I’ve noticed that when people find out I'm a Texan, they assume a few things: I’m mighty friendly, I love biscuits and barbecue, and I know a thing or two about Southern hospitality. And none of those things is wrong. But, I have to admit the hospitality part trips me up sometimes. When faced with unexpected guests, my house is often 80 degrees (I’m happier to live my life without the sound of air conditioner) and there are piles (and I mean piles) of sugar-coated dishes in the sink. No one told me there’d be this many dishes involved in running a food blog.
So when I hear someone is coming down my way and wants to pick some produce from the garden, I flip on the AC, start gathering dirty dishes into one enormous pile (as if this is somehow better than scattered piles), and put some hot water on to make a fresh jug of sweet tea.
Lately, my visitors and last-minute dinner guests have seen fewer dishes because I’ve been working on this one-bowl easy chocolate cake. Although, one Sunday I had every bowl I owned coated in chocolate cake batter with a wooden spoon and chocolate fingerprint-coated labels denoting ‘version 1', 'version 2', etc. Let's not even talk about all the sticky jam-coated spoons. All of this so that you may have an easy go-to recipe for chocolate cake up your sleeve.
This cake is customizable to your tastes. I've succesfully used seedless raspberry and blackberry jam in the batter, as well as homemade cherry preserves. (Remember when 2 people ate 10 pounds of cherries in 2 weeks?)
One final note, this cake is dense and fudgey, not light and birthday-cakey. Like any good (almost) flourless cake, it tends to sink a little in the middle. If this sort of thing bothers you, plop on some freshly whipped cream to fill in the dip.
From my hospitable Southern heart to yours, This rich chocolate cake is so easy to make!
One Bowl Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
Instructions
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4
Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 214Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 77mgSodium: 145mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 1gSugar: 11gProtein: 3g
Choc Chip Uru says
This looks both delicious and simple - I have a staple chocolate cake recipe on my blog which never goes wrong but for a quick fix this seems brilliant :)
Choc Chip Uru says
I love the idea of using jam in this simple cake - I might have to leae my staple chocolate cake behind :P
Hannah says
This recipe is perfection! I am making it for the second time in one week today. My guys loved it and it is so simple! I didn't have a 6 in. cake pan but just used my 8 in. one and it turned out perfectly... I just did a shorter bake time. Just thought I'd mention it in case someone else is in the same fix.
Sage says
I made this for my daughter's birthday 1- because she loves chocolate and 2- we didn't need an entire cake left over during the holidays. I used homemade raspberry pear jam and omitted the sugar and baked it in a pie plate. We can't wait to eat it tonight! YUM!
Christina says
Thanks so much for writing :) I'm so glad it worked out great!
Katie says
I made this for a valentine treat tonight. It was delicious! A go to easy dessert. Thanks!
Made With Pink says
This cake was seriously amazing! I'm always a big fan of your recipes, and this one didn't disappoint. My husband has been sick in bed for the past few days, so I only wanted to make a little cake for my dessert since he wouldn't be eating any. This cake was the perfect size, and the flavour is fantastic. I think I'm going to double the recipe next time and bake it in an 8" pan to bring to work and share with my colleagues.
Christina says
Thanks for the rave review! :)
Jenna says
Just made this cake today. Waiting to decorate it and eat it tomorrow! Making a cookies and cream whipped cream frosting to go with it. Was super easy to make and baked completely flat! Easy frosting! Baked in a 6" pan and only took about half the time for me at 325. Might have been the pan I used that reduced the time. Thanks for this mini cake recipe!!
Jenna says
This cake is awesome! Super easy to make and easy to clean up! Making this the second time in the past month,tonight. Thanks for this recipe! Fudgey goodness!!
Kathleen says
Great recipe! Baked it in a 6" springform pan, the middle fell but it was fine- more room for the ganache I put on top!
Christina Lane says
Hi Kathleen!
Thanks for writing :) I have heard of cakes sinking when the sides of the pan are higher than normal, like in a springform pan. I asked a pastry chef and they said the taller sides trap the heat and cause this. Another common culprit is under-baking, but it sounds like you nailed that part. Anyway, sorry, but I'm so glad you filled the gap with ganache. You're my kinda girl :)
-Christina
Andrea @ RecipesForDivineLiving says
Love the sound of this cake. Sounds delicious and easy.