Easy tasks are often referred to as “a piece of cake,” undoubtedly because eating a slice is a near-effortless undertaking. But what if baking a from-scratch cake could be almost as simple as eating it? Enter the one-bowl cake. With this collection of all-in-one cake recipes, we show you just how quick and easy making a cake can be. These recipes don’t require fancy equipment or precise techniques; the ingredients are merely stirred together in a single bowl, so there’s no need to wait for a special occasion to put a delicious cake on the table.
Bake your way through any of these one-bowl cake recipes, from chocolate to lemon to carrot — we’re pretty sure you’ll finish with time to spare.
One-Bowl Chocolate Cake
Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
Delicious served plain or with billows of crème fraîche whipped cream, Tricia Manzanero Stuedeman’s chocolate cake is a snap to make. A relatively high ratio of liquid ingredients to dry ingredients makes for a thin batter that’s easily whisked together without overmixing.
Lemon Blueberry Cake with Lemon-Zest Glaze
Since the batter calls for oil instead of butter, there’s no need for a creaming step — just quickly beat together the ingredients until smooth, then fold in the blueberries. Feel free to swap in raspberries or blackberries.
Banana–Chocolate Chip Snack Cake with Salted Peanut Butter Frosting
Banana and peanut butter is a match made in heaven. “The fruity banana batter is bolstered by browned butter for caramel-like richness that’s echoed by the butterscotch notes of brown sugar. Chocolate chips make an appearance, too,” says recipe developer Ann Taylor Pittman. “As for the salted peanut butter frosting, well, be still my heart!”
Gâteau au Yaourt (Yogurt Cake)
Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
F&W’s Lucy Simon mixes this classic French cake in a single bowl. Rich French-style yogurt gives it a moist, slightly dense crumb, and the tender cake is delicately scented with orange zest and vanilla.
Pecan Upside Down Cake
Food & Wine / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
Anna Theoktisto uses sour cream along with milk for more fat content in this cake, resulting in a richer, more moist crumb. She tops the warmly spiced cake with sticky, gooey pecans.
Lemon Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Pulling off a delicious homemade cake is about as rewarding as having minimal cleanup afterward. This incredibly simple lemon cake has two layers and only requires one pan for baking — it’s a one-bowl batter, too.
Bolo Cremoso de Milho (Creamy Corn Cake)
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
Like a sweet cornbread with a creamy custard layer, this Brazilian beauty forgoes the bowl altogether — the batter is mixed quickly in a blender, and it separates into two distinct layers as it bakes.
Carrot-Almond Snack Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Rich, dense, and moist, this sheet cake hits all the right notes — cream cheese frosting is an undeniable crowd favorite.
Coconut Milk Cake with Pistachios, Whipped Coconut Cream, and Strawberry Glaze
With crunchy edges and a gooey, thick crumb, this showstopping plant-based coconut cake is topped with pillowy whipped coconut cream and a gorgeous bright pink berry glaze.
Applesauce-Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake
This simple yet rich bundt is full of warming spices like cardamom, cloves, and black pepper that put it in a league of its own from your standard chocolate cake. The addition of applesauce makes it extra tender, and the simplicity of it (one bowl, minimal cleanup, only 15 minutes of assembly) makes it approachable enough for whenever you need a chocolate dessert.
Sweet Semolina Cake with Rose Water
Quick and easy to make, Sasha Martin’s Middle Eastern semolina cake is dense but moist, and it only takes 20 minutes of active time.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Gateau-au-Yaourt-Yogurt-Cake-slices-FT-MAG-RECIPE-0624-db9f5550a687496ab5fd4d5fc7cc98b9.jpg?w=1200&resize=1200,0&ssl=1&description=11+Cakes+You+Can+Make+With+1+Bowl){kind=link}