Quick & Easy Chocolate Cake
My frosting has a little butter but you can use vegan butter. Always aerate your flour before measuring. - Jenny Jones
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Makes: 8 servings
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-processed)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda (not baking powder)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup cool water
- 6 Tablespoons vegetable oil (I use avocado oil)
- 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice or distilled white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan.
- Sift dry ingredients into a bowl and set aside.
- In a measuring cup combine water, oil, juice or vinegar, and vanilla.
- Add liquids to bowl & gently stir until there are no lumps (about 30 seconds).
- Pour into pan and bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool completely in the pan and frost, glaze, or dust with powdered sugar.
Notes: I usually frost just the top right in the pan with my 2-Minute Chocolate Frosting. For the recipe click here.
For more on this recipe in my blog click here.
Jenny,
I have made your cake three times in the last two weeks. Have gained three pounds. Is there a correlation? Should a committee be formed to study this? Love your recipes and videos…and your cake! 😃
Super quick recipe that you can make in a pinch! Thank you for sharing it Jenny @->
I’m gluten free so I used Anthony’s cassava flour with a tablespoon of tapioca four. (It requires a smidge more water.)
I also used instant coffee in the water.
I’m low sugar too, so I subbed monkfruit granulated sugar, it’s 1:1.
Everybody loves it, especially when I make peanut butter and chocolate frosting.
Is your pb and chocolate frosting also vegan? Would you mind sharing the recipe?
Tried this cake 2 days ago after watching your video of how to make it. I love the camera in the fridge catching you stealing the last piece of your cake! It was really cute! I doubled the batch and baked it in 2 square pans. I multiplied your chocolate frosting recipe by 5 and made a fully frosted cake. I used margarine instead of butter for the frosting and inexpensive cocoa in both the frosting and cake. It came out really good, even with those changes. I’m definitely going to pass this chocolate cake and frosting recipe on to my friends!
Jenny Jones;
Hi,after successfully making your easy chocolate cake with the chocolate icing on top of the cake on Jan.15th 2021,it was so delicious and a good tasting cake that I am going to make the chocolate cake and icing today at home.
Kim
Wow! This is fantastic. I almost didn’t bake this today because I don’t have confectioner’s sugar for the icing–and am too lazy to shop. I decided to make the cake anyway and this is simply amazing–moist, fluffy, not too sweet. The perfect thing to go with Saturday afternoon coffee.
Hi Jenny,
Want try your chocolate cake, but can I use have the sugar or even a substitute?
Thanks, Delia
I made it with Truvia and it came out great! Also, didn’t have oil so used butter in the cake. My family loved it!
Hi Jenny, your chocolate cake and icing is simply delicious. Would you know the calorie count per serving. I also am looking forward to trying another recipe.
Thank you Jenny for your wonderful recipes.
Your recipe calls for water, but I have buttermilk on hand, so I was wondering if I could substitute and use buttermilk instead of the water.
OMG first go at this and it was great! Did my own modifications but yummy all the same
Hi Jenny. Well I finally got around to trying this recipe. Have been cooking for 40 years but never baked! I used Hershey Special Dark cocoa. I also used Arm & Hammer “Refrigerator/Freezer” baking soda which is “coarser” than regular. I also only had 8.5 inch pans and it took about 10-15 min longer to bake. The cake was good but had a fudge like texture- moist but a bit “mushy”. Any thoughts on what may have caused that result? Definitely will try again and looking forward to your Dutch oven bread and other great recipes. Thanks for making it easy to start baking!
Made this cake today. Super easy and really delicious.
This looks delicious!!! Jenny, I’ve been making your meatloaf for YEARS!! It’s always a hit. I gave it saved as a favorite in my phone, and share it frequently. Tonight I made it in a heart shape to celebrate the holiday!
This chocolate cake will be my next adventure… thank you so much!!!
This recipe has become a favourite monthly treat at our house. So simple, and it works splendidly every time I bake it!
Can I use this recipe to make cupcakes and if so, what is the baking temperature and time to bake? Thank you!!
Please see my Chocolate Cupcakes recipe.
