One-Bowl Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

For the cake:

1 1/2 cups (188g) all-purpose flour, plus more for flouring the pans

1/4 cup (23g) unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted if lumpy

1 cup (200g) sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup brewed coffee (or 1 cup hot tap water mixed with 1 1/2 teaspoons instant coffee granules or espresso powder, or 1 cup plain hot tap water)

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons neutral oil or mild olive oil

1 tablespoon vinegar (any kind will do)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

To frost and decorate:

1 recipe Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

8 maraschino cherries, drained, optional

Method

Bake the cake

Preheat the oven to 350°F: 

Position the rack in the center. 

Grease two 6-inch round cake pans with cooking spray, dust with flour, and tap out the excess. 

Line the bottoms with parchment paper or rounds of wax paper.

Whisk the dry ingredients:

In a large bowl, vigorously whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt until the cocoa powder is well distributed and the mixture is an even light brown color.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry:

Add the hot coffee or water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla to the bowl, and whisk together gently until no lumps remain. You may see some bubbles in the bowl that look like lumps, but they are the baking soda reacting with the hot liquid to create carbon dioxide. The batter will seem a bit thin. Do not overbeat.

Add to the pans and bake:

Divide the batter between the prepared pans. Bake on the middle rack until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cake comes out clean and the cakes spring back lightly when pressed gently in the middle with your fingertip.

For two 6-inch round pans, this will take about 30 minutes; for cupcakes, 20 minutes.

Cool slightly, the remove from the pans:

Remove the pans from the oven and let them sit on a rack for 5 minutes to cool. Then gently run a knife along the sides and turn the cakes from the pans onto the rack. Peel off the waxed paper or parchment, and cool completely.

Frost the cake

Make the frosting:

As the cakes cool, make the Chocolate Buttercream Frosting.

Prep the plate: 

On the plate or platter you’ll be serving the cake on, lay 4 strips of parchment or waxed paper down to create a square that’s about the size of the cake. These will help keep buttercream off the plate when you serve it. Lay a cake layer in the center, flat side down

Fill the center:

With an offset metal spatula or a butter knife, spread a blob of frosting (about 1/2 cup or a quarter of the frosting) across the cake layer and all the way to the edges. Don’t worry if it’s messy..

Top with the second layer:

Lay the second cake over the frosting so it’s flat side down.

Put another 1/2 cup of frosting in the center and spread it out to the edges of the top using the metal spatula. Just worry about getting it spread out—you’ll make it pretty later.

Frost the sides:

Gather blobs of frosting on the spatula and smear on the sides until they are all coated. Then go back and smooth them out with the spatula.

Smooth the top:

Now you can go back and smooth the top so it’s pretty. Keep some ridges to make attractive swirls.

Gently pull the strips of paper out from under the frosted cake.

Add the cherries, if using:

If you want to make your cake look like the Matilda cake, pat 8 maraschino cherries dry with paper towels and keep the stems on. 

Arrange on the bottom of the cake, gently pressing the stems into the sides so they stay in place.

Serve: 

Slice and share. Keep the frosted cake at cool room temperature for up to 1 day before serving. If it’s hot, refrigerate the cake. It’s best enjoyed within 2 days.

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