Say less 😄 Here’s a reliable, super-moist chocolate cake you can make without fancy ingredients.
Classic Chocolate Cake (1 round or square pan)
Ingredients
Dry
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- ¼ cup cocoa powder (unsweetened)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
Wet
- 1 cup milk (or buttermilk for extra moisture)
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Magic ingredient
- ½ cup hot coffee or hot water (you won’t taste coffee, promise)
Instructions
- Heat oven to 175°C / 350°F. Grease and line your pan.
- In a bowl, whisk all dry ingredients.
- Add milk, oil, egg, and vanilla. Mix until smooth.
- Slowly stir in the hot coffee/water (batter will be thin—good sign).
- Pour into pan and bake 30–35 minutes
(Toothpick should come out with a few moist crumbs.) - Cool before frosting (if you can wait 😌).
Quick Chocolate Frosting (optional but highly encouraged)
- ½ cup butter (soft)
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2–3 tbsp milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
Beat everything until fluffy. Spread generously.
Easy upgrades
- Add chocolate chips to the batter
- Swap milk for buttermilk or yogurt
- Sprinkle sea salt on top of frosting
- Turn it into cupcakes: bake ~18–20 min
Want a eggless, no-oven, or extra fudgy version? 👀🍰
