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Easy Everyday Chocolate Cake

Everyone needs an Everyday Chocolate Cake. A cake that is chocolatey, light and fluffy that makes us want to eat it everyday; a cake that is easy to make that makes us want to make it everyday – and this is the divine cake that I’ve found and fell head over heels in love with.

This chocolate cake is extremely easy to make – no electric mixer required (hooray!); only two bowls, a weighing machine, measuring spoons, a pot, a whisk, a sieve, a spatula and a cake pan required (double hooray!) and requires less than 10 ingredients (triple hooray!)

One thing to note is to use the best chocolate you can find and afford – I used Varlhona chocolate, which contains 61% cocoa solids. I’ve also used Varlhona cocoa powder but because the amount of the cocoa used is very little, you can definitely swap it out with another brand of cocoa.


Cast of ingredients: chocolate, butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, flour, cocoa, baking powder and the missing salt – 9 ingredients and most of them are readily available in your pantry!

Flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt in bowl number 1.

Whisk it together so that the cocoa, baking powder and salt are evenly distributed.

If you want one less bowl to wash, you can set the sieve over the chocolate batter and measure the dry ingredients directly.

Butter and chopped chocolate in bowl number 2 (needs to be heatproof!)

Melt over double boiler or in a microwave.

Add in the sugar…

…then whisk in the eggs.

Vanilla gets to go in and join the fun!

Sift in the flour in three portions.

Fold gently.

Try not to eat the batter by spoonfuls – it’s soooo addictive and sinful and naughty.

Bake, bake, bake!

Cool, slice and devour!

Make this today everyday!

Easy Everyday Chocolate Cake
 
Print
Makes an 8x4-inch cake
By:
Ingredients
  • 45 grams all purpose flour
  • 10 grams good quality Dutch-processed cocoa powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • Pinch of salt
  • 55 grams good quality dark chocolate, roughly chopped
  • 100 grams unsalted butter, can be cold or at room temperature
  • 90 grams caster sugar
  • 2 eggs
Method
  1. Preheat the oven to 175 degrees Celsius. Grease a 8 x 4 inch rectangle tin and line the bottom with greaseproof paper.
  2. Measure the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Use a wire whisk and whisk the dry ingredients together until they are all well-mixed and evenly distributed.
  3. Measure the dark chocolate and unsalted butter in a large heatproof bowl and melt them over a pot of simmering water, stirring occasionally.
  4. Remove the heatproof bowl from the pot. Add in the caster sugar and whisk gently - not all of the sugar will dissolve, it's ok if the mixture is grainy. Let the mixture stand for 10 minutes to cool down slightly (the eggs will scramble if added to a hot mixture).
  5. Crack in one egg into the chocolate mixture. Whisk the mixture (yes, same wire whisk!) for 30 seconds until it is fully incorporated. Whisk in the second egg, and then whisk in the vanilla extract.
  6. Sift a third of flour mixture into the chocolate batter and folding gently using a large metal spoon or rubber spatula. until all the dry ingredients have been incorporated.
  7. Transfer the cake batter into the lined cake tin. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the top bounces back when touched lightly and a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
  8. Cool the cakes completely on a wire rack. Serve with some whipped cream, fresh fruits, ice cream or even chocolate sauce!
Naggy
- Adapted from Cupcake Bakeshop by Chockylit

Notes:

[1] How to melt a chocolate and butter mixture
Get a pot that will allow the large heatproof bowl to sit snugly on it without the bottom of the bowl touch the bottom of the pot. Pour water in the pot until the height of the water comes up to 1 inch. Bring the water to a boil and turn the heat down to the lowest setting.

Place the bowl of chocolate and butter over the pot, making sure that the bowl is not touching the surface of the water at all (preferably at least 1 inch away). Stir the mixture occasionally with a whisk (the same one you used to whisk the dry ingredients), until all the chocolate and butter has melted.

Alternatively, melt the chocolate and butter in a microwave: turn the microwave settings to medium-high. Place the bowl in the microwave and microwave for 20 seconds. Take it out, give it a stir then microwave it for another 15 to 20 seconds. Repeat until all the chocolate and butter has melted. Don’t microwave it for too long at one go – chocolate burns easily and burnt chocolate makes the worst cake ever!

[2] How to fold flour into batters
Rubber Spatula Method: Hold the spatula so that the flat side is perpendicular to the table top. Cut into the middle of the cake batter – all the way to the bottom. Draw the spatula towards you then turn the the spatula (either left or right), scraping the bottom and up the sides of the bowl, gently lifting the spatula up (together with some cake batter) and let it drop gently on top, over the flour mixture. If you turn the spatula left, turn the bowl anti-clockwise 90 degrees and repeat cutting the batter. Do it very gently and slowly – it will take some time before the flour mixture is fully incorporated.

Metal Spoon Method: Use the largest metal spoon you can find. Add in the flour and move the metal spoon in a figure-of-eight motion – turning the bowl as you mix and not lifting the spoon out of the cake batter (you can lift it slightly, just don’t lift the spoon out of the batter completely). Mix gently until all the flour has incorporated.

If mixing the flour in batches, don’t wait until all the flour has been incorporated then add a second batch. Add the second batch when most of the flour from the first batch has been incorporated. Folding is a slow-and-steady skill that cannot be rushed – take your time to slow down!

[3] This amount makes a very low cake – only about 2 inch. You can double the quantity to make a taller loaf cake, just note that you will need to bake it longer. If the top of the cake looks like it’s about to burned, cover the top of the tin with an aluminum foil and resume baking.

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© Jasline N. and Foodie Baker, 2008 – 2017

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. This is the best recipe for a simple, fuss-free but delicious chocolate cake! I’ve made it multiple times and the only thing I change is increasing the sugar to 100gms from 90gms. I’ve just made it this afternoon with my three year old daughter as part of her first baking experience. Will be holding on to this one! Thanks so much.

    Reply

  2. Hi Jasline, Noted both the chococlate cake with great interest. May I know what is the difference between the two in texture? Thank you.

    Reply

  3. This cake tastes great – soft fluffy and moist. It’s fantastic! However, the centre top is not cooked despite baking for almost an hour. I made the cake around 2 inches too. Any tips to help to ensure the top cooks well? Thanks!

    Reply

  14. Hi Jasline!!!
    I stumbled upon your blog whilst looking for an easy chocolate cake recipe. I found the Jamie Oliver’s one first, but just came across this one!!!
    I think I’m gonna try Jamie’s one first! 😀
    Thanks loads for having this blog! 😀
    Warm regards,
    nerolife

    Reply

  15. i also appreciate the specific notes! I always like recipes with lots of information for me to be aware of 🙂

    and that is one luxurious chocolate cake with the expensive butter and chocolate ;p

    Reply

  26. A must have recipe! I have a red velvet one myself that I bake in a little 4 in pan. Just enough to treat yourself a few days out of the week without a side of guilt hanging around. Love it! ~Ruth

    Reply

  30. Joyce: Thank you! Oooh coffee sounds good. I’m gonna eat a slice with a cup later in the afternoon! 😉

    Alan: Thank you! I learned the metal spoon method when I was in secondary school (during home economics lessons) and I actually prefer this method over the other. (:

    filingawaycupcakes: Yes you should, it’s easy and delicious! (:

    Lena: Thank you so much (: Have a great week ahead!

    Reply

  33. nothing beats a simple but flavourful chocolate cake 🙂 I love the notes you’d wrote on specific techniques to foldi in the dry ingredients. Will try it out! Thanks for sharing this recipe!

    Reply

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