Hi MS. Santana here I follow you on YouTube and your recipes are great and healthy. Thank you for letting us enjoy a better way of eating. Can a person substituted vegan milk like oat milk for your chocolate cake recipe ?
I’ve made this incredible chocolate cake twice. I did a few little changes though. I used a bit less cocoa powder, about a 1/4 less. Also when the batter was made I added the zest of one large orange as well as 1/3 cup of chopped pecans. I used a vanilla frosting of confectionery sugar (about 1 1/2 cups sifted) with 2Tbs of melted butter and milk to mix it. I love vanilla chocolate so I added about a 1/4 melted vanilla morsels to the frosting.
I was never a fan of chocolate cake until now.
https://www.jennycancook.com/recipes/2-minute-chocolate-frosting/
I am going to try the chocolate AND vanilla, then layer them with the orange pulp and the rind. Of course not forgetting the juice.
For my granddaughter’s birthday..Because of the COVID-19 lockdowns. We will FaceTime and Papa and I will bring the cake in and sing HAPPY BIRTHDAY.
Will send pictures.
Baba
These were such good additions! I took your advice and added chopped pecans and orange zest, also baked this is two pans in a 340 degree oven for 20 minutes and it came out perfectly. I frosted it with whipped cream cream cheese frosting and it was so moist, light and delicious! With these tweaks this is now my favorite chocolate cake recipe. Thank you!
Absolutely delicious and do easy to make!
Will this cake freeze well? Can it be used for a wedding cake with layers?
Thank you
The cake freezes beautifully. I cut the cake into serving size pieces, wrapped each in commercial Saran type wrap, placed all in a container so they wouldn’t get squashed in the freezer; it was great to be able to take out a piece whenever I wished. I will be making another one today and will frost that one. A big THANK YOU to Jenny!!
I did that chocolate cake and it came out so good and so rich and I shared it with some people where I live here and seen your place and it’s great I had a second piece I’m going for third slice thank you Jenny it’s really good
Thank you for a delicious recipe that’s easy! I admit I don’t like being in the kitchen much anymore since being diagnosed with a chronic illness. Your recipes are such a help and have made my time in the kitchen much more enjoyable. I made the cake and icing for dessert and everyone loved it. It really was easy to make! I’ve also made your no-knead bread a few times, another big hit with the family. Next up – lemon brownies!
Jenny
I made this chocolate cake and it was so easy and tasted fantastic.
I did substitute apple sauce for the oil and used Splenda for the sugar to make it a little more healthier. It was so moist and chocolatey.
Do you know if this cake will work with almond or coconut flour or any other kind of flour?
Thanks Jenny -your so pretty
Mike
how much apple sauce did you use?
6 table spoons of apple sauce?
I make this with 1 cup flour or whole wheat white flour & 1/2 cup almond flour to reduce the carbs. Also use 1/2 stevia & 1/2 sugar. It comes out yummy. I’m going to try 6 TB unsweetened apple sauce vs the oil sometime too.
I make this with 1 cup flour or whole wheat white flour & 1/2 cup almond flour to reduce the carbs. Also use 1/2 stevia & 1/2 sugar. It comes out yummy. I’m going to try 6 TB unsweetened apple sauce vs the oil sometime too.
Quarantine baking, you’ve got to love it! I’ve been trying out all kinds of recipes and yours are the best! They’ve all turned out wonderful. Back in the 50’s my mother used to make this cake so I was so happy to find your recipe. I’ve made it 5 times now and shared it with my friends and family. Everyone wants the recipe.
Thank you for sharing the healthier version of the Quick and Easy chocolate cake. Is there away that I can reduce the sugar?
Thank you.
Anna, I have successfully reduced the sugar by a 1/3. Give 2/3 cup sugar a try and see how you like it. Also, I didn’t ice the cake. Enjoy!
super easy cake – always have ingredients – sometimes use left over coffee in place of water to enhance chocolate. Cake comes out great. Thanks for the recipe.
i love this cake! i decided to make this with vanilla frosting and decorated it with my melody image (from sanrio) i love the taste and how fluffy it is.
Hi Jenny I love the simplicity of this chocolate cake it turned out really good.
I will be making it again… thank you
This is the best cake. It has become my go to cake for giving. It is moist and the flavor is delicious. The chocolate frosting on the top is quick, easy, smooth and also delicious. Love your recipes.
