Baking
57 recipes
"A very easy chocolate cake mixed up with cocoa, oil, and other ingredients" – Joanna Cooper (Our Tamarama kitchen cookbook author).
This is one of the simplest, quickest cakes I have made, ever. Such a great concept of replacing the need to soften butter with oil, the need to melt chocolate with using cocoa – hence the name. Skipping those steps turns it into a one bowl super quick mix.
So, is it any good? Yes - It has an extraordinary fudge-like texture the next day, so I like to make in advance too. Yum! Thanks Jo!
Serves 8 – 10. V. Freezes well.
Pictured: A slice of the Easy no butter no chocolate, chocolate cake!
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups plain flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla
- 1 cup boiling water
- Grease and flour either a 13x9x2-inch baking pan or two greased and floured 9-inch layer cake pans or three greased and floured 8-inch layer cake pans.
- Preheat oven to 180°C.
Method
Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
Add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla.
Beat with electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes.
Remove mixer; stir in boiling water by hand.
Pour the thin batter into the chosen tin(s).
Bake at for about 40 minutes for a 10-inch cake tin. It can take up to an hour or more as well – you will need to check with a cake tester, insert a skewer into the center of the cake, as soon as it comes out clean remove the cake straight away.
Cool for 10 minutes in pan on rack, then remove from pan and cool completely before icing – see below.
Cream Icing for Cake
1/3 cup butter, softened
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 pound (3 1/2 cups) sifted confectioners/icing sugar- must remove lumps
3 to 4 tbsp milk
Optional: food colouring or a berry puree
Cream butter, salt, and vanilla, beating until light and fluffy.
Add sugar gradually, beating after each addition.
Add 3 tablespoons milk, beating until smooth. You could swap out some milk with an optional berry puree if using, or add some optional colouring at this stage.
Beat in more milk until desired spreading consistency is reached.
Pictured: Easy No Butter No Chocolate, Chocolate Cake! Decorated for a 6-year-old birthday party, adding colouring to the cream icing
Dietary preferences
- Vegetarian
