Hershey's Perfect One Bowl Chocolate Cake (small batch)

 

 

The recipe I am sharing with you today comes from an old cookbook of mine, The Hershey's 1934 Cookbook. When we were living in Meaford Ontario about 30 years ago now, there was a shop at the edge of town that was filled with nothing but books.

I used to spend hours in it perusing them. You could often get brand new copies of very old books at a very decent price. 

I had copied the recipe into my Big Blue Binder when I moved over to the UK, which is why I still have the recipe. The book got left behind when I moved back to Canada. One day I may replace it. I don't know. It all depends on if I think the use of it warrants the purchase.

 

This is an excellent chocolate cake however. It is one I made in its full form for my family many times through the years. It always turns out moist and delicious.

I hate the way chocolate anything photographs.  It is almost impossible to get a really good photograph of a chocolate cake. At least that has been my experience.  But trust me when I say that this cake is a lot more delicious than it looks! 

 

It goes together very quickly and easily. You can cook this small batch version in one 9-inch round cake tin, or two smaller six inch round layer tins.  I chose to do it in the larger pan and then cut it in half through the middle and sandwich it in layers with some vanilla frosting.

You can also bake it as 12 cupcakes.  The choice is yours.  I like a layer cake myself.

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE HERSHEY'S ONE BOWL CHOCOLATE CAKE

Simple baking cupboard ingredients.

• 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar (In the UK use caster sugar)
• 9/10 cup (115g) all purpose flour
• 6 TBS (42g) unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 large free range egg
• 1/2 cup (120ml) milk
• 1/4 cup (60ml) light olive oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (120ml) boiling water
• Icing as per your wishes

 

I am not sure how to measure 9/10 of a cup. Just measure out a cup and remove 2 TBS. That will work perfectly. I bake by weight myself.

Make sure you use unsweetened cocoa powder, not hot chocolate mix or chocolate milk powder.  Just the cocoa powder. Here where I live I used Fry's cocoa powder because we don't have the Hershey's.

For the frosting today I used some ready made frosting (Betty Crocker) that I had in the cupboard that needed using up. For this size cake it used half the pot.  You can just make your favorite buttercream frosting if you wish, vanilla or chocolate. Either would be delicious.

 

HOW TO MAKE HERSHEY'S ONE BOWL CHOCOLATE CAKE

Its very quick and easy to make with the aid of a electric hand mixer.

Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter a 9-inch round cake tin and lightly dust it with flour. Set aside.

Whisk the sugar, flour, baking soda, sifted cocoa powder, baking powder and salt together in a mixing bowl. Whisk the egg, milk, oil and vanilla together and add to the dry ingredients. Beat for 2 minutes with an electric hand whisk.

Slowly whisk in the boiling water and continue to whisk to combine. The batter will be very thin. Pour into the prepared pan.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the top springs back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Leave to cool in the pan for five minutes and them tip out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.

Ice as desired.

 

For a really good basic vanilla butter cream frosting.  Beat together 1/2 cup (120g) of softened butter, 2 cups of icing sugar (260g), 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract and 1 TBS of milk until smooth, creamy, and fluffy.

This is enough to frost and fill this cake or 12 cupcakes.

 

I really hope you won't let these pathetic photographs put you off from baking this simple but lovely cake. It truly is delicious.

Moist with a beautiful crumb and a rich chocolate flavor.  Its a  long time favorite! Proof positive that it is the simple things in life which bring us the most pleasure.

Some other chocolate cakes that I have shared in The English Kitchen that you might enjoy are:

BUTTERMILK CHOCOLATE CAKE -  This is my all time favorite chocolate cake. It is a large double layer cake however, moist and delicious with a rich chocolate frosting. I need to figure out how to downsize this one methinks!

CHOCOLATE MAYONNAISE CAKE - Another small batch recipe this one bakes in a loaf tin. It comes with a lush brown sugar fudge frosting ad cuts into 6 perfect slices. Mayonnaise works like magic to make it nice and moist.  Don't worry, you cannot tell that there is any mayonnaise in it at all.

Yield: 6 - 8

Author: Marie Rayner

Hershey's Perfect One Bowl Chocolate Cake (small batch)

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 35 MinTotal time: 45 Min

A simple delicious and moist chocolate cake. Frost as per your own tastes.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar (In the UK use caster sugar)
• 9/10 cup (115g) all purpose flour
• 6 TBS (42g) unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp bakin gsoda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 large free range egg
• 1/2 cup (120ml) milk
• 1/4 cup (60ml) light olive oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (120ml) boiling water
• Icing as per your wishes

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter a 9-inch round cake tin and lightly dust it with flour. Set aside.
2. Whisk the sugar, flour, baking soda, sifted cocoa powder, baking powder and salt together in a mixing bowl. Whisk the egg, milk, oil and vanilla together and add to the dry ingredients. Beat for 2 minutes with an electric hand whisk.
3. Slowly whisk in the boiling water and continue to whisk to combine. The batter will be very thin. Pour into the prepared pan.
4. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the top springs back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
5. Leave to cool in the pan for five minutes and them tip out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
6. Ice as desired.

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