Viral One-Pan Chocolate Cake
This effortlessly delicious one-pan chocolate cake is rich, moist, and made with simple pantry ingredients—all mixed directly in the baking pan. With no eggs, no milk, and no mess, it’s the ultimate quick-fix dessert that’s gone viral for all the right reasons.
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 2 cups 240g all-purpose flour
- 2 cups 396g granulated sugar
- ¾ cup 63g unsweetened cocoa powder (either Dutch-processed or natural)
- 2 teaspoons 8g baking powder
- 1½ teaspoons 10g baking soda
- 1 teaspoon 6g fine sea salt
- ¾ cup 170g whole milk
- ½ cup 100g vegetable oil
- ¼ cup 56g full-fat sour cream
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten
- 2 teaspoons 10g vanilla extract
- 1 cup 227g hot brewed coffee
- Chocolate Ganache Buttercream Frosting or your favorite frosting of choice
Instructions
Prepare the Cake Batter
- Preheat your oven to 350ºF (175ºC). Line a 9x13-inch metal baking pan with parchment paper and set it aside. *Refer to the recipe note if you'd like to bake round cake layers or cupcakes instead.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly combined.
- Add the milk, vegetable oil, sour cream, eggs, and vanilla extract to the dry ingredients. Stir everything together until fully incorporated—the batter will be thick and resemble brownie batter in texture.
- Gradually pour the hot coffee into the mixture, whisking carefully until the batter is smooth and well blended. At this point, the batter will become quite thin.
Bake the Cake
- Transfer the prepared batter into your lined cake pan, spreading it evenly.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the top springs back lightly when touched and a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with only a few moist crumbs.
- Allow the cake to cool completely in the pan before applying frosting or storing for later use.