The Easiest Chocolate Cake Recipe You Need To Try

We’re in the thick of the holiday hustle and bustle at the flower shop. This means long work days and short weekends. My favorite way to recharge my batteries is house-mousing at home on Sunday with Gilmore Girls on Netflix and a new recipe to try. (Usually of the dessert variety.) I watched this video of Bon Appetit‘s Chris Morocco making the *easiest chocolate birthday cake* and thought, ‘there’s my Sunday plans.’

This recipe is so simple. It comes together with a handful of pantry staples and requires minimal tools. If you have a cheap hand mixer, a couple of bowls and a whisk, you’re good to go; it’s the perfect recipe for a baking beginner. I had to pop into Publix for a few things, but had most of the ingredients in my baking stash.

Chris Morocco is my snarky/bossy/Type-A soulmate and I love watching him rule the test kitchen. Plus his recipes always deliver; see: BA’s Best Chocolate Chip Cookies.

This is a super-satisfying, dense chocolate cake — topped with a tangy cream cheese frosting that balances out the rich cocoa. (I got excited and frosted it before the cake cooled completely, so my frosting is a little soft; oops.)

Instead of posting the recipe here, I’m going to point you to BA’s link, which includes all the details you need + handy video inserts to guide you along from start to finish.

Quick Tip

Bon Appetit suggests mixing up the dry ingredients and storing them in an air-tight container. Then you have a DIY cake mix on-hand to throw a cake together for any occasion with minimal effort. Birthday celebration, dinner party, Sunday supper, stressful day at the office… whatevs. This is a life hack I didn’t know I needed!

I highly recommend giving this ‘Easiest Chocolate Birthday Cake‘ recipe a try. Serve up a big slice with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or an ice cold glass of milk. No birthday required.

Editor’s Note: This post first appeared on the blog on 12/15/19. It felt like a great time to rescue it from the archives for some holiday baking!