Learn how to make the simplest, fudgiest One Bowl Chocolate Cake (Chocolate Sheet Cake) with Creamy Chocolate Buttercream Frosting that will truly rock your world! This cake can be made dairy free too.
If you’re looking for a classic chocolate cake, click here for my easy, foolproof Classic Homemade Chocolate Cake recipe.
This Fudgy One Bowl Chocolate Cake has at various times been called “the best chocolate cake ever”, “life changing chocolate cake”, and also “holy f****** chocolate cake” by those who have tried it. It’s easily the best chocolate cake that I’ve ever eaten, and better yet, it’s really easy to make. If ever there was a chocolate cake that you’d want to devour like that kid Bruce from Matilda, this is it!
This fudgy chocolate cake is an easy one bowl chocolate cake, topped with my favorite creamy chocolate buttercream frosting. I’ve always loved a good chocolate cake, and while I’ve made many different versions over the years, this right here is my #1.
If you google best chocolate cake, I will bet you dollars to donuts (and also cake), that the recipe you find is a version of (or the exact same as) the Hershey’s chocolate cake (which I know as Ina Garten’s chocolate cake). This cake is also inspired by that, but with one major difference. This cake is not only chocolatey, soft and super moist, but it’s also incredibly fudgy! It’s got the most addictive balance of soft, light cake and fudgy texture.
The fact that this is such an easy one bowl chocolate cake means that you’ll be making this FAR. TOO. OFTEN! 🙂 Honestly, the hardest part about this cake for me is cutting the parchment paper in the shape of my 9 x 13 inch cake pan. But what’s also really great about this recipe is that you can make this as a chocolate sheet cake (which is how I make it most of the time), OR as a 3 layer cake as well!
What makes this Chocolate Sheet Cake (One bowl Chocolate Cake) so special?
- One bowl baby! First add the dry ingredients, then the wet ingredients, whisk and done.
- Perfectly fudgy chocolate cake. I can’t tell you how much I love the fudge factor in this cake. The not so secret ingredient that makes it so dense and fudgy is CREAM CHEESE (and butter). The result is an almost chocolate brownie-like cake.
- It’s super chocolatey, with a good dose of cocoa powder. The last addition of coffee is also important to make the chocolate flavor stand out more.
- This recipe is for a cake made in a 9 x 13 inch cake pan. BUT, you can EASILY make this cake into an 8 inch or 9 inch cake too (more details below).
- This chocolate cake is also quite versatile. Even when things go a little wrong, it still comes out delicious.
Here are a few more tips on making this one bowl chocolate cake (chocolate sheet cake)
What if I don’t have a 9 x 13 inch pan?
No problemo. Like I mentioned before, you can make this in an 8 inch or 9 inch pan.
You can also make a double layered 8 or 9 inch cake. OR you can DOUBLE the recipe and make a THREE layer 8 or 9 inch cake.
What if I don’t have cream cheese?
Substitute the cream cheese with Greek yogurt or sour cream. This would make it slightly less fudgier, but it’ll still taste amazing.
Can I use oil instead of butter to make this one bowl chocolate cake?
Yes you can, but again, this would make it less fudgy. The milk solids in butter help attain that fudgy texture. But if you want to, you can add oil or melted vegan butter or margarine instead.
Why aren’t you using buttermilk in this chocolate sheet cake?
You CAN use buttermilk in place of the milk here. I prefer to add a little vinegar because it helps bring out the chocolate flavor more AND helps with activating the leavening agents (baking soda, baking powder).
Plus, I’m assuming that most people may not have buttermilk in their fridge, and it just seems pointless to buy a carton of buttermilk just to use 1/2 cup for this recipe.
AND you can substitute the milk to make it dairy free too (more details below).
Do I have to use coffee? Won’t this be a mocha cake instead?
No on both counts. You can use hot water instead of hot coffee if you’d like to. But the coffee doesn’t really add any coffee flavor here unless you use EXTRA STRENGTH coffee. If you use regular strength coffee (or even weak coffee), it will simply enhance the chocolate flavor.
And if you’d like to make this chocolate sheet cake without the caffeine, you can simply use decaffeinated coffee instead.
So should I use hot coffee or hot water?
The hot liquid makes this cake batter runny. If you use liquid that is not hot, then the cake batter will be thicker.
In my experience, a thicker cake batter results in a cake that rises higher after baking and has a lighter cake crumb. This is likely because of the fact that you have to whisk a thicker cake batter more to mix all the ingredients together, resulting in more air being incorporated.
