This One Bowl Chocolate Cake with Salted Chocolate Fudge Frosting is a simple to make, smaller sheet cake, perfect for Valentine’s Day, or to share with a small group! It’s made in one bowl, extremely moist, rich yet light, and topped with a creamy, decadent, salted fudge frosting. Decorate it with your favorite sprinkles, and/or a sprinkle of flaky sea salt!
(This post is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill. Thank you SO much for reading and supporting the brands I love!)
Sometimes, you just want a piece of really good, really moist, perfectly rich chocolate cake. But, you don’t want to go through making a full-size double or triple layer cake. Right? That’s where this one-bowl chocolate cake comes in! It’s mini, perfect for a small crowd, and topped with the simplest, most delicious salted chocolate fudge frosting. It’s just wonderful.
The cake is made completely in one bowl – no whisking dry or wet ingredients separately!
Which means less dishes for us! It’s made with buttermilk, which is a must for me when it comes to chocolate cake and/or cupcakes, because it helps create a soft, moist crumb. In addition to the buttermilk, hot coffee gets added to the batter instead of water, which makes the chocolate flavor extra deep and pronounced.
The chocolate frosting is essentially a buttercream, made with melted dark chocolate, powdered sugar, vanilla, heavy cream, and flaky sea salt. It’s AMAZING.
Part of what makes this chocolate cake so perfect, is the all purpose flour from Bob’s Red Mill.
It has a permanent spot in my pantry, for all of the baking I do on a weekly basis, from making cookies, to cakes, to pie crusts, and even thickening sauces for things like mac & cheese. I’ve never come across a flour as high quality, perfect in texture, consistent, and as fresh as Bob’s. I can honestly see the difference just by looking at the flour. It’s forever my go-to for baking all the things. Not only is the quality fantastic, it has wonderful flavor.
Speaking of permanent spots in my pantry, the entirety of this cake is made with pantry staple ingredients, maybe with the exception of the buttermilk. Which makes it even more wonderful for when that chocolate cake craving hits!
This salted chocolate fudge frosting is fluffy, just sweet enough, perfectly salty, and it’s filled with melted dark chocolate. Although it’s filled with dark chocolate, it’s more reminiscent of a fudgy milk chocolate frosting, as it also gets a couple tablespoons of heavy cream which cuts the richness just a bit.
This chocolate frosting couldn’t be easier, and I love it so much. If you have a little extra time on your hands, the frosting from this cake is exceptional, and would pair perfectly with this chocolate cake also.
It’s the perfect complement to the rich chocolate cake!
Here’s a quick rundown on how to make this one-bowl chocolate cake:
- Preheat your oven to 350℉ and line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment. Spray it generously with nonstick spray too. This
is the square cake pan I use.
- Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the eggs, sugar, vanilla, oil, and buttermilk (yes, straight to the dry ingredients!), and whisk until smooth.
- Lastly, add the hot, strongly brewed coffee to the batter, and whisk until smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35 minutes! Once the cake is finished, let it cool for 30 minutes or so in the pan, then carefully remove and place on a wire rack to cool the remainder of the way.
- Next, make the frosting. Whip the butter for a few minutes in either a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or you can use electric beaters, until it’s light and fluffy. Next, gradually add the powdered sugar, and beat for another couple of minutes. Add the vanilla and heavy cream, and beat again until it’s light, creamy, and fluffy.
- Finally (the last but best step!), add the cooled melted dark chocolate (make sure it’s cooled, or else it will melt the butter!), and the sea salt.
- Frost the cake, decorate with sprinkles and flaky salt, and that’s it! Couldn’t be simpler.
is the square cake pan I use.
It’s the perfect kind of cake to make for Valentine’s Day, if you’re just sharing it with a loved one, or for yourself!
Here are a few more of my favorite V-day desserts:
Mini Dark Chocolate Tahini Cups
Salted Dark Chocolate Cookie Dough Bites
Olive Oil Brownies
Raspberry Chocolate Coconut Peanut Butter Truffles
Ultimate Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies
Fudgy Almond Flour Brownies with Chai Salted Caramel
Don’t forget to share a photo on Instagram and tag me @spicesinmydna if you make this recipe! Nothing makes me happier than seeing what you create in the kitchen!
One Bowl Chocolate Cake with Salted Chocolate Fudge Frosting
This One Bowl Chocolate Cake with Salted Chocolate Fudge Frosting is a simple to make, smaller sheet cake, perfect for Valentine's Day, or to share with a small group! It's made in one bowl, extremely moist, rich yet light, and topped with a creamy, decadent, salted fudge frosting. Decorate it with your favorite sprinkles, and/or a sprinkle of flaky sea salt!
Ingredients
For the chocolate cake
- 1 cup Bob's Red Mill Organic All-Purpose Unbleached White Flour
- 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1/3 cup strongly brewed hot coffee
For the salted chocolate fudge frosting
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 4 ounces dark chocolate, chopped, melted, and cooled
- 1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt
For decorating
- sprinkles, if desired
- flaky sea salt
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350℉. Line an 8x8 square baking dish with parchment paper. Spray the pan liberally with nonstick spray. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the eggs, sugar, vanilla, vegetable oil, and buttermilk, and whisk until smooth. Slowly pour in the hot coffee, whisking to combine, until batter is smooth and pourable. Pour batter into prepared baking dish. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until center is set and no longer jiggly, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool for 30 minutes in the pan, then carefully remove and let cool on a cooling rack for the remainder.
To make the frosting, add the softened butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat for 2-3 minutes on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy. Lower the speed to medium, and gradually add the powdered sugar. Once incorporated, increase speed to medium-high, and beat for an additional 1-2 minutes. Add the vanilla and heavy cream, and beat for an additional 30 seconds. Turn off the mixer and add the melted chocolate. Increase speed to medium-high and beat for an additional 1-2 minutes or until incorporated, scraping down the sides as needed. Add the flaky salt and beat for 30 seconds or until combined.
Frost the cooled cake with the frosting, using an offset spatula to create the frosting "swoop" pattern, if you wish. Decorate with sprinkles, and sprinkle with flaky sea salt to finish. Cut into squares and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
*The cake portion of the recipe can be made up to 1 day ahead, and then frosted on the day you want to serve it. The cake will keep for 2-3 days at room temperature.
There may be an affiliate link(s) in this post, which means that if you click on a product link above and complete a purchase, I’ll receive a small commission at no extra cost to you! As always, all opinions are my own. Thank you SO much for reading!
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