Food & Cooking Recipes Dessert & Treats Recipes Cake Recipes One-Bowl Chocolate Cake With Chocolate Frosting 4.0 (393) This easy, impressive layer cake is perfect for any occasion. Prep Time: 35 mins Cook Time: 30 mins Total Time: 1 hr 20 mins Servings: 12 Jump to recipe This one-bowl chocolate cake is luscious enough for a special occasion but easy enough for an everyday dessert. Making the two-layer chocolate-buttermilk cake is so simple—and the recipe gets brownie points for using just one bowl for faster prep and easier cleanup. It’s stirred together by hand—no mixer required—and features basic ingredients you likely already have on hand. Following our simple but delicious theme, we use a decadent chocolate frosting to both fill and frost the cake (you will need another bowl or your mixer for that). Once it's covered in frosting, this marvelous cake is ready for its star turn at a birthday, anniversary, or pretty much any celebration. Our Favorite One-Bowl Baking Recipes That Make Cleanup a Breeze Credit: Jacob Fox Dutch-Process Versus Natural Cocoa Powder For this chocolate cake, use Dutch-process cocoa powder, which differs in color and flavor from natural cocoa powder. Dutch-process cocoa has been alkalized to lower its pH, taming its bitterness and deepening its color. It's our pick for this recipe because it provides a more mellow, neutral chocolate flavor and a rich hue. Natural cocoa powder, like its name suggests, is not treated with an alkalizing solution, retaining all of its natural bitterness and intensity along with its lighter, reddish color. Because it's an acid, natural cocoa powder is often called for in recipes that use baking soda for leavening. No buttermilk on hand? No problem. To make an easy substitute, add 2 1/4 teaspoons of white vinegar or lemon juice to a liquid measuring cup, then pour in enough milk to reach the 3/4 cup line. Give it a quick stir and let sit for 5 minutes or until it appears slightly curdled. How to Make This Cake Ahead Cake layers: Unfrosted cake layers can be cooled completely then stored, wrapped in plastic, at room temperature or refrigerated overnight. You can also freeze the layers—wrapped in a double layer of plastic followed by a layer of foil—for up to 3 months; let frozen cakes defrost in the refrigerator overnight. Frosting: The chocolate cream-cheese frosting can be made up to 1 week ahead of time. Because it contains dairy, it should be refrigerated and not left at room temperature. Before using, let it sit on the counter for 20 to 30 minutes to soften slightly, then beat with an electric mixer to return it to a more creamy, spreadable state. Assembled cake: The fully frosted cake can be refrigerated overnight, wrapped carefully in plastic. Bring to room temperature before serving. Directions Credit: Jacob Fox Preheat oven, prep pans, and combine dry ingredients: Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter two 8-by-2-inch round cake pans; dust with flour, tapping out excess. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Credit: Jacob Fox Add wet ingredients: Whisk in eggs, buttermilk, water, vanilla, and oil. Credit: Jacob Fox Credit: Jacob Fox Move batter to pans and bake: Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Bake until tops spring back when lightly pressed, about 30 minutes. Credit: Jacob Fox Cool cakes on rack: Transfer pans to a wire rack; let cool 15 minutes. Credit: Jacob Fox Remove cakes from pans and cool: Invert cakes onto rack, remove parchment, then turn top-side up (to prevent sticky tops from sticking to rack); let cool completely. Credit: Jacob Fox Trim top layer: For a more refined look, trim the domed top of the cake with a serrated knife so it is flat before layering and frosting. Credit: Jacob Fox Combine sugar, cocoa, and salt for frosting (optional): Sift together sugar, cocoa, and salt. Credit: Jacob Fox Mix cream cheese and butter: Beat cream cheese and butter with a mixer on medium-high speed until smooth. Credit: Jacob Fox Add sugar-cocoa to butter mixture: Reduce speed to medium-low; gradually add sugar-cocoa mixture, and beat until combined. Credit: Jacob Fox Add chocolate: Pour in chocolate in a slow, steady stream. Credit: Jacob Fox Mix in crème fraîche: Add crème fraîche; beat until combined. Credit: Jacob Fox Fill cake with frosting: Spread 1 1/2 cups frosting over top of one cooled cake layer. Credit: Jacob Fox Assemble cake: Top with remaining layer. Credit: Jacob Fox Add crumb coat: Spread a thin coat (about 1 cup) of frosting over top and sides of cake to create a "crumb coat." Credit: Jacob Fox Frost cake: Refrigerate about 20 minutes, then frost top and sides of cake with remaining frosting. Credit: Jacob Fox How to Store One-Bowl Chocolate Cake Store the frosted cake at cool room temperature for a couple of hours. For longer storage, keep in the refrigerator and remove from the fridge 1 hour before serving. Leftovers should be covered, refrigerated, and used within 3 days. Cupcake Variation You can also use this cake batter to make two dozen cupcakes. Fill lined cupcake tins two-thirds full and bake for 20 minutes, rotating once. 5 More Easy Chocolate Cake Recipes to Try Double-Chocolate Pound Cake Easy Chocolate Cake Busy-Day Chocolate Dump Cake Chocolate Bundt Cake 4-Ingredient Flourless Chocolate Cake Updated by Victoria Spencer Victoria Spencer Victoria Spencer is an experienced food editor, writer, and recipe developer. She manages the decorvow recipe archive and is always curious about new ingredients and the best techniques. She has been working in food media for over 20 years. and Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds is an experienced recipe developer, recipe tester, food editor, and writer with over a decade of experience in the food and media industries.