If you're looking for the ultimate easy chocolate cake that you can whip up on a busy weeknight, this is it. One bowl, simple pantry ingredients, no fuss decorating - just a soft, fluffy chocolate sponge covered in old-fashioned chocolate icing and sprinkles.
If you love simple cakes like my Quick & Easy Chocolate Cupcakes or classic Chocolate Mud Cake, this one absolutely needs to be next on your list.
Great cake, it surprised me when it said to put it in the oven after like the 3rd step. I said to my dad, "Wow, that went quickly"! Anyway, great cake, tasty, great, highly recommend! 🙂
- Grace
This is the kind of cake you make when the kids announce at 7pm that they "need something for their lunchboxes", or you've got family popping over and want a no-stress dessert.
The batter comes together in one bowl, there's no fancy layering, and the ingredients are all things you probably already have in the pantry.
It's a proper, old-school, easy chocolate cake recipe for kids and grown-ups - soft crumb, rich chocolate flavour, simple icing and plenty of sprinkles.
For more chocolatey favourites, you might also like my 3 Ingredient Flourless Chocolate Cake or fun Chocolate Chip Cupcakes for birthdays.
Why You're Going To Love This Recipe
- One-bowl batter - no creaming, no mixer dramas, just tip, mix and bake. Simply the BEST chocolate cake recipe!
- Super quick - about 10 minutes to mix and 25 minutes in the oven.
- Sheet pan simplicity - no cake layers, stacking or crumb-coating; just ice and sprinkle.
- Perfect for kids - this really is such an easy recipe for kids to help make and decorate.
- Party, lunchbox or "just because" - brilliant for birthdays, bake sales, morning tea or an easy dessert with ice cream.
Jump to:
Cake Ingredients
You only need basic baking staples for this homemade chocolate cake recipe. Here are the ingredients that need a little extra explanation so your cake turns out perfectly every time:
- Butter - use real butter rather than margarine for a richer taste; melt and cool slightly before mixing.
- Icing sugar - icing sugar mixture will give you a softer icing; pure icing sugar will set firmer on top of the cake.
Variations
- Gluten-Free Easy Chocolate Cake: Use a good-quality gluten-free self-raising flour blend and ensure your cocoa powder and icing sugar are gluten-free. The texture will be slightly different but still delicious.
- Mini Chocolate Cupcake Version: Turn this into kid-friendly mini cupcakes by baking the batter in mini cupcake tins (reduce the baking time and keep an eye on them). Top with the same simple icing and sprinkles - so fun for parties.
- Double-Chocolate Easy Chocolate Cake: Stir a handful of chocolate chips through the batter before baking for extra chocolate puddles throughout the cake.
- Birthday Cake Upgrade: Swap the simple chocolate icing for my Fudgy Chocolate Frosting (the one I use on my cupcakes) and pile it high for a richer, celebration-style cake.
Need To Substitute An Ingredient?
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How To Make An Easy Chocolate Cake
Making this cake from scratch really is as simple as mix, bake, ice, sprinkle - perfect for beginner bakers and little helpers.
- Step 1: Sift the self-raising flour and cocoa powder into a large bowl.
Add the caster sugar, milk, eggs, vanilla extract and melted butter.
- Step 2: Beat with an electric mixer (or whisk by hand) for 2-3 minutes, until the batter is smooth and slightly thickened.
- Step 3: Pour the cake batter into the prepared tin lined with parchment paper and smooth the top.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a skewer/toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached.
Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before icing.
- Step 4: To make the icing, sift the icing sugar and cocoa powder into a bowl.
- Step 5: Add 1 tablespoon of hot water and mix until smooth.
Add a little extra hot water or icing sugar as needed until you have a thick but spreadable icing.
Working quickly, spread the icing over the cooled cake (a warm knife makes this even easier) and decorate with sprinkles. Slice into squares and serve.
Top Tip
For the softest, fluffiest crumb in your easy chocolate cake, make sure you don't over-bake it - take it out as soon as a skewer comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
Recipe Tips
- Don't skip sifting - sifting the self-raising flour, cocoa and icing sugar removes lumps and gives you a smoother batter and icing.
- Room temperature ingredients - if your eggs and milk are cold, the batter can be heavier and may not rise as well.
- Check for doneness early - start checking the cake around the 22-minute mark; every oven is different and chocolate cake can dry out quickly if over-baked.
- Cool before icing - make sure the cake is completely cool before adding the icing, otherwise it will melt and run off the sides.
- Adjust icing consistency - too thick? Add a tiny splash of hot water. Too thin? Add a little more sifted icing sugar.
- Storing the cake - store the iced cake in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days (if your kitchen is very warm, you can pop it in the fridge).
