Maria Nasir
Really I can’t imagine a comfort meal or special occasion complete without a moist and decadent chocolate cake on the menu! Can you? But mostly when I’m done cooking an elaborate main course, I’m not in a mood to spend another two hours standing in the kitchen preparing the dessert. That is when my One Bowl Chocolate Cake Recipe comes in handy.
This simple, eggless, mix-it-all-in-one-bowl recipe is a life saver and my go-to-dessert as it always makes a very soft and rich chocolate cake base that I can use to frost with whatever ingredients I have at the time to whip up a frosting. Nobody in my family is a fan of fondant and buttercream frostings, we prefer glazes and fluffy frostings for our cakes and cupcakes mostly.
I can simply top it with whipped cream and any of the seasonal fruits – strawberries, cherries, grapes, mango and pineapple make sensational topping. OR I sometimes mix peanut butter and cream cheese to make a hassle free frosting. But my favourite remains the Mocha Caramel sauce frosting which is super easy to mix and cook up in a pan in minutes and pairs magically with a moist chocolate cake.
Want to dress up this simple cake for a special occasion. Easy peasy! I took a few chocolate bars, chocolate kisses, chocolate chips, almonds and wafers – basically what I could find in the fridge and larder, ignored by the kids and chopped it up in bite size pieces to heap it over the cake. This One Bowl Chocolate Cake recipe is any chocolate buff’s dream come true!
Don’t have buttermilk at home – don’t let that stop you from trying out the recipe! Squeeze 1 tablespoon of lemon or add 1 tablespoon of vinegar for 1 cup of milk. Stir, leave to curdle up for 5 minutes. Use in any recipe as required.
Ingredients:
For One Bowl Chocolate Cake:
1+1/2 cup plain flour
1+1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1+1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large or 3 regular bananas
3/4 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup warm water
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 teaspoon instant coffee
1 teaspoon Chinese 5 spice or garam masala (optional)
For Mocha Caramel Sauce Frosting:
1+1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons instant coffee
A few drops vanilla
Mixed chocolates, nuts, and wafers for topping
This Is What You Do:
Preheat oven at 175 degrees C.
Lightly grease a 9 inch round cake pan. Dust with flour.
In a big mixing bowl, add flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix thoroughly.
Add mashed bananas, butter milk, warm water, vegetable oil, vanilla, instant coffee and spice blend of your choice. Beat on medium speed till everything is combined.
Pour the batter in prepared cake pan. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or till a wooden skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
Completely cool the cake before frosting.
While the cake is baking, prepare the Mocha Caramel frosting. Heat all the ingredients of the frosting in a saucepan on medium heat till it thickens to the required consistency. Keep stirring while the sauce is cooking to avoid burning at the bottom. Preferably the ready mix should look thick, creamy and form soft peaks when lifted. Cool the Mocha Caramel Sauce before frosting the cake.
Pour the sauce over the centre of the cake. Roughly spread it out in a thick, layer with soft peaks using a spatula or spoon. Allow to drip a little on the sides. Break chocolate bars into bite size chunks. Heap chocolate pieces, nuts and wafers in the centre of the cake.
Keep refrigerated till serve.
Serves 12