Last Updated on 3 October, 2026 by Elby | The Tasteful Pantry
A rich, easy chocolate cake… four words that go so well together. A homemade cake that doesn’t require a whole lot of processes or equipment, this is definitely my type of cake!
This recipe calls for whisking a few ingredients together and then throwing them in a pan and into the oven. That’s it! The result being an irresistible cake with a tender, rich and moist crumb. I also use this simple method with my chocolate orange cake and chocolate zucchini cake. Or if you’re looking for something easier to divide and share? My stir-and-bake chocolate slab cake has the same proper chocolate satisfaction, but it is baked in one large tin, needs no mixer and cuts into plenty of neat squares.
Being simple to make, this cake is an everyday classic. However, dress it up a little to be a luxurious celebration dessert when needed. Add some berries or roasted nuts or toasted coconut flakes (or all three) and you have a decadent dessert.
Easy Chocolate Cake Recipe Ingredients
Plain all-purpose flour should be sifted for optimal texture.
Cocoa powder (unsweetened) is the only source of chocolate and it certainly does the job when activated by the hot water.
Baking soda reacts with the cocoa to help the cake to rise.
Baking powder also helps with the rising of the chocolate cake.
Salt adds a little (funnily enough) saltiness to the cake, helping to balance the flavours. However, it can be omitted if preferred.
Sugars are for sweetness. However, the brown sugar also adds more depth of flavour to the cake.
Eggs for binding the chocolate cake.
Vanilla extract can be replaced with vanilla essence.
Vegetable oil can be any variety, but I prefer olive oil.
Cream helps with providing a rich and moist consistency. If you don’t have any cream replace it with an equal amount of milk.
Full cream milk is best, try to avoid skim/no fat milks. However, you can replace the cream and milk with carton coconut milk or almond milk for a dairy-free option.
Boiling hot water enhances the chocolate flavour of the cake. It will make the mix very runny, but the cake still cooks well.
I use chocolate buttercream to ice this cake. One serve makes enough for generous filling and coating on top. Make one and a half serves if you also want to coat the sides.
How to Make an Easy Chocolate Cake
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 180°C conventional, or 160°C fan forced. Lightly grease and line two 22 cm round springform cake tins (see notes).
- Add the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt and sugars to a large mixing bowl and sift together.
- Whisk in the eggs, vanilla, oil, cream and milk until the mixture is smooth and free of any lumps.
- Pour in the water and whisk gently until the batter becomes thin and runny.
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared tins and bake for 25–30 minutes, or until the cakes are cooked through.
- Remove from the oven and allow the cakes to rest in the tins for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and cool completely before icing.
Assembly
- Place one cooled cake layer onto a serving plate and spread over half of the chocolate buttercream frosting.
- Top with the second cake layer and finish with the remaining frosting.
Coating the whole cake
- If you’d like enough icing to fill, top and coat the sides of the cake, increase the frosting ingredients by half.
Rich Chocolate Cake Recipe Nutritional Information
The figures are for the chocolate cake recipe itself and not the icing. They are estimates only. If you require precise figures, please check the numbers yourself.
Feedback and More
Have you given the easy chocolate cake recipe a go? I’d love to know how it was. Select a star rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ or leave a comment below to share your thoughts. Cheers, Elby!
If you liked this recipe, check out some of my other chocolate recipes. Also, follow The Tasteful Pantry on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest for all the latest recipes and info.
Easy Chocolate Cake
*Note: Adjusting servings will not adjust the ‘light grey’ quantities
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 ¾ cups flour - plain, all purpose
- ¾ cup cocoa powder - unsweetened
- 1 ½ tsp bicarb soda - baking soda
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 ½ cups white sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs - at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 120 ml oil - vegetable or canola
- 120 ml cream - can omit cream and increase milk to 1 cup
- 120 ml milk - full cream
- 1 cup boiling water
Icing
- 1 serving Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 180°C | 160°C fan forced and lightly grease and line 2 x 22cm round springform cake pans (see notes).
- In a large mixing bowl, sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt and sugars.
- Whisk in the eggs, vanilla, oil, cream and milk until smooth and lump free.
- Add the water and whisk slowly until the batter is a runny consistency.
- Pour the batter evenly between the two tins and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until cooked through.
- Remove from oven and rest for ten minutes before removing from the pans. Cool completely before icing.
Assembly
- Place one of the cooled cake rounds on a serving plate and cover with half the Chocolate Buttercream Frosting.
- Place the second cake on top and spread with the remaining frosting. Enjoy! Coating the whole cake: If you want to use the icing for the filling, top and to coat the sides, increase the icing ingredients by half. Also try my other delicious chocolate recipes.
Notes
Nutrition
*Nutrition and calorie figures are estimates only.
