One Bowl Chocolate Cake

Sooooo…the last few days in my kitchen have been very experimental.  Meatball sliders, grilled chicken skewers, chocolate cake, white cake, punch, carrot salad…exhausting!  My son turned 2 last week and his birthday party was on saturday.  *sniff*  I won’t go into the emotional details, but suffice to say that if somebody ever invented a special potion that allowed children to grow up and stay small at the same time, I would be first in line!  I can’t belive he is 2!  And my daughter will be 5 soon and…OK.  I am getting tears on the keyboard.  Moving on!

I was having a hard time narrowing down what exactly to blog about today.  The homemade ketchup I made was quite good, but I think that may have to wait for another day.  The rootbeer BBQ sauce still needs work, but the Lime Sherbet Punch was yummy and you can find the recipe here.  The meatballs were AWESOME, but I forgot to photograph them.  The white cake was just OK, the buttercream was outstanding, but the chocolate cake was wonderful!  So chocolate cake recipe it is!

Are you dissapointed?  Would you like me to post the recipe for carrot salad instead?  I didn’t think so.  That’s just crazy talk!

Although I do love me a great carrot salad…

I have no idea where either of these recipes (the cake or the frosting) came from.  Like many of my recipes, they were skribbled on a sheet of paper and added to the pile of thousands of recipes I have collected for me to try.  They have both been modified, but I just want to formally apologize to whoever dreamed them up first.  Kudos.

There are several wonderful things about this recipe.  First of all, its size.  It makes just one round layer (or, I suppose one 9X9-although I haven’t baked it that way before) which is perfect when you are after something decadent and sweet, but don’t want to have to figure out what to do with a whole cake.  Not that I am ever at a loss as to what to do with cake, but you know what I mean.  The other great thing about this, is that it isn’t as bad for you as you would think.  It tastes just like dessert should: rich, creamy, sweet and indulgent.  But it has some very healthy ingredients.  Yup!  Not too shabby.  Now if you will excuse me, I am going to eat another piece. One Bowl Chocolate Cake-Recipe Modified 4/17/13
You guessed it!  A bowl and a whisk is all you need to mix this up.  No mixer, no fuss.  It couldn’t be easier.

1/4 c sugar
1/2 c brown sugar
1 egg
2 T canola oil
1/2 c low fat buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl.  Add:
3/4 c + 2 T white whole wheat flour
1/3 c cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
Mix gently, until all ingredients are nearly incorporated.  Add:
1/2 c coffee, cooled to room temperature

Slowly and gently mix until you have a smooth batter.  Pour into a buttered and floured 9 inch round cake pan and bake at 350 for 25 -30 minutes.  Cool in pan for 10 minutes and then turn out onto a cooling rack until completely cool.  Frost.

Chocolate Frosting
This makes just enough to frost the top and sides of the above cake.  It is also perfect if you want something quick to eat out of the bowl frost a pan of brownies!

2 T soft butter
1/2 c cocoa powder, preferably sifted
1 1/2 c powdered sugar
1/4 c milk, or more

Mix the first three ingredients, adding a splash of the milk to help them go together.  Keep adding tiny splashes of milk until it gets to the consitencey you are looking for.  Beat with a spoon till smooth.