- Freezing (un-iced) - wrap the completely cooled, un-iced cake well in plastic wrap or foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature, then ice and decorate just before serving.
- Freezing (iced) - you can freeze the iced cake in slices, but for the prettiest finish I recommend placing it into the freezer un-iced and adding fresh icing once thawed.
Easy Chocolate Cake FAQs
Absolutely! This is a perfect easy chocolate cake recipe for kids. The batter is mixed in one bowl, there's no electric beater required if you don't want to use one, and kids love helping with the icing and sprinkles.
Yes. Spoon the batter into lined muffin tins and reduce the baking time (start checking from about 12-15 minutes). They're great topped with the same simple chocolate icing.
The two most common reasons are over-baking or measuring out too much flour. Check your cake a little earlier than you think you need to, and level off the flour in your measuring cup (or use scales for the most accurate quantities).
Yes, but you'll need to add baking powder. As a general guide, use 2 teaspoons of baking powder per 1 cup of plain flour/all purpose flour to mimic self-raising flour and get the perfect cake rise.
More Chocolate Recipes
If you can't get enough chocolate (same!), here are a few more easy chocolate cake and slice recipes that are perfect for birthdays, celebrations or a simple cuppa-at-home treat.
Easy Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- 2 tbs cocoa powder
- 150 g (1 cup) self-raising flour
- 225 g (1 cup) caster sugar
- 125 g (½ cup) milk
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 30 g (2 tbs) butter melted
For the icing
- 150 g (1 ¼ cup) icing sugar
- 1 tbs cocoa powder
- 1-2 tbs hot water
Instructions
Conventional Method
- Grease and line a 20cm sheet pan and set aside. Preheat oven to 170 degrees celsius (fan-forced).
- Sift the cocoa powder and self-raising flour into a bowl.
- Add the caster sugar, milk, eggs, vanilla extract and melted butter. Beat for 2-3 minutes or until smooth and creamy.
- Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out with a few crumbs on it. Set aside to cool before turning out onto a wire rack.
- To prepare the icing, sift the icing sugar and cocoa powder into a bowl. Add the hot water and mix until smooth and slightly runny. If your icing is too thick, add a little more water.
- Working quickly, spread the icing over the cake (use a hot knife to help spread the icing).
- Decorate with sprinkles (optional).
Thermomix Method
- Grease and line a 20cm sheet pan and set aside. Preheat oven to 170 degrees celsius (fan-forced).
- Melt the butter for 2 minutes, Speed 1, 100 degrees.
- Add the cocoa powder, self-raising flour, caster sugar, milk, eggs and vanilla extract. Mix fo 10 seconds, Speed 4 (MC removed).
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix for a further 20 seconds, Speed 4 (MC removed).
- Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out with a few crumbs on it. Set aside to cool before turning out onto a wire rack.
- To prepare the icing, place the icing sugar and cocoa powder into the TM bowl. Press Turbo 5-10 times to sift.
- Add the hot water and mix on Speed 6 until smooth and slightly runny (you'll need to scrape down the sides of the bowl partway through mixing). If your icing is too thick, add a little more water. Working quickly, spread the icing over the cake (use a hot knife to help spread the icing).
- Decorate with sprinkles (optional).
Notes
- Don't skip sifting - sifting the self-raising flour, cocoa and icing sugar removes lumps and gives you a smoother batter and icing.
- Room temperature ingredients - if your eggs and milk are cold, the batter can be heavier and may not rise as well.
- Check for doneness early - start checking the cake around the 22-minute mark; every oven is different and chocolate cake can dry out quickly if over-baked.
- Cool before icing - make sure the cake is completely cool before adding the icing, otherwise it will melt and run off the sides.
- Adjust icing consistency - too thick? Add a tiny splash of hot water. Too thin? Add a little more sifted icing sugar.
- Storing the cake - store the iced cake in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days (if your kitchen is very warm, you can pop it in the fridge).
- Freezing (un-iced) - wrap the completely cooled, un-iced cake well and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature, then ice and decorate just before serving.
- Freezing (iced) - you can freeze the iced cake in slices, but for the prettiest finish I recommend freezing it un-iced and adding fresh icing once thawed.
Annette says
Great for a toddler! We just dumped all ingredients into a bowl and toddler mixed it with a whisk. Completely ignored the creaming sugar stage. Turned out great!
Jodie says
I searched the internet for a cheap and easy chocolate cake and I came across this one and I did a straight swap to Gluten Free Flour and it turned out so good, I also dropped the sugar to 80g. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Froggo says
Yes, I did gluten free too!
Grace says
Grate cake it surprised me when it said to put it in the oven after like the 3rd step I said to my dad "Wow that went quickly"! Anyway great cake, tasty great highly recommend! 🙂