Chocolate Cake

At a glance

What stands out: This is truly a standby chocolate cake recipe you’ll ever make. It’s never dry, straightforward to mix, and so rich!

How long it takes: less than 40 minutes!
Equipment you’ll need: cake pan(s), whisk, mixing bowl, cooling rack
Servings: 12

straightforward From-scratch chocolate cake

A standby chocolate cake. Made from scratch, with simple ingredients you likely have in your pantry, this straightforward chocolate cake is amazingly good with rich chocolate flavor. It boasts a reliable spongey texture and it’s always moist.

No butter, no eggs, no mixer! This is an memorable from-scratch cake. Most cakes use lots of butter and eggs and you have to use an electric mixer to beat the batter. But not this cake! You don’t need eggs, butter, or a mixer. GASP! It has white vinegar in it! Plain ol’ white vinegar, in your cake! Weird, huh?

Crazy cake (crazy good, crazy straightforward). We're always a little amazed at how straightforward it is make this chocolate cake and how great it turns out every time! Some people call it a “wacky cake” or a “crazy cake.” Some recipes don’t even use a bowl; the cake batter is stirred up in the pan. It is a little crazy! (But it’s rich!)

Pantry ingredients. All you need is a big bowl, a whisk, and about 10 minutes. If your pantry is fairly well-stocked with flour, sugar, cocoa powder, vinegar, and oil, we bet you could make this cake right now! You won’t even have to open your refrigerator. Shouldn’t you make a cake today? We think you should!

Fun Fact

Because this cake is egg-free and dairy-free, it’s a vegan cake. The recipe may have been created during World War II when eggs and butter were severely rationed (Wikipedia). Cooks got creative and produced this lovely fudge cake recipe. Wasn’t that clever of them?

Diana Said:

“we call this our “desperation cake” recipe. When you’ve had a crappy day and need some self-indulgence, we make this cake and then everything seems manageable….It’s a adaptable recipe for a reliable chocolate cake.”

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What goes in

• Flour: Use all-purpose flour for this cake. There’s no need to buy special flour to make this cake. We usually buy unbleached flour because fewer chemicals are used in its production (Healthline).
• Sugar: Regular granulated white sugar is all you need.
• Cocoa Powder: Unsweetened cocoa powder is made from ground cocoa beans and has a surprising amount of nutrients and minerals.
• Baking Soda and Distilled White Vinegar: When these two ingredients are combined, a chemical reaction takes place. This reaction is what causes all the tiny air pockets in your cake. In other words, it makes the cake rise. Use plain white vinegar, none of the fancy kinds needed here. In fact, you don’t want to use a fancy kind because it will add a flavor to your cake that you’re not looking for.
• Vegetable Oil: This cake is made with oil instead of butter. We usually use canola oil but other kinds work fine, too.
• Hot Water: The water helps make the cake moist. Why hot? It helps the cocoa dissolve.
• Pure Vanilla Extract: Enhances the flavor of the chocolate. You can also add espresso powder to the cake, if you like a mocha flavor. Keep reading for more ideas.
• Frosting: You can frost the cake with your choice of chocolate buttercream frosting, tangy cream cheese frosting, creamy peanut butter frosting, or simply top it with a generous spoonful of whipped cream or ice cream.

How it comes together

Get your oven preheated. It’s important to have your oven ready and waiting, nice and hot. Once the cake batter is mixed, you’re going to want to get it in the oven ASAP. Time is of the essence here. We'll explain why in a minute.

Recipe Tip

Always lightly spoon the flour into your measuring cup. If you scoop flour directly out of the bag or canister, the flour is compacted and you’ll get more flour than you need. Your cake may turn out dry. It’s okay to scoop granulated sugar though.

Prep the pan(s). Spray your pans with nonstick cooking spray. There will be enough batter to make a 9 x 13-inch pan or two round layer cakes. If you plan on removing the layer cakes from the pan, it’s helpful to cut a round of parchment paper to lay on the bottom of the pan.

