Quick Chocolate Cake

There are some days when I crave a simple chocolate cake—nothing too big, fancy, or (gulp) calorie ridden. I believe that creating something simple shouldn't require making a big affair of things. I don't want to make a huge mess of the kitchen, spend time mixing up a batch of frosting, or worry about leveling and layering cakes. I don't feel like spending hours standing in the kitchen with batter up to my elbows. Really, I don't think that's too much to ask.

Why shouldn't I be able to have my cake and eat it too?

This chocolate cake is so quick and easy. The cake is mixed up in the pan it is baked in, minimizing time spent dirtying and cleaning up the dishes. There is no need to drag out the stand mixer or clear the cupboards of the mixing bowls; the only dirty dishes you will have are the measuring cups/spoons and the spatula you mix it with (but, really, you could easily lick that clean).

Now this is something I could really get used to.

This cake is vegan! No dairy, no butter, and no oil, yet it retains a moist and rich sponge. The espresso powder in the cake cannot be tasted, but it really brings a well-rounded chocolate flavor to the cake. There is really no excuse not to make this. I challenge you to find me an easier or quicker recipe.

Quick Chocolate Cake

Yields 1 9-inch cake

1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 teaspoons espresso powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon vinegar
1/4 cup applesauce (or vegetable oil)
1 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch cake pan.

In the greased pan, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, espresso powder, baking soda, and salt until well mixed. Make 3 depressions into the flour. Place the vinegar into one depression, the vanilla extract in another, and the applesauce in the last. Pour the water over the entire mixture. Using a spatula, mix together the batter until smooth.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Run a knife around the edge of the cake and cool completely on a cooling rack.

Comments

[lacey - a sweet pea chef]

This looks SO good! Saw it on dishfolio. Thanks for the recipe!!

[Lydia]

Wait, which is it: yogurt or applesauce? You list one in the directions, and the other in the ingredient list. (Or could it be either?)

[Kristin Rosenau]

Lydia—Thanks for the correction! You can use applesauce or plain yogurt as a substitute for oil. Both work well and add what oil does to the cake—moisture—without adding all those extra calories.

[Maddie]

oh my god this looks so simple but SO good!

[Carine]

Oil free cake! And it's a chocolate cake! Definitely giving it a try

[LimeCake]

love one bowl recipes like this have you tried martha stewart's one bowl chocolate cake recipe?

[Pearl (Crunch and Chew)]

I can't wait to try this recipe!
Does the cake come out easily even if you mix it in the pan after greasing? Thanks

[Medeja]

I really like that it's quick :) and chocolaty :) and looks soft..

[Kristin Rosenau]

LimeCake—I haven't tried Martha Stewart's recipe. I grew up eating and making this one and, since it hasn't let me down yet, I haven't started looking for new recipes.

Pearl—I had no trouble removing the cake from the pan (and I scraped with sides with the spatula a bit). If you were concerned about sticking, you could cut a round of parchment paper and place it on the bottom of the pan before mixing up the batter.

[Alina]

This recipe sounds perfect to me - I would try this cake tonight, but I think I've run out of vinegar :-(( Huge thank you anyway - I will try your cake soon! Now as have a baby, I kind of collect super-quick recipes like this one :))

[Linda T.]

I make something like this now but use oil ... what a blessing to know you can use applesauce and still have a great cake (as you can see) without all the fat from the oil. Thank you so much for making, taking the picture and posting. I am making this tonight!!

[Amrita]

A quick an easy chocolate cake is such an essential to have in your repertoire! I'm a firm believer of chocolate cake being able to solve any problem under the sun....yours look absolutely gorgeous...and so rich even without butter!!

[Mimi]

Would this recipe work in a 9 x 5 loaf pan or an 8 x 8 square pan? Sadly, I don't have a 9 inch round pan but I would love to try the recipe.

[Kristin Rosenau]

Mimi—Both of those pan sizes should work just fine. The only thing that may change is the baking time, so I would watch that closely and check the oven often!