This is the second time I have made this cake. This time I had some leftover German chocolate cake frosting that I wanted to use up. Everyone preferred this cake to the fancy, incredibly complicated recipe I made before, using German’s chocolate! This is a delicious, moist chocolate cake that can be thrown together in minutes. A favorite in our house!
How is this cake stored? Room temp or fridge once frosted?
Google “storing cakes.”
I have made this cake at least a dozen times. After I made a dinner tonight that took a lot of effort – stuffed chicken breasts, green beans with sauteed shallots and toasted almonds, au gratin potatoes from scratch, my dear husband looked at me and said, “All I need now is a piece of chocolate cake to have with my coffee”. After shooting daggers at him with my eyes, I decided to make this cake again. After all, I’d like a piece of chocolate cake with my coffee, too!
This is a serious winner of a recipe!
Thanks so much, I have been wondering what the proportions are to make baked goods are when you have don’t have baking powder–there is none at my dollar store, & every once in a while I run out. Also, I think it might be healthier than most baking powders. 🙂
If you have baking soda, but you don’t have baking powder, you’ll need to use baking soda plus an acid, such as cream of tartar. For every teaspoon of baking powder, you’ll want to substitute in ¼ tsp of baking soda with ½ tsp of cream of tartar.
Any type of substitute needed can be asked in Google.
I was craving an easy moist chocolate cake and yours just hit the spot ! My only addition was —- 1 scant teaspoon instant expresso to the water, and my coco measurement was a heaping 1/4 cup….thanks Jenny for a delicious recipe! Well done ?
So good. I used 3 tbspspur cream and 3 tbsp oil. I also used 1/2 cup monk fruit sweetener and 1/2 cup sugar. Was deeeelish
Lovely recipe! I sometimes add chopped walnuts to satisfy the nut aficionados in our home. Coupled with your 2-Minute Chocolate Frosting recipe, this is cake is simply delicious!
Thank you sooooo much Jenny !
Made this several times amazing always an hit !
Looking forward for more vegan types !
Thank you Jenny for this delicious recipe! My boys really enjoyed this cake. A huge thank you for the dairy free find. I still can not believe how moist and flavorful this cake is. This is our now go to cake recipe.
Originally from Chicago, youtube hit it out if the park by suggesting your channel. I can’t wait to try out your other recipes.
I made this cake!! And it was delicious!!! I would like to know how many calories per slice? I eat half the cake in 6 hours!! It was just that good!!! Thank you for sharing this Awesome chocolate cake recipe!! I
I made this cake!! And it was delicious!!! I would like to know how many calories per slice. I eat have the cake in 6 hours!! Thank t was just that good!!! Thank you for sharing this Awesome chocolate cake recipe!! Its just that Good!!!
I love chocolate cake.
Perfect. My family absolutely love this. I make a coffee butter icing (frosting) and place this on half of the top and a vanillas icing on the other, as divided opinion over coffee in family.
Love this cake. It’s so chocolatey, moist and easy to prepare.
Make two and turn them into a layer cake and wow everyone.
Thanks
This by far the BEST chocolate cake I’ve ever eaten. It was extremely easy to make. I iced it with the suggested frosting and doubled the icing recipe. I did use my regular Hershey’s cocoa instead but it turned out great. Highly recommend this cake. Also I used 2 T of butter and 2 T chunky peanut butter in the icing. YUMMY!!!!
not sure what happened, was excited to try the cake based on so many good reviews. Only recipe differences were I used lime juice instead of lemon juice and did 8×8 sq in pan. Like some others have stated cake sunk in the middle about 4in circle in diameter so looks a bit like a volcano. Baked for 32 minutes and toothpick came out clean but cake is very sticky (despite greasing pan) and hard to get out of pan. Some said this may be due to over mixing the batter but in the cake itself there are small white blobs that look like flour never get mixed. Taste is okay but texture is too moist and sticky. Any ideas?
