Everyday Cocoa Cake

This cocoa cake asks little and gives so much. But you don’t have to take our word for it: This is “hands down my favorite cake to bake,” writes one reviewer, who goes on to say it’s “always reliable and always delicious.” Another reports to have made the recipe no less than five times, and they “would not change anything—it’s very, very light and could even be eaten for breakfast.” So, yeah, it has fans.

That’s not to say you can’t take some liberties. Some have added chopped strawberries and dark chocolate chips to the batter or swapped the water in the wet ingredients for brewed coffee (you could also trade about ⅓ cup of the water for bourbon, rum, or Kahlúa). Others have taken the simple sugar-dusted single-layer cake into grander territories by covering in a chocolate buttercream, fudge-like ganache, or cream cheese frosting.

Whichever way you go, there are a few rules. Make sure your baking pan is at least 2" deep (we actually prefer a 3"-deep cake pan for most purposes). This is a thick cake and will overflow a shallower tin. Second, now’s the time to break out the good cocoa. Gourmet tested this recipe with both natural cocoa powder and Dutch-process cocoa powder and found that both worked well. However, the cakes made with Dutch-process had a more velvety crumb and richer chocolate flavor. Even more so, ones made with Valhrona, an extra-dark-roasted Dutched variety, baked up with a deep, almost black color tasters found especially appealing.

Think of this cocoa cake recipe as a back-pocket hero. It’s an ideal dessert to serve at a dinner with friends or to close out an intimate holiday meal. It’s the perfect recipe to take to that weekend cabin in the woods—or wrap the cake in individual slices for a bake sale. Really, there’s something you’ll want it for every. single. day.