This chocolate cake is the main cake that my mom would make when I was a kid. Like most kids, I loved licking the batter mixing spoon and scraping every single last bit of the frosting. Just the smell of it in the oven and the first bite bring me back to those good old days. When I was going to elementary school in Ecuador, it was customary that the 6th graders (which used to be the final grade of elementary or escuela primaria) would work throughout the year to raise money, which would be used to go on an end of the year trip. Obviously the more money you raised, the better the quality of the trip.
One of the main activities we did to raise funds for our end of the year trip was to sell food and snacks during school recess. Our school hours were from 7:15am to 12:30pm (lunch was eaten at home) with a 30 minute recess. My mom would make this chocolate cake when it was our turn and it always sold out completely. In addition to school events, my mom also made this cake for birthday parties, get togethers with friends, and more. I’ll admit that I was lazy growing up and because my mom made it so frequently, I never really paid attention or learned how to make it. So, of course I thought it would be more complicated to make this chocolate cake than it actually is – it turns out that it’s so easy, you don’t even need a mixer and I’ve already started teaching my 9 year old how to prepare it.
Simple chocolate cake
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 5 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup of sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 6 tablespoons of melted butter or oil
- 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup lukewarm water
For the chocolate frosting or icing:
- 6 ounces of semi-sweet or dark chocolate
- 4 tablespoon of butter
- 1 tablespoon of cream
Additional topping suggestions:
- Fresh berries
- Cake sprinkles
- Toasted coconut
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 350F (175C) and lightly grease/flour a 9-inch round cake mold.
- Sift the flour in a medium sized mixing bowl.
- Use a mixing spoon to stir in the sugar and cocoa powder.
- Mix in the salt and baking soda.
- Make three holes: a large one for the melted butter or oil, and two smaller ones for the vinegar and the vanilla.
- Add the water and continue mixing with the spoon until you have a smooth batter.
- Pour the cake batter into the baking mold and bake at 350 for ~30 minutes or until you stick a toothpick in the middle and it comes out clean.
- Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool down.
- To prepare the chocolate ganache frosting, melt the butter in small saucepan over very low heat. Once the butter is melted add the chocolate, cut into chunks, and continue cooking at a low/simmer heat level. Stir occasionally and once all the chocolate is melted, stir in the cream and mix well. Remove the chocolate frosting from the heat and let it cool down a bit before using.
- Gently remove the cake from the pan –or you can also just leave the cake in the pan and add the frosting on top if you prefer.
- Use a spatula to spread the chocolate frosting on top of the cake and on the sides (if removed from the cake mold). Add any additional toppings, then let the frosting set and solidify a bit before cutting and serving the cake. If you refrigerate the cake, let it sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before serving so that the frosting can soften up.
Notes
There are no eggs in this cake, and if you use oil (instead of butter) then it could easily be a vegan chocolate cake- and trust me you will not able to taste the difference. My mom was telling me that she uses either, but does prefer to use butter. I’ve also seen her make it using a mix of butter and melted unsweetened chocolate (for an extra chocolatey version).
Let me add that my mom has the oven on almost every single day and has been baking since I can remember, so she’s developed this intuition that allows her to change ingredients on a whim and will know just based on the consistency of the batter or dough – which sometimes makes it very hard to get precise recipes from her. Not to mention, that she has these custom built gas ovens which don’t even have actual temperature indicators, you just turn it up or down – she will literally put her hand in the oven to test and see if the temperature is right for what she’s baking.
Some other adjustments that my mom sometimes makes to this chocolate cake recipe include using a mix of half regular white flour and half whole wheat flour. She also sometimes uses panela or piloncillo, a type of unprocessed brown sugar, instead of regular sugar.
The frosting or icing for this cake is a simple ganache like mix of chocolate (I used semi-sweet), butter and a bit of cream. It’s very easy to make, but you can also add a different type of frosting based on your preference. I love the combination of chocolate and berries, so I like to add a mix of berries as an additional topping for this cake. You can also use regular sugar sprinkles (perfect for a birthday cake), chocolate shavings or toasted coconut as topping options.
