A simple, single-tier chocolate fudge cake for when you need it. This cake comes together in one bowl and is drizzled with delightful, deep chocolate glaze.
Invariably, a day will come when your craving for chocolate cake is so strong you will move mountains to get a single slice. For me, that day was today. Cake from a box will do in a pinch, but this recipe is so simple and quick there’s hardly an excuse not to make it.
The batter comes together in one bowl, in an order some seasoned bakers may find sacrilegious. I do not mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl before adding them to the wet ingredients (extra dishes be damned!), and even still, this cake never fails to delight. Let it be known that I never claimed to be a pastry chef, only a person who wants access to cake as quickly as possible.
You also won’t find frosting here. I know I’m not alone in saying I find frosting cakes to be incredibly tedious and often very frustrating. So, to save us all some grief, I covered this cake with a pour-over glaze instead. You could opt to frost it with buttercream or forego the frosting entirely.
If you happen to have black cocoa powder lying around, this is a great place to use it. This cake is truly a hybrid between cake and brownies, with a dense, fudgey crumb and a deep chocolate flavor. It’ll surely satiate your sweet tooth in a pinch.
More quick desserts:
Healthyish Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Blondies
Orange Olive Oil Cake
The Best Fudgy Vegan Brownies
IF YOU MAKE THIS CHOCOLATE FUDGE CAKE, DON’T FORGET TO SNAP A PHOTO AND TAG ME IN IT ON INSTAGRAM @FEELINWHISKY! I LOVE SEEING WHAT YOU DO WITH MY RECIPES!
PrintA Very Simple Chocolate Fudge Cake
A simple, single-tier chocolate cake for when you need it. This cake comes together in one bowl and is drizzled with delightful, deep chocolate glaze. Adapted from Smitten Kitchen’s Chocolate Olive Oil Cake recipe.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes + cooling time
- Yield: 8–12 servings 1x
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 1 1/2 cups water or coffee
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted if it’s lumpy and you feel like it
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar*
For the (optional) glaze:
- 3 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon corn syrup*
- A pinch of salt
Instructions
- Make the cake: Preheat oven to 350° F. Line the bottom of a 9-inch round cake pan with a fitted round of parchment paper, then grease the sides of the pan with cooking spray. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together brown sugar, granulated sugar, and melted butter until a smooth paste forms. Whisk in water or coffee until smooth. Add flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt, and whisk to combine. Finally, whisk in vinegar.
- Bake the cake: Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 30–35 minutes, or until the top is springy and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with just a few sticky crumbs. Set the pan on a wire rack and cool for about 10 minutes, then loosen the edges with a knife and flip the cake out onto the rack to let it cool completely.
- Make the glaze: In a medium, heat-safe bowl, microwave chocolate, butter, cocoa powder, corn syrup and salt in 15-second increments, stirring between, until melted. Whisk until smooth. Pour over (completely!) cooled cake, pushing it out to the sides and over the edges with a spatula if need be.
Notes
- Apple cider vinegar may seem like a strange addition here, but don’t worry; it doesn’t make the cake taste like vinegar. It’s there to react with the baking soda, so don’t skip it — baking soda needs an acid to react with in order to make your cake rise.
- If you don’t have corn syrup or are opposed to using it, feel free to swap it out for 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar. It likely won’t set up as nicely or have as much shine as the corn syrup version, but it will taste the same.
Thanks so much for sharing, Lisa!! All these desserts look so delicious 🙂