This soft chocolate cake is made without eggs, butter or oil. The cake needs just 4 ingredients. It’s an easy one-bowl recipe that takes only five minutes to prepare. It’s a great cake to make when you need something quick and easy.
This chocolate snack cake is great for when you want a chocolate cake but without a long list of ingredients. It also contains less fat than your typical chocolate cake. It is so easy to whip up and can be served with your favorite toppings.
Ingredients
- Self-rising flour
- Cocoa powder
- Brown sugar
- Milk
Self-rising flour: Self-rising flour is all purpose flour that is already premixed with baking powder and salt. It saves a few extra steps and ingredients so I like to use self-rising flour whenever possible. However, if you don’t have self-rising flour on hand, you can also make it easily by combining all purpose flour with baking powder and salt.
Cocoa powder: I recommend using Dutch process cocoa powder to make this cake. It has a much richer cocoa flavor and isn’t as bitter or acidic as natural cocoa powder. The recipe does use a lot of cocoa powder so you want to use a good high quality cocoa powder for the best flavor.
Brown sugar: Brown sugar helps keep the cake moist and sweetens the cake.
Milk: I recommend using whole milk. You can also use a milk alternative like soy or almond milk. I prefer whole milk over low fat or fat free milk because it adds a little fat and richness to the cake. Since the cake is made without eggs, butter or oil, it doesn’t have a lot of fat. Using whole milk will give the cake a softer crumb.
How to Make Chocolate Cake
- The self-rising flour, cocoa powder and brown sugar are first mixed together on low speed. The milk is then mixed in until you have a smooth batter.
- Pour the batter into your prepared cake pan and bake for about 30 minutes or until the cake is fully cooked.
- If desired, you can frost the cake or serve with some whipped cream and fruit.
Texture
This cake has a snacking cake type texture and is not as rich as a classic chocolate cake. This cake is still soft and moist but because it is made without a lot of fat, the cake won’t have as soft and tender of a crumb as cake made with butter or oil. Instead, the cake will have a slightly chewy crumb to it which is what is typical of cakes made without a lot of fat. I still enjoy eating it when I’m craving chocolate cake but don’t want something very rich. It’s great to eat plain or can be served with fruit, whipped cream, icing, ice cream or frosting. The cake in the photos is topped with a chocolate ganache and raspberries.
Expert Tips
- Make sure your self-rising flour has a regular amount of protein and isn’t a high protein or low protein self-rising flour. There should be 3 grams of protein per 1/4 cup serving.
- You can also make your own self-rising flour by combining all purpose flour, baking powder and salt.
- I recommend using a good quality brand of Dutch process cocoa powder to make this cake because the cake does use a lot of cocoa powder.
More Chocolate Cake Recipes
4 Ingredient Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (190 g) self-rising flour see note before starting
- 1/2 cup (48 g) unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder
- 1 1/4 cups (155 g) light brown sugar
- 1 1/3 cups (315 ml) whole milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease an 8-inch square pan with non-stick cooking spray. Line with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl of a stand mixer, add self-rising flour, cocoa powder, and brown sugar. Using the wire whisk attachment, mix on low speed until everything is evenly combined. Pour in the milk and mix on medium speed until you have a smooth, lump-free batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly across with a spatula.
- Bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cake cool slightly before cutting and serving. Store any uneaten cake in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer. I recommend warming up the cake slightly before eating leftovers.
Notes
- Please note that this is a snack cake and won't be as rich or tender as a classic chocolate cake. Because it is made with very little fat, the cake crumb will be a little chewy rather than very tender.
- Self-rising flour note: This recipe was tested with Gold Medal brand self-rising flour (Amazon | Walmart).* There is a varying amount of protein content for different brands of self-rising flour which will affect the texture and outcome of the bread. Gold Medal self-rising flour contains 3 grams of protein per 1/4 cup. Please use a brand of self-rising flour with 3 grams of protein per 1/4 cup for this cake.
- *These product links are affiliate links. This means I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
- Homemade self-rising flour: If you don't have self-rising flour you can also make homemade self-rising flour. Make sure your all purpose flour has 3 grams of protein per 1/4 cup. Most all purpose flours contain 3 grams of protein per 1/4 cup but there are some brands (like King Arthur Flour and Bob's Red Mill) that contain higher or lower protein amounts which will affect the recipe.
- Whisk together 1.5 cups all purpose flour, 2 and 1/4 tsp baking powder and 3/8 tsp salt.
- Optional Ganache Frosting:
- 6 fl oz heavy cream
- 1.5 cups semisweet chocolate chips
- To make ganache frosting, heat heavy cream in microwave or on the stove until almost simmering. Pour over chocolate chips. Gently stir with a spatula until chocolate is fully melted and smooth. If your chocolate is not fully melted, you can also microwave it for about 15-20 seconds and stir again until fully melted.
- You can substitute the brown sugar with white sugar. If you do, I recommend reducing the sugar slightly, using 1 cup instead of 1.25 cups.
- Nutrition estimate does not include optional frosting.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.