Step by step preparation photos for my mom’s simple chocolate cake
Omg best cake ever!!!!!!!!!!! I made it for a baked Alaska and it was amazing the chocolate flavor is everything!!!!!!!!!
Made your cake on my husband’s birthday…he and my five year old loved it..Thanks for the recipe!
This looks delicious and I plan on making it today. Have you ever added vanilla or cinnamon? Or do you prefer it just as it is? Thanks!
Hi Inga – It does have vanilla, it’s very easy to customize and you can add cinnamon or any other spices/flavors if you like. You can also use lukewarm coffee in place of the water for a mocha variation. You can also use it as base for a chocolate tres leches cake
I made it and it was delicious! Sorry, realized after I posted my comment that vanilla was in the ingredient list. : )
Hi! Can milk chocolate be used instead of semi-sweet in the frosting?
Yes, it can.
This cake is so gorgeous! I love the berries on top, these photos are to die for!
Laylita, This recipe reminds me the cake my aunt used to make (in Ecuador too). I just prepared your recipe today, and everyone loved it!
Hola Laylita! lo horneamos ayer- y nos quedo delicoso! gracias
When you say cream for the frosting for the chocolate cake, what kind of cream?
Whipping cream
Hola Laylita: Puedo reemplazar el vinagre de manzana por vinagre simple? este postre se ve muy apetitoso.
Si, claro que se puede.
The fresh fruit looks exquisite!!! We will certainly try this recipe! =)
Laylita:
THis chocoalte cake made with BIOS Ecuador polvo de cacao should be fantastic, made by your Lojana mum! Your foods, recipes and photos are the greatest! I live in Ecuador (previously in Chile and Argentina) but the cuisine here is much better, the staggering amount of fresh everything is neat in EC. I am from Massachusetts but lived in Southern OR for a long time and still have property there.. Now in EC since 2011 and cook much comida tipica. I know Michelle Fried but l prefer your recipes and cultural ideas to hers.
Can you focus on sopitas more? I love the soups in Los Andes and have made caldos, cremas, aguados, secos etc. I esp like to whip up a nice soup for each lunch and it is a lovely ,healthy way to start a meal. What about fruit soups for summer? How about different squashes? Many of us immigrants from the States love these soups here and your input would be wonderful. I know you are a Lojana and the food there is terrific. WHere do you find baking soda in Ecuador?
mil gracias,amiga — Sue Schloth
Hi Sue – Thank you! I am working on a lot of soup recipes for my book and also have several ones that I haven’t gotten around to sharing here on the blog, including refreshing summer ones. I think my mom gets baking soda at the pharmacy in Ecuador – she mentioned that they’ve restricted selling at the regular grocery stores (I’ll double check with her).
This cake recipe looks amazing and so easy to make! I’m not into sweets at all, but have always enjoyed a home made Ecuadorian sweet recipes:). Thanks for sharing!
Esta receta de pastel de chocolate se ve fantástica y muy fácil de preparar. Como Ecuatoriana, puedo dar testigo de la variedad de cómodas y de cuan deliciosa es nuestra gastronomía. Aunque no me gustan mucho los dulces, especialmente lo que llaman “postres” aquí en los Estados Unidos, siempre puedo disfrutar de un delicioso postre Ecuatoriano! Pues nuestros postres no son saturados de azúcar y son mas frescos! Gracias Laylita por tus deliciosas y bien presentadas recetas:)
Hi Laylita,
Thank you for sharing one of your childhood recipes- I have to say I can’t wait to try it! I have other chic cake recipes but they are so time consuming that input them off. This just looks so much less time consuming to make and looks beautiful! I have one question- does the vinegar have to be cider? Or can I use regular apple vinegar? Thanks!
Thank you, Tori! It can be any white/apple/fruit vinegar