But a runnier (warm) cake batter is easier to mix without getting too much air in the batter, resulting in a slightly shorter, and a delightfully fudgier cake crumb!
Does it matter what cocoa powder I use for this one bowl chocolate cake?
I use Callebaut cocoa powder because it’s my absolute favorite. However, you CAN use a cocoa powder that’s accessible to you, and you can also use Dutch processed or black cocoa for an even darker color.
Please note that 3/4 cup Callebaut cocoa powder is NOT equal to 3/4 cup of Nestle cocoa powder.
3/4 cup Callebaut cocoa powder = 90 g
3/4 cup Nestle cocoa powder = 75 g
And there are similar variations if you use Dutch process cocoa powder.
So for this fudgy chocolate cake recipe, I HIGHLY recommend WEIGHING the ingredients to make sure you get consistently accurate results.
Can I make this one bowl chocolate cake vegan?
Unfortunately, I haven’t tried to veganize this chocolate sheet cake… yet. BUT I have made it dairy free!
Here are the substitutions to make a dairy free chocolate cake
Instead of regular cream cheese you can use vegan cream cheese like Tofutti.
Instead of regular milk, you can use almond milk, coconut milk, cashew milk or any plant based milk. Just don’t forget the vinegar.
Instead of regular melted butter, use dairy free or vegan butter or margarine to keep the fudgy texture. OR you can use oil too.
Now that you guys know how easy this one bowl chocolate cake recipe is, we need to talk frosting! I love topping this chocolate sheet cake with this dreamy, creamy chocolate buttercream frosting. There’s something irresistible about those swirls of pillowy soft, creamy, fluffy frosting adorning your cake masterpiece. I have also made this cake with a ganache frosting before, which also works really well. But if you’re not a fan of the frosting, you can simply dust the surface with some confectioner’s sugar.
Either way, this fudgy chocolate sheet cake will rock your world!
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Fudgy One Bowl Chocolate Cake
Ingredients:
Dry Ingredients
- 7 oz AP flour
- 10.6 oz white sugar 1 ½ cups
- 2.7 oz Dutch cocoa powder sifted (please see notes about cup measurements)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt I used sea salt. Use slightly more if you’re using kosher salt.
Wet Ingredients
- 4 oz unsalted butter melted (½ cup butter)
- 4 oz cream cheese
- ½ tbsp apple cider vinegar or white wine / red wine vinegar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ cup hot brewed coffee
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- 1 recipe Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter and line a 9 x 13 inch pan.
- Microwave the cold cream cheese for about 20 seconds to soften. Set aside.
- Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl. With a hand whisk, mix the dry ingredients to make sure there are no lumps.
- Add the softened cream cheese, butter, apple cider vinegar and eggs. Use a whisk to combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients, until all the dry ingredients are moistened. The batter will be thick.
- Add the hot coffee and vanilla and mix until the batter is completely smooth.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake for 25 - 30 minutes (it's usually about 27 minutes for me), until the cake is springy to the touch in the middle. Try not to open the oven door until the first 20 minutes have passed.
- Remove the cake from the oven, and let it cool down. Carefully flip the cake out of the pan and then remove the parchment paper. Then carefully turn the cake out onto the serving plate, so that the shiny side is facing up.
- Optional - cut about 1 - 1 ½ cm off the edges to create clean, sharp edges. The cake is ready to be frosted now.
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- Apply the buttercream frosting on the surface of the cake, using a knife or offset spatula. You can create swirls or a smooth surface.
- Top the cake with funfetti, chocolate sprinkles and / or chocolate shavings.
Tips & Tricks
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Jen D says
Am I crazy, there are lots of references to milk in the explanation and substitutions for dairy-free cake, but I don’t see milk in the ingredient list! Does this cake require milk??
Dini says
Hi Jen
Yes, you’re correct, this recipe previously used milk as an ingredient. However I updated the recipe slightly in 2019, and removed the milk from the list of ingredients to ensure more consistent results. I have now added a recipe note to reflect this.
So this chocolate cake no longer requires milk.
Joan Rehfeldt says
Im still confused on how much cocoa i use..Dutch cocoa equals ? Cup..Thank you so much
Dini says
Hi Joan
I do highly recommend using weight measurements because it’s easy to over-measure cocoa powder with cups, which can result in a very dry cake.