Wrong size pan. Make it in a 9 inch round and beat batter until smooth. If you don’t have lemon juice, use the white vinegar. I use bottled ReaLemon juice and it works great. Baking is more of a science than other kinds of cooking. One thing is off and the whole thing can go to hell. Not sure in the instructions say to beat batter just until lumps are gone, but I’m used to beating batter completely until smooth, and this works great for this recipe as well. Don’t use lime juice and use a 9 inch pan to start. Bon appetit!
DR, did you sift your dry ingredients? Most times that will eliminate the unmixed portions.
I decided to make this on a whim and so glad I did even though I had to sub some ingredients. I used einkorn flour, lime, and a ghee/avocado mix oil and baked in a square pan. The only change i would made is the oil. I would find a light tasting one as the ghee mixture was too heavy. I’ve already eaten the bottom inch and haven’t even frosted it. Thank you!
just a historical note, this type of cake recipe is also called “Depression Cake”, because during the Great Depression era of the late 1920’s to early 1930’s, eggs, butter and milk were not affordable. It re-emerged during World War II when those same ingredients were rationed and scarce. It is great timing to see this cake again during these tough pandemic times. All ingredients can be stored in long-term In the pantry. it requires no fresh ingredients, eliminating extra trips to the store. The best part is that it tastes so good! Bravo!
Now eggs and butter are affordable but cause heart disease, strokes, and cancer, so best to avoid them anyway. Oil isn’t great either, but the saturated fat content is lower – not zero, but lower. I don’t make this cake often, it’s great when people come over, but it’s not really healthy either. But it’s a quick dessert if you have guests, which I don’t now because of COVID, but I just made it again to pack up in a food package for a shut-in friend. Bon appetit!
Daphne, I am not aware of any evidence that eggs and butter cause cancer so if you can provide qualified research on which you base your opinion, I would appreciate it. Otherwise, I will remove your comment so as not to scare people unnecessarily. Thank you.
I have made this several times with great results each time. I originally made it because my daughter has special food needs, but when ate it I was hooked. Have taken it parties and get asked for recipe. I refer them back here.
I have made changes a few times- best change: 1/2 c sugar and 1/2 cup dark cocoa powder. This allows for a sweet frosting without the overwhelming sweetness.
Thank you, Jenny. You have saved me many times.
Carrie
I made this cake yesterday. Wow! So easy to make! To save more time I really could of done it while napping?. It came out perfect!. I used your frosting recipe just enough to put on top of the cake.
I used real cocoa from Honduras..my son got some for me on a trip there. It tasted great!…used avocado oil for the 1st time?Thk you Jenny…Now what else could I make today??
Delicious! Yet I used same recipe but divided into two baking pans and half the time (15 min)for a two layer chocolate cake… it was amazing and so quick to make! Thank you very much for sharing… it was Fun… frosting as well!
My sons all-time favorite chocolate cake is Portillo‘s. So yesterday Sunday we had a taste test. My husband went out and bought a Portillo‘s cake chocolate cake 1piece that is, and I made your wonderful one layer chocolate cake. Guess who won? Jennie, it was your chocolate cake. Among others it was Unanimous!
I found this to be amazing.
Barbara
Hey Jenny,
Can I cook this cake in my microwave, and if so how long does it need to be in there. Our microwave oven is 1200 watts.
Jenny,
My wife and kids can’t get enough, of this chocolate delishiousiness..I’ve made it now several times, and even the icing.its all gooood??
The chocolate cake and all your tips turned out delicious… I did divide the batter into two pans … less time. Thank you am passing on the directions to my brother…❤️
My 11 year old son is obsessed with making this cake! Thank you for providing this recipe and your youtube video. We have a budding Baker, Thanks to you! I don’t usually like cake but I love this one!
I make this every two weeks in quarantine, my wife’s favorite. I throw in extra dark chocolate bits and use peanut butter frosting which uses even less butter. She (and I) loves it.
Cmon. Share the peanut butter icing recipe. Tnx.
Use 2 tablespoons peanut butter instead of actual butter, cream it with the powdered sugar and add plant mylk to thin it out. The PB is the “fat” portion instead of butter. It’s also healthier! Bon appetit!
Jenny, this is the 2nd time I made this cake. So very delicious- I served it with fresh raspberries from our garden.
