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One Bowl Eggless Chocolate Cake on a cake stand with ganache frosting
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One Bowl Eggless Chocolate Cake

This One Bowl Eggless Chocolate Cake is a fluffy and moist cake with delicious and intense chocolate flavor! You only need one mixing bowl and a whisk to make it.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 8 slices
Calories 480kcal

Ingredients

CAKE:

  • 4 tablespoons (60 g) unsalted butter, melted
  • ¼ cup (60 ml) vegetable or canola oil
  • 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
  • ¾ cup (180 ml) buttermilk
  • ¼ cup (60 g) sour cream (see notes)
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon (15 ml) hot water (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon instant espresso coffee (optional)
  • 1 ¼ cup (175 g) all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • 6 tablespoons (45 g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

GANACHE:

  • 5 oz (148 ml) heavy cream
  • 5 oz (145 g) quality semi-sweet chocolate

Instructions

MAKE THE CAKE:

  • Preheat the oven to 350º F (180º C). Grease one 8-inch round cake pan with flour-based baking spray, or grease with butter and flour, and line with a parchment paper round (cut an 8-inch circle of parchment), then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the cake seamlessly release from the pan.
  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk together melted butter, oil, and sugar.
  • Whisk in buttermilk, sour cream, and vanilla. If using coffee, dissolve the instant coffee in the hot water and add it to the mixture. If not using cofee just add the hot water. Mix until thoroughly combined.
  • Place a fine-mash strainer over the bowl with the wet ingredients. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cocoa powder into the liquid mixture. Add salt and whisk until combined.
  • Transfer the cake batter into the prepared cake pan.
  • Bake for 30 - 35 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean with just a few crumbs attached.
  • Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 20 minutes before inverting it over and set it on a wire rack to cool completely.

MAKE THE GANACHE:

  • Place heavy cream into a microwave-safe bowl and heat in the microwave for about 45 – 55 seconds. Make sure to keep an eye on it so it doesn't boil over in the microwave.
  • Pour the warm cream over the chocolate and allow to sit for 2-3 minutes.
  • Gently stir the cream and chocolate together until they come together to a smooth consistency. Note: this may take a minute and the mixture may look separated and piece-y at first, just keep stirring!
  • Let it sit at room temperature to cool completely to thicken. Then refrigerate for about 15 - 20 minutes until it thickens even more but is still pourable.

DECORATE:

  • Place the cake on a cake stand or plate. 
  • Pour or drizzle the ganache over the top of the cake.
  • Spread the ganache over the cake. You can also tap the cake stand or plate lightly on the tabletop to even out the top of the ganache.
  • Sprinkle with flaked sea salt, if desired, and serve! 

Notes

 
 
Store: Cover leftover cake and store at room temperature for 2 days, or tightly cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. If your kitchen is very warm, it is better to refrigerate your cake and then allow it to come up to room temperature if you plan to serve them at a later time. 
Freeze: Let the eggless chocolate cake cool completely. Wrap it up in 2 layers of plastic wrap, then with foil to avoid freezer burn. Place inside a large freezer Ziploc bag and freeze for up to 2 months. I recommend freezing the before without frosting. 
Ready to eat it? Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before icing and serving. 
Sour Cream: If you don’t have sour cream handy then plain whole milk plain regular yogurt will work just fine!.
Coffee is optional, but I recommend its addition because it enhances the chocolate flavor. Adding a little bit will make things taste more “chocolatey” without giving a coffee flavor. If you don't want to add coffee, just add 1 tablespoon of hot water.  
FLour: You can use self-rising flour. In that case, omit the baking powder and salt called in the recipe.  
Gluten-Free: Substitute all-purpose flour for 1-to-1 Gluten-Free flour. This is my favorite brand.
Dairy-Free: Use your favorite plant-based milk to make homemade buttermilk. Make sure to use an unflavored, unsweetened variety of non-dairy milk. Soy and oat milk have the best consistency and very neutral flavors. Also, use dairy-free, or vegan butter and sour cream
My favorite dairy-free butter brands for baking are:
 
Extra Tips:
  • ROOM TEMPERATURE INGREDIENTS: All refrigerated items should be at room temperature so the batter mixes together easily and evenly.
  • MEASURE YOUR FLOUR CORRECTLY! Adding too much flour to the recipe is the most common mistake. The best and easiest way to measure flour is by using a scale. If you don’t have one, then use a spoon to scoop the flour into the measuring cup, and then I use a knife (straight-edged) to level the flour across the measuring cup. Do not dip a measuring cup directly into the flour bin or you can compact it and get up to 25% more flour.
  • DON’T OVERMIX THE BATTER: Overmixing the batter lends a tough-textured baked good because you’re deflating all the air and over-developing the gluten.
  • BAKE THE CAKE AS SOON AS THE BATTER IS READY: Once the dry ingredients make contact with the wet ingredients, the rising agent becomes activated. Leaving it out for a long time causes the batter to begin deflating.
  • DON’T OPEN THE OVEN DOOR UNTIL THE CAKE HAS SET: Each time you open the oven door, you’ll be letting out some heat and letting in cool air and the drastic temperature change causes the rising cake to sink.
  • BAKING TIMES VARY, so keep an eye on yours. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
 
Not a big fan of ganache? Try my Chocolate Buttercream.
 
If you're making this recipe, please read the whole post content to get lots of tips, tricks, variations, frequently asked questions, and step-by-step photos.
 
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Please note that nutritional information is a rough estimate and it can vary depending on the products used.

Nutrition

Calories: 480kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Sugar: 33g