Mix dry ingredients. Using a whisk, mix the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, and sugar) in a big mixing bowl.

Mix wet ingredients. In a different bowl, combine vinegar, oil, vanilla, espresso powder (if using), and hot water. It doesn’t have to be thoroughly blended, just kind of mixed.

Is your oven preheated? Is your pan ready? Good, because here we go.

Combine. Is your oven preheated? Is your pan ready? Good, because here we go. Dump the wet ingredients, all at once, into the dry ingredients. Stir lightly with the whisk, making sure all the dry ingredients are getting moistened.

In this cake recipe, the chemical reaction between baking soda and vinegar makes the cake fluffy. You’ll notice the batter bubbling almost immediately after adding the vinegar mixture. Those bubbles are what gives this cake a lighty and airy texture.

Pour batter into pan. Immediately pour the batter into the prepared pans. Immediately put the cake into the oven. Set the timer.

Wasn’t that straightforward? Hope you didn’t get stressed out by the lightning speedy speed of your cake making experience. Wait ’til you taste it! It truly is a standby chocolate cake, ever!

Ways to change it

• Flavor variations: Replace the vanilla extract with mint extract or maple extract. Add finely grated orange zest to the batter.
• Try a baked topping. Instead of frosting, sprinkle the cake batter with chocolate chips and chopped nuts. Sprinkle a few tablespoons of sugar over the whole cake, and bake as directed. No need to frost it!
• Serve the cake unfrosted with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or cookies and cream ice cream and a drizzle of bourbon caramel sauce or hot fudge sauce. Tell us that doesn’t sound good!
• Fruit topping: Top the cake with whipped cream and raspberries, or from-scratch strawberry sauce.

Make Ahead Ideas

Get a head start: Mix the dry ingredients in a big mixing bowl, cover, and set it aside until you’re ready to bake.

Keeping leftovers

If your kitchen is fairly cool, or if you have a different cool spot (like a garage or unheated room), the cake doesn’t have to be refrigerated. Make sure you cover it tightly, out of reach of your pets, and it will keep for a few days. We've noticed that if the weather’s warm, the cake begins to deflate a bit and gets sticky.

If you frosted your cake with cream cheese frosting, it should be refrigerated.

Leftover Love

Hmmmm, what to do with leftover cake? EAT IT! Who has leftover cake, anyways?!! Is that a trick question? But if you wanted to switch things up a little, you could crumble it in small parfait bowls and layer with pudding or whipped cream for a fun and straightforward trifle!

Straightforward Dessert Recipes

• Yield: 12
• Prep: 10 minutes
• Cook: 28 minutes
• Total: 38 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups hot water
• ¾ cup vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon espresso powder, optional

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (see note). For round pans, spray pans with nonstick cooking spray, then line bottoms with parchment paper. Spray 9 x 13-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
3. Combine water, oil, vinegar, vanilla, and espresso powder (if using) in a large measuring cup.
4. Add to the dry ingredients and whisk just until combined — a few lumps are okay.
5. Divide batter between prepared round pans, or pour batter into 9 x 13-inch pan.
6. Bake in preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 28 minutes for round pans, or 32 to 35 minutes for 9 x 13 pan.
7. Cool on wire rack. When completely cooled, frost.
8. For layer cake: Cool cakes on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then invert onto the rack, removing pans. Leave cakes upside down (this flattens domed cakes) to cool completely.

Notes

Baking tip: It’s important to get the cake into a preheated oven as quickly as possible once the dry ingredients are mixed with the wet ingredients. You’ll see the batter begin to bubble immediately as the vinegar and baking soda react. This is what leavens the cake.

Frosting suggestions: Frost the cake with chocolate buttercream frosting, cream cheese frosting, peanut butter frosting, or top it with a generous spoonful of whipped cream or ice cream.