However, as noted in the recipe notes, 1 cup of sifted dutch cocoa = 100 g. So, 75g would be 3/4 of a cup.
I hope that helps!
Megan ken says
This is hands down one of the best chocolate cakes I have ever made!
It totally cured my cravings, thank you. Unfortunately I don’t have a picture to post because with a great shame I have to confess that between my daughter and I we gobbled up the cake within one day and have zero regrets!
Elizabeth Aitken says
Hi DINI,
Love the recipe but on this occasion I need to change the recipe do you think it would work and give the same fudge cake?
Can this be changed by using half the cocoa powder and similarly increasing the A/P flour? A strange request but there is a good reason as to why I need to do this.
If I do shall I keep everything else the same?
Thanks
Dini says
Hi Elizabeth!
It SHOULD still stay pretty fudgy if you alter the ingredients slightly. But I can’t be certain since I haven’t tried it myself.
But you should be able to bake this cake after replacing some of the cocoa with AP flour. But remember to replace by weight and not by volume.
Hope that helps!
Sakina says
Love this recipe..this has been one of the best cakes I have baked..thank you for sharing this..I have a question too..that is if there’s any alternative for apple cider vinegar…
Sharon Perrett says
I made this yesterday as a cake and topped with the delicious chocolate buttercream frosting and it is fantastic. I added the coffee to my buttercream to make it mocha and it’s heavenly. Thank you for a lovely easy recipe. I shall be making it again and again. I made two cakes from the recipe and enough frosting for both plus some extra which I have bagged labelled and have experimented by freezing it. I will get back to you when I use it and let you know if it worked and still tastes as good.
Dini says
So glad you liked the chocolate cake and buttercream frosting Sharon! 🙂 Thank you so much for letting me know! Mocha buttercream frosting is one of my favorites too. 🙂
Alison says
I have tried this recipe in the cake form and I absolutely love it ❤️Could I just ask if this recipe would be possible in cupcake form and if so how long should I bake it for if I can ….
jeanne says
i made this for a (grown-up) birthday party last weekend, and people literally raved. As in swooned.
I’m still confused about cocoa though! Is Callebut Dutch cocoa? Is Droste? What is the exchange for dutch cocoa:
3/4 cup Callebaut cocoa powder = 90 g; 3/4 cup Nestle cocoa powder = 75 g
? I used Droste and I used about 80 g (thought I would split the difference).
Thanks for a wonderful site. Everything I make from here turns out fantastic! I’m making this cake again this weekend for a friends’ dinner party and I expect I will be praised as a goddess. 🙂
Dini says
Hi jeanne,
Thank you so much for letting me know! I’m so glad the chocolate cake was well received! 🙂
Callebaut and Droste are both Dutch process. The reason that the same volume can weigh differently between different types of cocoa powder has to do with how they are manufactured and how well they are refined, which affects the texture of the cocoa powder and how it gets packed into a measuring cup. This is why I generally insist on weight measurements over volume measurements when it comes to baking.
In this recipe, I say to use 75g of cocoa powder, regardless of the type. The variation I talk about in the post would only be an issue if you’re using cups and volume measurements. So you can use 75g next time (the 5g extra you used likely didn’t make too much of a difference though). I hope that helps!
Cheers,
Dini
Tisha says
This chocolate cake looks so moist and perfect! Love the idea of using coffee!!
Abeer Rizvi says
I am totally craving chocolate cake now. That looks so moist and fudgy!
Lu says
How much should I increase the ingredients for a 13 x 18 single layer pan? Should I triple the recipe? For 30 – 35 mins?
Dini says
Hi Lu!
This recipe is for a 9 x 13 pan, and a 13 x 18 pan (half sheet) would be double the size. So you will only have to double the recipe to get a single layer cake. I haven’t made this cake in a half sheet pan, but it should only take a little longer than the recipe to bake through. I would keep an eye on the cake and check on it every 10 minutes, after the initial 20 minutes, and take it out when the cake is baked through. I hope that helps!
Jenn says
I need to get my hands on this cocoa powder and I cannot wait to make this decadent chocolate cake! BEAUTIFUL!!!
Joanie says
Hands down, this is one of my favorite cake recipes. I was searching for a chocolate cake recipe and stumbled upon this recipe and am so happy I did – it’s definitely a keeper!!
Virginia K says
Buttermilk substitute = 1C Milk + 1 Tbsp vinegar, combine and let sit a few minutes.