Dark, rich, gooey, crispy, cakey, fudgey — this cake is alllllll of those things. Even more exciting, the batter comes together in a matter of minutes and bakes for less than half an hour. You can even eat it warm right out of the pan if you don’t want to wait for it to cool completely. It goes without saying I’m not the most patient baker.

Anyways, another reason this chocolate cake is wonderful is because if you do decide to wait for it to cool, it is very forgiving and will look beautiful no matter what. I had some disasters minor issues myself but when I served it, no one could tell the difference. If you’re still not convinced that this cake is worth your time, maybe that picture of the dense, chocolatey, barely done cake above will change your mind.

Easy

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

Servings: 8

Ingredients:
10 tablespoons salted butter
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 3/4 cup sugar
1 cup flour
3 eggs

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 350°F.
2. Butter and flour a deep, 6 to 8-in round cake pan.
3. In a pot, melt all of your butter.
4. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir until completely combined.

chocolate cake

Photo by Gaby Scelzo

5. Pour the batter into your floured pan.

chocolate cake

Photo by Gaby Scelzo

6. Bake for 25-30 minutes, but check on it at the 20 minute mark just in case — you want the cake to be firm on the edges but jiggly in the middle.

chocolate cake

Photo by Gaby Scelzo

7. Let the cake cool.

8. Use a thin knife to loosen the cake around the edges, and invert onto a cake plate.

chocolate cake

Photo by Gaby Scelzo

9. Cover with powdered sugar.

chocolate cake

Photo by Gaby Scelzo

10. Finally, eat a slice. Preferably a warm slice with ice cream or whipped cream.

chocolate cake

Photo by Gaby Scelzo