One-Bowl Chocolate Cake

This easy-to-make chocolate cake is dark, moist, rich—and only dirties one bowl!

Ingredients

• ¾ cup whole-wheat pastry flour plus 2 tablespoons
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup nonfat buttermilk
• ½ cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup hot strong black coffee
• Confectioners' sugar for dusting

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray. Line the pan with a circle of wax paper.
• Whisk flour, granulated sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Add buttermilk, brown sugar, egg, oil and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add hot coffee and beat to blend. (The batter will be quite thin.) Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
• Bake the cake until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes; remove from the pan, peel off the wax paper and let cool completely. Dust the top with confectioners’ sugar before slicing.

Tips

• No buttermilk? You can use buttermilk powder prepared according to package directions. Or make “sour milk,” the ratio is 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar to 1 cup milk; let stand for about 10 minutes before using.
• Whole-wheat pastry flour is milled from soft wheat. It contains less gluten than regular whole-wheat flour and helps ensure a tender result in delicate baked goods while providing the nutritional benefits of whole grains. Store in an airtight container in the freezer.