One hour is all that stands between you and this easy Ooey Gooey Chocolate Cake! Chocolately and moist, but not sinfully rich, this easy chocolate cake is made from pantry staples and even makes its own frosting!
It isn't pretty.
In fact, in the pantheon of beautiful desserts, this Ooey Gooey Chocolate Cake wouldn't even crack the top 100... or maybe even 500.
But as they say, "looks can be deceiving" - and that is absolutely true, in this case. On a number of levels. No, this easy chocolate cake isn't pretty nor is it "so sinfully rich I could only eat two bites" which seems to be the gold standard of today's chocolate desserts.
This ooey gooey chocolate cake harkens back to earlier times when desserts were just... well desserts. Aa little something sweet to follow a meal. Before we took things like an easy chocolate cake and didn't add chocolate chips, salted caramel sauce, m and m's in the center, etc. etc.
Not that doing those things is necessarily bad of course, but sometimes... well sometimes you just want something simple - like Ooey Gooey Chocolate Cake.
How to Make Ooey Gooey Chocolate Cake:
Step #1: Combine the wet and dry ingredients in separate bowls.
Step #2: Combine and then add the pecans and melted chocolate...
Step #3: Mix and pour into a 9-inch cake pan and top with brown sugar, granulated sugar, and cocoa powder.
Step #4: Pour over the boiling water - yes, that's right, boiling water!!!
Step #5: Bake for 20 - 30 minutes then remove from the oven. Place a plate on top of the cake and flip it. Ta da!! You now have an incredibly easy chocolate cake... that's already frosted!
Tips for Making this Easy Chocolate Cake:
Although this ooey gooey chocolate cake is pretty foolproof, there are some tips to making sure it comes out perfectly!
- Make sure your milk is at room temperature! Adding melted butter to anything cold (milk, cream, etc., etc.) causes the butter to harden so it doesn't mix very well into the other ingredients.
- For melting the chocolate, instead of using a double boiler or a bowl over a pan of simmering water, I melt it in the microwave. Since microwaves differ in power, start at a low power and a short time - about 1 minute and then repeat until the chocolate is melted.
- Use a high-quality chocolate and cocoa powder. I used Ghiradelli chocolate and Valrhona cocoa powder. High-quality chocolate makes a huge difference in the chocolate flavor of this easy chocolate cake.
- If you aren't a huge fan of pecans (gasp!) reduce the quantity to one half!
If you enjoyed this recipe, I would love for you to leave me a comment and rate it!!
Other easy dessert recipes you might enjoy:
- Treacle Tart
- Instant Pot Bourbon Sticky Toffee Pudding
- 4 Minute Brownie Pie
- One Pan Brown Sugar and Nutmeg Cake
- Easy and Healthy Carrot Cake
- Orange Hazelnut Mini Cakes
📖Recipe
Ooey Gooey Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- ¼ tsp. salt
- ½ cup whole milk
- 2 Tbsp. melted butter
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 Tbsp. Kahlua optional
- 2 oz. melted 70% bittersweet or semisweet cocoa chocolate
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- ⅓ cup white sugar
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp. high quality dark cocoa powder I used Varlhona
- 1 cup boiling water
Instructions
- Pre heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, combine the milk, melted butter, the vanilla and Kahlua if using. Add liquid to the flour mixture and stir. Stir in the melted chocolate and the pecans. Spray a 9 inch cake pan (with 2 inch sides) with cooking spray. Add the batter, smoothing the top so it's even and covers the pan. Sprinkle the top with the white and brown sugar and the cocoa powder. Pour the boiling water over.
- Bake for 35 - 40 minutes - cake should spring back lightly when pressed. Let cool for 10 - 15 minutes. Place a platter or cake stand over the cake and then invert. Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
so craving a slice right now.. my chocolate cravings have definitely kicked in after seeing these images!
Cathy Perez says
Love love anything chocolate, this looks yummy. Pinned!
Priscilla @ She's Cookin' says
I think it looks pretty damn good! And you're right, it's begging for a scoop of ice cream. Dessert means chocolate in our house, too 🙂
Jackie Cooper says
This cake looks ssoooo yummy! I can't wait to try it. I was just wondering, though if it could be doubled and placed into a 9"x 13" cake pan - or would it fall apart if I tried to invert it?
Nancy says
Hi Jackie! I think the cake would work in a 9 x 13. I would make sure it had cooled a bit and then I would place your platter on top and, holding the pan and the baking dish tighly together, I'd flip it. If this seems a bit daunting, you could always just make two!!! I hope you enjoy it - it definitely does not last long in my house!!!
Valentina says
I've never made a cake like this. Looks so simple and I bet you could come up with all sort of flavor variations. I love it! So cool how it sort of makes its own frosting.