Martha Stewart One-Bowl Chocolate Cake Recipe

Martha Stewart’s one-bowl chocolate cake uses 8-inch pans, no mixer, and bakes in 30 minutes. Everything gets whisked together by hand in a single bowl: flour, sugar, cocoa, eggs, buttermilk, hot water, vanilla, and oil. The frosting is where Martha goes big, a cream cheese and bittersweet chocolate combination with crème fraîche that tastes like a chocolate truffle.

This is the smaller, simpler version of Martha’s chocolate cake. The Best Chocolate Cake uses 9-inch pans and a stand mixer. This one fits in two 8-inch rounds and comes together faster with less cleanup.

Try More Chocolate Cake Recipes:

• Flourless Chocolate Cake
• Molten Lava Cake
• Chocolate Bundt Cake

Why No Mixer?

Martha designed this recipe to be stirred by hand. The batter is thin enough that a whisk handles everything, and overmixing is harder to do when you are not using a machine. Less mixing means a more tender crumb.

You still need a mixer for the frosting because the cream cheese and butter need to be smooth before you add the melted chocolate. But the cake itself is truly one bowl and one whisk.

One-Bowl Chocolate Cake Ingredients

Martha calls for Dutch-process cocoa, which is darker and less bitter than natural cocoa. If you only have natural cocoa, it still works but the color will be lighter and the flavor sharper.

For the cake:

• Softened unsalted butter, for the pans
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the pans
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 3/4 cup buttermilk, room temperature
• 3/4 cup hot tap water
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 6 tablespoons vegetable oil

For the chocolate cream cheese frosting:

• 2 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• Pinch of salt
• 6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 9 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
• 3/4 cup crème fraîche

How To Make Martha Stewart One-Bowl Chocolate Cake

1. Preheat and prep the pans: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter two 8-by-2-inch round cake pans and dust with flour. Tap out the extra.
2. Mix the dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. Add the wet ingredients: Whisk in the eggs, buttermilk, hot water, vanilla, and oil. No mixer needed. Whisk until the batter is smooth.
4. Bake: Divide the batter between the two pans. Bake at 350°F until the tops spring back when pressed lightly, about 30 minutes.
5. Cool: Let the cakes cool in the pans on wire racks for 15 minutes. Flip them out, peel off any parchment, turn right side up, and cool completely.
6. Make the frosting: Sift together the confectioners’ sugar, cocoa, and salt. Beat the cream cheese and butter on medium-high until smooth. Slowly add the sugar mixture on low speed. Pour in the melted chocolate in a steady stream. Add the crème fraîche and beat until combined.
7. Trim and frost: Trim the domed top of one layer with a serrated knife. Spread about 1 1/2 cups frosting on top. Stack the second layer. Spread a thin crumb coat over the whole cake. Refrigerate 20 minutes. Then frost the top and sides with the rest.

What Is Crème Fraîche And Can You Skip It?

Crème fraîche is a thick, slightly tangy cream. It is what makes this frosting taste different from regular chocolate frosting. The tang cuts through the sweetness and the bittersweet chocolate, and the frosting stays smooth and spreadable.

If you cannot find it, sour cream works as a swap. The flavor will be a little sharper but the texture stays the same. Do not skip it entirely or the frosting will be too stiff and too sweet.

Why 8-Inch Pans And Not 9-Inch?

This recipe makes less batter than Martha’s Best Chocolate Cake. In 9-inch pans, the layers would be too thin to frost properly. The 8-inch pans give you taller layers with a better cake-to-frosting ratio in every slice.

Do not try to use this batter in 9-inch pans. The layers will bake flat and dry out fast. If you want a 9-inch cake, use the Best Chocolate Cake recipe instead.

How To Store This Cake

The frosting has cream cheese in it, so keep the cake in the fridge. Martha says it holds well refrigerated overnight if you wrap it carefully. Take it out an hour before serving so it comes to room temperature.

The unfrosted layers can be wrapped in plastic and kept at room temperature overnight, or frozen in a double layer of plastic and foil for up to three months. The frosting can be made up to a week ahead and refrigerated. Beat it again before using.

FAQs

• Can I make cupcakes with this batter? Yes. Martha says it makes 24 cupcakes. Fill lined tins two-thirds full and bake at 350°F for 20 minutes, rotating once.
• Dutch-process or natural cocoa? Martha calls for Dutch-process, which is darker and smoother. Natural cocoa works but the cake will be lighter in color and more bitter.
• Can I make the frosting without a mixer? The cake is no-mixer, but the frosting needs one. The cream cheese and butter have to be perfectly smooth before you add the chocolate or the frosting gets lumpy.

More Cake Recipes:

• Chocolate Ganache Cake
• Chocolate Pound Cake
• Carrot Cake

Nutrition Facts

(1 slice, serves 12)

• Calories: 580
• Total Fat: 34g
• Saturated Fat: 19g
• Cholesterol: 85mg
• Sodium: 380mg
• Total Carbohydrates: 68g
• Protein: 6g