[Alina]

Wow I still made your cake last night and it was awesome!! This was my first experience baking something vegan (I used the applesauce version) - I had always thought that a vegan cake should be something bland and chewy - now I see how wrong I was!! Thank you thank you thank you - now I know what cake I will make for my Yogi friend ^_^ I just can't believe it's made without dairy or butter. My Dad tasted it and said it was like from a professional bakery.

[Hannah]

This looks amazing! What kind of vinegar should I use, though? White, cider, wine, malt, balsamic?

[Kristin Rosenau]

Hannah—I used white vinegar for this cake, though I imagine an apple cider vinegar might taste good in the cake as well. Hope that helps!

[Amelia]

I have just removed mine from the oven...resisting cutting into it! Excitement. Smells good......

[Rivki Locker (Ordinary Blogger)]

I just came across your blog on foodgawker and it is beautiful. I look forward to following your posts.
I simply cannot believe this has no oil. Wow. This is definitely one I'm going to try. Soon.

[Gatsby]

absolutely delicious!
I substituted the vinegar for orange juice and add a bit of cinnamon.
Thanks for the recipe, made it twice this week!

[len]

Thank you for the recipe, it is suprisingly easy yet sinfully delicious.

[Monica]

I just made this. Yum. :)

[Cook time]

Could you use a 9x9 square pan?
And this cake looks so good without any oil and dairy!!! :) :) :)

[Kristin Rosenau]

Cook Time--You can use a 9x9 pan. I've even done it before. The baking time shouldn't change, but watch closely just in case!

[Corinne]

Hi there!

Great recipe!!
Question- does it matter whether the cocoa powder is dutch processed or not? I have regular unsweetened cocoa powder, which is not dutch processed.

[Kristin Rosenau]

Corinne-- Regular unsweetened cocoa powder should work just as well. Feel free to use it!

[Marika]

great choc cake recipe, I just wish I had something I could give you as good as a thankyou. Marika (stockport)

[Diana]

Hi! I'm not an english language native, so I have to make these kinda foolish questions - what's espresso powder?
Thank you!!

[Kristin Rosenau]

Diana-- No apologies! Espresso powder is espresso grounds that are dried and finely grounded. You can substitute very finely ground coffee beans in place or omit it completely. The espresso grounds bring out the flavor of the chocolate cake better, if it isn't a necessary ingredient.

[Diana]

Thanks for the enlightenment! Will try on the next weekend for sure!! :)

[Angie]

Yummmmm! I linked recipe from my blog, thanks!

[Jewel]

Hi! Will we be able to substitute vinegar? As I don't have vinegar at the moment! Thanks!

[Kristin Rosenau]

Hi Jewel-- Lemon juice will work in a pinch!

[zuki]

I just made this cake tonight..had a craving for chocolate...and already ate about half of it by myself.
It IS good, and so easy. Thanks .

[Cosette]

I'm going to make this today.... and i think i just might add some chocolate chips!!! That sounds delicious!!! :)))))

[Reigh]

I found it not to really have a chocolate taste - any recommendations for this???

[bilunp]

This looks delicious! I want to make this, but I really don't want to use white flour. I have oat, spelt, whole wheat, whole heat pastry, whole white wheat flours. Do you think I could use one of these and still have the moist/spongy texture?

[Kristin Rosenau]

Bilump-- I suggest whole wheat white flour and you should end up with a wonderful texture!

[Dagný Björg from FEEL INSPIRED]

Really easy to make and really good!

[Kate]

I just literally whipped this up out of things in my cupboard on a whim... 1 bowl, 1 spoon, bit of a mix, straight in the oven- smells great already! Thank you for sharing!

[elisabeth]

somehow this didnt work. it came out very bad, the outside of the cake was as hard as plastic, and the inside was like rubber.. i dont know what went wrong.

[steve]

used 1/2 cup sugar instead, added a little more flour and cocoa for mass, used grape seed oil, and 1/2 cup chocolate milk and 1/2 cup water .. counting down 30 minutes!