My Dad says it reminds him of his mother’s homemade devils food cake from 50 yrs ago! So good and very easy. The chocolate icing can’t be beat!!!
All in all a good cake however it was very salty. Next time i will half the amount.
What flour/flours can be substituted for all-purpose flour?
Tried it for the first time. Came out great! Delicious! And I’m a true baking novice…just followed the directions. (Tried your braided cinnamon raisin bread and that came out great too). Thank you!
Love this eggless chocolate cake recipe.
Any hope for a white cake recipe for us allergic to eggs. ?
coming soon…
Thanks Jenny. So excited to read that a
recipe for an eggless white cake will be coming soon. Can’t wait !!!
Best cake ever. I have a child with egg allergies this cake has saved us. I have made it every holiday and birthday. Delicious…. Now for the stupid question as I do not cook, to make a vanilla cake do I just omit the cocoa powder?
Jenny hasa recipe for a vanilla cake. Just as easy and it is wonderful. Follow her recipe for a perfect result!
Since our retirement, I hesitate to make desserts because the recipes make too much. I was quite frankly amazed at how really good this cake is. I have tried soo many recipes that are low fat/healthy and taste bad. This is a delicious cake and the frosting is yummy!
THANKS YOU SO MUCH!
I have made this cake more times than I can count! It’s the “go-to” cake in our house and never fails to please. It’s an absolutely fool proof recipe and tastes divine. And it stays fresh for days – if it lasts that long!
Jenny – This chocolate cake is the very best! I make it all the time for family and friends. The one layer is perfect – moist and just enough cake – because I do put a lot of icing on and get rave compliments! My husband actually likes when I portion it and freeze it. Also your quick Dutch oven bread – so good! I am making a loaf today for my granddaughter before she returns to the Naval Academy!! Thank you so much for all of your recipes.
Baked this cake yesterday & it’s already gone. So I decided to bake a double recipe this morning before my golf game. Changed the ingredients a little by using coconut water with the cool water. Also added some choco chips. Again no time for frosting. Took some for snacks, then shared some with my sister who has a family of 5. It was a hit. The cake is still moist & delicious although I wasn’t impressed that it cracked while rising. Any solution to prevent this from happening next time? I’ll probably be baking it again on the weekend. ?
Same thing has happened to me with the cracking – I just fill the holes with extra icing and no one notices or complains!!
A few things to try: check your oven temperature. If your oven runs hot, this can be the cause. Try checking with an oven thermometer as some ovens can be 25 degrees or more off. Next is the levening. Make sure you aren’t adding too much. Last would be the pan size. Use the recommended size. Hope one of these ideas will help.
Love this cake. Made twice already
Love this cake. Very easy to make!
Baked this cake tonight. Just like it’s name, Quick & Easy, not a lot of work, yet tastes delish. Reduced sugar to 3/4c for my diabetic husband. No time for frosting. The cake is half gone. I’ll double the recipe next time for a taller cake. Thanks, Jenny.
I made this cake & it was as easy as Jenny said it was. One problem though, after the specified bake time & checking that the cake was done, the middle just sunk down. An area of about 4 inches in diameter right in the middle of the cake had dropped. The cake was done & delicious in spite of the drop-down.
I live at 5000 ft. elevation in Colorado. I’m wondering if I need to adjust the cooking temperature and/or time and if so, which way?
I’d really like to perfect this cake since it is so easy & soooo good. Any help will be appreciated.
I had the same result! The first time I made the cake it came out perfect, second time, like you said it sank in the middle. I’m in Chicago, no high altitude here.
Any suggestions?
Thanks ?
It might have sunk because you mixed it too much, or you didn’t put the batter straight into the oven.
Thank you! I think that helped. I just made one and stirred it less and more gentle and it came out properly.
Next question, how would I adjust the recipe if I used eggs?
Thanks again!
This tastes like cereal on the edges but better with frosting
I watched your video and you talked about Bison meat which is less fatty, but you said, that you can use regular chop meat and they taste the same. I am paraphrasing. The is a remarkable difference between the two. I recently started using Bison meat and it is different and much more delicious. Thank you for all your recipes and videos.
