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Desserts and Cakes

Simple Chocolate Cake

A moist, forgiving chocolate cake with an easy hand-spread frosting.

Published by Gabor U. · Updated August 24, 2026

55 minutesTotal time
20 minPreparation
35 minCooking
10 slicesServings
Simple Chocolate Cake
What you need

Ingredients

  • 200 g plain flour
  • 200 g sugar
  • 50 g cocoa powder
  • 1½ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 180 ml milk
  • 100 ml neutral oil
  • 150 ml hot coffee or water
  • 200 g chocolate frosting
Step by step

Method

  1. Heat the oven to 175°C conventional or 165°C fan. Grease a 20 cm round tin and line the base with baking paper.
  2. Sift the flour and cocoa into a large bowl. Whisk in the sugar, baking powder and salt.
  3. In a jug, whisk the eggs, milk and oil. Pour into the dry ingredients and mix only until smooth.
  4. Add the hot coffee or water in two additions, whisking gently. The finished batter will be fluid.
  5. Pour into the prepared tin and tap it lightly on the worktop to release large air bubbles.
  6. Bake for 32–35 minutes, until the center springs back lightly and a skewer has a few moist crumbs.
  7. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, turn onto a rack and cool completely before spreading with frosting.

How the cake stays moist

This is a forgiving everyday chocolate cake with a moist crumb and enough structure for a generous layer of frosting. Hot coffee deepens the cocoa flavor, while neutral oil keeps the cake soft for several days.

Avoiding a dry center or sunken cake

The batter is supposed to be fluid, so do not add extra flour. Mix only until smooth, then bake promptly once the baking powder is wet. Avoid opening the oven during the first twenty-five minutes. Cool completely before frosting, or the frosting will melt and pull crumbs from the surface.

Mixing a deliberately fluid batter

Line the base of the tin and lightly grease the sides. Use unsweetened cocoa powder, and make sure the baking powder is fresh. The batter is intentionally thin after the hot liquid is added.

Cocoa, coffee and oil

Use unsweetened cocoa powder rather than drinking chocolate, which contains sugar and milk powder. Hot coffee deepens cocoa flavor without making the finished cake taste strongly of coffee; hot water is a neutral alternative. Neutral oil keeps the crumb moist even after refrigeration and needs no creaming step.

Simple frosting and flavor changes

Bake as 12 cupcakes for roughly 18–21 minutes, or add orange zest to the batter. Hot water can replace coffee. For a simple finish, skip the frosting and dust the cooled cake with cocoa and icing sugar.

Serving neat chocolate slices

Cut with a clean knife and serve at room temperature. Berries or a spoonful of crème fraîche balance the sweetness, while vanilla ice cream turns it into a dessert.

Freezing cake with or without frosting

Keep covered at room temperature for 2 days or refrigerate for up to 5 days. Bring chilled slices to room temperature before serving. Unfrosted cake freezes well for 2 months.

Can I bake this cake without coffee?

Yes. Replace the coffee with the same amount of hot water. The cake will still work; coffee simply makes the chocolate flavor seem deeper.