Simple One Bowl Chocolate Cake

A soft, rich chocolate cake made in one bowl with pantry staples and a very simple method. The espresso deepens the chocolate flavour beautifully, while the crumb stays tender and light.

Simple cakes often end up being the ones worth keeping close. Made without fuss, with ingredients already in the cupboard, and a method that does not ask too much when the day already has.

This one came together as a practical bake, but the result feels far more generous than the effort suggests. Deep chocolate flavour, a soft crumb, and a texture that holds beautifully once cooled. It works just as well dusted with icing sugar as it does beneath a topping.

A cake like this earns its place in the regular rotation. One bowl, no complicated steps, and a result that is just as welcome in a lunchbox on Tuesday as it is on a celebration table on the weekend.

Prep: 15 min · Cook: 45 min · Serves: 10 · Category: Cakes

Ingredients

For the cake

• 1 3/4 cups plain flour
• 2 cups white sugar
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 4 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 shot fresh espresso
• boiling water, enough to bring the espresso and water to 1 cup total

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C and grease and line a 20cm round cake tin.
2. In a large bowl, add the plain flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Whisk well until evenly combined.
3. Add the eggs, milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth.
4. Pour in the fresh espresso, then add enough boiling water to make 1 cup of liquid in total. Stir gently until fully combined. The batter will be quite thin, which is exactly right.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin.
6. Bake for 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out with a few moist crumbs but no wet batter.
7. Leave the cake in the tin for 10 to 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

A light coloured cake tin helps keep the edges softer and prevents the outside from catching too quickly.

The batter is thin, so make sure the tin is well lined and secure before pouring.

The espresso does not make the cake taste like coffee. It simply deepens and rounds out the chocolate flavour.

For a topping such as a chocolate cheesecake layer, let the cake cool completely before adding anything over the top.

If the cake has a slight dome once cooled, level it gently so any topping sits neatly.

The cake stores well in an airtight container for several days and the flavour and texture actually improve overnight.

It freezes beautifully in individual slices. Wrap each slice and freeze for up to three months — ideal for school lunchboxes.

The Grace Table Tip

Bake it the day before you need it if time allows. The chocolate flavour settles beautifully overnight, and the crumb becomes even softer and easier to slice the next day.