Edith
During this quarantine, I’ve been trying to bake more to make my family happy. This cake is moist and delicious and so so easy! I may only be 12, but this cake was so easy and quick, anyone could make it! Thank you, Jenny!! 🙂
I needed a quick dessert to make & bring to a friends house for the weekend. This cake and frosting are so delicious and so easy to make. You make my life easier with these easy to follow recipes that don’t take much time to make!
Thanks!
Can I double the recipe to make it thicker because when I tried the recipe the first time it came out thin but its very good!
I doubled this recipe and used exact measurements with baking soda and it did work well but there is a very distinct taste of the baking soda and I used a good baking soda without aluminum but still the cake had more of the baking soda taste and smell, otherwise the look was great.
I think, since you mentioned using aluminum free, you used baking powder instead of baking soda.
Hi Jenny,
I’m not a baker, but I try. This chocolate cake and frosting recipe was simple and manageable. It turned out great. Moist and delicious. Thanks!
hello!
I love this recipe. I converted it to GF by using Anthony’s cassava flour, 1/4 cup tapioca flour and 1/4 cup almond flours sifted together for the full flour amount of 1 and 1/2 cups. it was amazing! cooks longer by 15 min. Allow to cool fully and it is really a texture lovers dream.
You are a godsend to so many during this quarantine. Not just this video but all of your pleasant comments and unexpected humour! Thank you for this recipe. You make me feel like we can go for coffee and be friends, laugh at the camera in the fridge, or cutting yourself the biggest slice of cake first. We love you and thank you Jenny. You are so appreciated. Hugs from Vernon, BC. Xoxo.
Yay! I made it this morning and the cake did not fall and it was so easy!!!! I used swerve to keep it sugar free and it came out PERFECT! Almond flour does not work for this recipe, by the way. Thank you Jenny!!!
hi I Just put it in the oven and was reading the comments…. ugh oh… i did use almond flour. We’ll see lol. Next time i might try almond and coconut flours mixed.
I made this cake for my son’s birthday and it turned out great!! I am grateful for a small cake because we all know what happens with chocolate cake leftovers! Especially during quarantine!
Thank you Jenny!!
I found an earlier comment from someone who had been making this recipe for a long time, with variations of different flavors, like lemon, banana, and so on. Now I can’t find the comment again to jot down those hints! Can anyone else direct me to it?
Was it this? It was from a poster called “bunny” from the YouTube video on the cake. —
I’ve been making this cake for over 45 years, “Mix-in-the-Pan Jiffy Cake”, for clients who are allergic to eggs, milk, etc., or have food preferences such as being vegan. My recipe calls for white vinegar, but lemon juice would also work in the same way. I mix the ingredients right in an ‘ungreased’ cake pan w/ a fork, if it will be left in the pan for serving. For diabetic clients, I use Swerve White Granulated Sugar Replacement & for gluten-free clients, I use gluten-free flour. For a chocolate cake, I use 1 cup cold coffee in place of the water, to give the chocolate flavor a boost. I also make this cake without cocoa for other flavors – for a lemon cake use lemon extract, water, & lemon zest or lemonade & lemon zest; for an orange cake use orange extract, water, & orange zest or orange juice and orange zest: banana extract w/ a little yellow food color; strawberry extract w/ a little pink food color; etc. – any flavor works. I bake all my cakes at 300 & test the internal temp w/ an instant-read thermometer for doneness, like you’d test a steak. Baking cakes at 300 degrees also gives the edges more time to bake higher, ending up w/ a flat cake. When you can smell a cake, it’s almost done, & time to test. Once the internal temp reaches 212 degrees, the liquids are boiling & evaporating, so the cake will be dry & over baked. I pull all my cakes when they test at 208 degrees since they will bake out of the oven for a couple more minutes. If leaving this cake in the pan, press saran on its surface while it’s still warm, about 30 minutes out of the oven. If removing it from the pan (you can make 2 layers for a layer cake) put parchment in the bottom of the pan & spray the sides of the pan. Place saran & a cookie sheet on top of the cake, flip all over, lift off the pan, wrap airtight in the saran, place back in the pan upside down, & leave on the counter at room temp for a day to ‘season’. Cakes that are made a day ahead of time will be easier to work with, w/ fewer crumbs & crumbling.