How long do you bake the cake?
Hi Nancy -bake it for 27 to 30 minutes. The full instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
I used self rising flour since I didn’t have all purpose and omitted the baking soda, as well as I added 1/4 cup more cocoa and an egg. It was delicious and moist! Thanks for the recipe and I hope you don’t mind I tweaked it a bit!
I don’t mind one bit, and I love hearing that it worked! It’s always so great to be able to recommend variations in the original recipe – thank you for sharing!