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John Doe

Ditch the store-bought cake mixes and make your own!

PERFECT ONE BOWL CHOCOLATE CAKE & MIX RECIPE

So in our house, we have a little tradition where the kids help me make their birthday cake and this week we have a birthday!  Because it needs to taste good (because let’s be honest, it’s gotta be worth the calories) AND easy to make I always go to this one-bowl chocolate cake recipe.  I’m not gonna lie, it’s an award winner. We made this for a Cub Scout Blue & Gold banquet and my son won second place….so yeah…it’s pretty much gold. 😉 I love the tradition because it’s a fun way to make a memory and my kids love to be creative and make it their own.  They’ve never been worthy of Pinterest perfection, but to my kids they’ve been perfect and that’s really all that matters.  The cake pictured below was a cake we made last year, where he wanted it covered it with mashed candy bars, this time around it was cupcakes with sprinkles.  Every time it’s just want they want and hopefully something they always remember.

So here’s how YOU can make this cake and LOVE it. If you’re looking to batch prep it, you can even turn it in to your very own cake mix to make it even easier for next time. Honestly, I don’t even buy chocolate cake mixes anymore.  You know those are always dried out anyway and then you just have to add in a bunch of other ingredients to try and jazz it up.  Just go with the simpler, tastier approach and make this your go-to chocolate cake recipe. Recipes are listed below for both the cake and the homemade mix. You can also check out the Instagram LIVE meet up where I show you how to do the cake, frosting, and mix along with my special birthday helper over in the Facebook Group HERE.

Also, this is a great way to use beans in place of butter or oil!  If you want to give it a try, just empty a can of white beans into your blender and puree.  Then use the same amount of bean puree as oil called for in the recipe.  (This trick can be used in any quick bread, waffle, brownie, cake, corn bread, pancake…you get the idea….recipe).

Also, for those of you with the Outsmart Dinner Meal Planner, I am putting together a dessert section which will include this recipe!  When it’s done, I’ll email it to you, so you can print it.  It’s one of the many benefits of having a “living” cookbook that you can add to and make it your go-to spot for all of your favorite recipes.

Perfect One-Bowl Chocolate Cake

Ditch the store-bought cake mixes and make this incredibly easy and tasty cake at home! I promise, it will make you a believer in making your own cakes!
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup milk 3 Tbsp. powdered milk + 1 cup water
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil or bean puree
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup boiling water

Instructions
 

  • Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.
  • Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt (and powdered milk, if you're using it) in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil (or bean puree) and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.
  • Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost with "PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING. Makes 12 servings.

Notes

*This recipe is from Hershey's and based on their Perfectly Chocolate  Chocolate Cake and their chocolate buttercream frosting recipe*
VARIATIONS:
ONE-PAN CAKE: Grease and flour 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Heat oven to 350° F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely. Frost.
THREE LAYER CAKE: Grease and flour three 8-inch round baking pans. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost.
BUNDT CAKE: Grease and flour 12-cup fluted tube pan. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 50 to 55 minutes. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely. Frost.
CUPCAKES: Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups. Heat oven to 350°F. Fill cups half full with batter. Bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely. Frost. About 36 cupcakes.
Frosting 
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
  • 2/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/3 cup milk (1 Tbsp. powdered milk + 1/3 cup water)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
 
  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add softened butter and cocoa (if you're using powdered milk, add the dry powdered milk at this time); and combine. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk (or water, if you're using powdered milk), beating to spreading consistency.
  2. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting.
 

PERFECT ONE-BOWL CHOCOLATE CAKE MIX

Tired of buying storebought mixes? You can actually make your own at home! It's the best way to batch prepare this chocolate cake. Next time you need to make some cake, make your mix first and then make your cake.

Ingredients
  

  • 8 cups sugar
  • 7 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3 cups HERSHEY'S Cocoa or HERSHEY'S SPECIAL DARK Cocoa
  • 2 Tbsp baking powder
  • 2 Tbsp baking soda
  • 4 tsp salt
  • 3/4 cup powdered milk

Instructions
 

  • In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine all ingredients.
  • Remove to an airtight container or separate into 4 separate ziploc bags by placing 4 1/2 cups of mix into each bag (if you're making a cake right now, simply use 3 ziploc bags and leave the remaining in your bowl to make your cake)
  • To make your cake from the mix, measure out 4 1/2 cups of the mix into the bowl of your stand mixer. Then add in 1 cup water, 2 eggs, 2 tsp. vanilla and 1/2 cup oil or bean puree and mix for 2 minutes. Then add in 1 cup of boiling water and stir until combined. Bake according to directions below.

Notes

ONE-PAN CAKE: Grease and flour 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Heat oven to 350° F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely. Frost.
THREE LAYER CAKE: Grease and flour three 8-inch round baking pans. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost.
BUNDT CAKE: Grease and flour 12-cup fluted tube pan. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 50 to 55 minutes. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely. Frost.
CUPCAKES: Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups. Heat oven to 350°F. Fill cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely. Frost. About 30 cupcakes.

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