One Bowl Chocolate Chip Cake! One bowl, 35 minutes in the oven, an oil free option, easy chocolate frosting—DONE!
One Bowl Chocolate Chip Cake
I love cake! Do you? But I have to be honest—I’m terrible at decorating cakes. I can not frost to save my life. Stacking up the layers without breaking them—not easy. And once they’re assembled, mine always tend to slide apart—a hot mess! Somedays I’d really like to curl up on the couch with a sweet and crumbly slice of cake with rich chocolate frosting and watch Orange is the New Black without all of the hassle of making and assembling a “fancy” cake. Enter my One Bowl Chocolate Chip Cake! One bowl, 35 minutes in the oven, an oil free option, “ganache” frosting (that’s fancy speak for melted chocolate chips)—DONE!
^^^ Seriously. Look at that frosting!
Fun for Kids!
This cake recipe was actually a spin off of my “Just 2” cupcakes. I really need to go back and add some more flavors—I’ve experimented with several! This year I made “Just 2” cupcakes for David and his teacher all of the time. His teacher doesn’t do dairy, and never got to enjoy the treats the other kids brought in for their birthdays, so I always sent something for both her and David. One week I sent in two little chocolate chip cupcakes and she emailed right away to say how much she loved them. I agreed—and also wanted to make more than 2 🙂 So I expanded the recipe, and tested it a few times—for quality assurance purposes of course—and this easy peasy cake was born! I’ll have to get back to the “Just 2” recipe as well because you’ll need that version too!
(You should also know—this cake freezes really well! There was one month where David had a birthday celebration every week. I sliced up this cake into squares, put each square in a cupcake wrapper, and stuck them in the freezer. I threw one into David’s lunch box each time there was a party—could not have been easier!)
Oil Free Option
I tested this cake with both oil and aquafaba. I have to say that I prefer it with the oil—it’s a bit richer to me and has more of a crumb texture. That said, Irving really liked the aquafaba version, and my boys of course didn’t know the difference. So I’ll leave it up to you. If you’re accustomed to an oil free diet then you’ll love the oil free version! And if you’re not oil free, but just want to take it easy, maybe split the difference—half and half!
^^^ Kid approved!
Ok, enough chit chat! Go ahead and make this cake! It’s perfect for a pot luck—easy to transport, slice and serve! It’s perfect for a snack on a Tuesday. It’s perfect for a cozy treat on a Saturday. Just make it—and take a picture! Tag it with #frieddandelions on social media—I love to see what you’re cooking!
One Bowl Chocolate Chip Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 1 1/2 cup flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup non dairy milk
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil OR 1/4 cup aquafaba any bean is fine
- 1/2 cup applesauce
- 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 3/4 c mini chocolate chips I like Enjoy Life
For the Frosting:
- 3/4 cup chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil optional, for easier spreading
Instructions
For the Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Whisk all the dry ingredients together in a small bowl.
- In a spouted measuring cup, combine the milk, oil (or aquafaba), applesauce, vanilla, vinegar and mix.
- Add the wet to the dry and stir till combined, whisking well. Batter will be thick.
- Add chocolate chips and mix to incorporate.
- Pour into greased 8x8 pan.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Allow to cool before frosting.
For the Frosting:
- Melt chocolate chips and oil in the microwave.
- Using a spoon, spread it on top of the cooled cake and set it in the freezer to set the chocolate. Enjoy!
Yummm! Can’t wait to try this. (Found you through the AF Facebook page BTW).
Any suggestions on how I can make this GF?
(I do make regular cakes for friends, with whole wheat flour, but that would make the cake more brown and the chips won’t show up well)
So I guess a GF option would work best. Yours thoughts? I have brown rice flour, chick pea flour, white rice flour. Also have xanthan gum. Would I need that?
Hmm, I really don’t know about making it gluten free. I haven’t tried it that way. I do believe that another reader may have tried it successfully with GF flour? You’d have to experiment, keeping in mind that it might not turn out quite right, but could still be yummy!
So I am venturing into a plant based diet and I took this to a vegan potluck. They inhaled hit. It was a huge hit. One die-hard vegan said to me “you’re gonna make a great vegan”. Everyone wanted the recipe. Thank you very much for sharing.
p.s. Next time I make this I am going to Trader Joe’s poundplus chocolate bars (Dark Chocolate @ 54% cocoa solids) imported from Belgium. I believe they are Vegan (looking that ingredients list)
Oh yum, Trader Joe’s has a couple of great vegan chocolate bars! So glad that my cake was a hit with your friends—I hope you shared the recipe! My kids LOVE this cake, and I love how easy it is to make!
Hello! Wounderful recipe, sadly I am italian and not used to applesauce…what do you mean with applesauce? Is it something you find at the supermarket or do you make it yourself? I would reaaaaaaaally like to try it asap!
Thanks!
Hi! Yes, you can buy applesauce at the store or make it at home. It is just cooked and pureed apples. You could also use pureed pumpkin (or another squash), or even mashed up banana. I hope you try it—so yummy!