Comment by Ginny:

Now, that’s my kind of recipe. Thanks!

Comment by mar:

This sounds like my kind of cake, will bake it tomorrow!
thanks :)

Comment by Kathleen:

Wow! What a great idea! Once we’ve recovered from the birthday sweets (pie and brownies and frozen yogurt) around here, I think I’ll try it.

Comment by Beki (pamperingbeki):

Mmmmm, simplicity at it’s best!

Comment by Laura:

I made this cake last night and both my hubby and I loved it. It was so easy and very tasty. We had it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top yum. Thanks for posting the recipe.

Comment by mom2fur:

I’ve made this cake and it’s really good! In fact, it’s so easy it’s the kind of thing you can experiment with! Maybe almond extract instead of vanilla?

Comment by Betsy:

Try cold coffee for the water to make a MOCHA cake!

Comment by Heather:

I have made this recipe several times! We love it… I just didn’t know you could mix it right in the baking pan…. wow, what a time saver (and mess saver) that will be! I will try it again soon… straight in the pan!
Heather

Comment by Victoria:

This sounds very interesting. I will try it soon.

Comment by Julie:

Wow! Honestly it is the best cake I’ve ever made from scratch. I’ll never buy a mix again.

Comment by Gretchen:

I tried this and I loved, loved, loved it. It wasn’t quite as sweet as cake mixes, but it was so incredibly moist. It was too easy and so yummy!

Comment by Lani:

Way back when, I made this type cake in Home Eco, it was called Crazy cake! and as a topping we put Hershey bars on top while it was still warm so they melted, I think we did it plain (no cocoa) I’m going to have to look to see if I have that recipe somewhere???? Oh and remember the snacking cake mix came w/own pan mix and bake in oven?? choco chip and banana nut where favorites.

Comment by Ginger:

I made this as a trial for a little girl’s first birthday so her mother could be sure it would not hurt her. She just loved it and suffered no troubles. So I will be making this so that she can enjoy her first birthday with all the mess, good tastes and fun of any other child. What a gift that you provided this recipe. Thank you!

Comment by Karen:

It is very nice to have these options for kids who may be allergic to eggs and/or dairy. I have made it for years – it was a recipe my mother made, plus I’m vegan so it’s my default chocolate cake. Last year I used it for cupcakes so kids could decorate them at my son’s party. I was so happy that one boy with a dairy allergy could join in. His mother always had to bring him a substitute dessert, but he could eat these just like everyone else (all the icings, etc. were also dairy and egg free, so he could decorate as well).

Comment by VHANN:

this chocolate cake looks good i wanna try this recipe this coming week….what frosting is best for this cake?….can i have the recipe for the frosting??please……….im a frustrated baker and im dying to learn how to bake……..thank god i found this site!i found you!……thank you very much!

Comment by Paula:

I made this chocolate cake this evening and it was INHALED! My 4 my boys loved it. We also unanimously agreed that it did not need frosting. I do believe we will never purchase another store bought cake mix again. Thank you for sharing thing!

Comment by Sarah:

no eggs… I will be trying this recipe out and quite possibly even today…

Comment by Kendra:

We made this cake last night for New Years Eve and it is awesome. No more boxed cake mix for our family. My DH is a picky eater and he loved this cake! So simple, easy and fun to make. Thank You so much for a great recipe!!

Comment by Wendy:

My 10 year old daughter made this for us tonight with no help at all. It was the first recipe she’s ever made with absolutely no help and it was delicious.

Comment by Jane:

This cake is delicious and so easy! I love it as much as I love the applesauce spice cake. (And I never used to bake…)

Comment by Julie:

I commented before, but wanted to add, my 7 year old wanted THIS cake for her birthday party. I made a 2 layer with cream cheese frosting. It was a hit! i typically use cake flour when I make it, but I have done it with whole wheat and it was still scrumptious!

Comment by roy:

We have been making this cake for years. It is called vinegar cake and was made in the depression. Great site , here almost every day.

Comment by sharon arora:

“Mix in the Pan Chocolate Cake”

I want to try to make this cake for my 3 year old who has a severe dairy allergy and egg allergy for his birthday it looks absolutely yummy. As I am not overly confident about cake making I wonder if you could just confirm what flour it is presumably self raising, is it vanilla essence and what vinegar do I use. Please could you confirm. Thank you.

Sharon

Comment by martha:

Shirley, thank you for posting this easy cake recipe. My Mother always made this as birthday cakes for our family (double the recipe, and cook in a 9 x 13 pan). We loved it so much! We called it “purple cake”, because the cake was so chocolate-y that the light hitting on it made it look purple!). If I frost it, I make a homemeade mocha frosting. It can also be used for “Surprise” cupcakes—homemade yankee Doodles. Just bake as cupcakes, cool, and cut a cone shape out of the center of each cupcake. Fill hollow with homemade whipped cream, cut the sharp point off of the cones you’ve saved, and replace the top. Then frost with your choice of frosting. Yummmmm. Thank you!

Comment by Gavriela:

It seems awesome! I just wonder…can I microwave it? for how long? I can´t wait to try this recipe!

Comment by Angie:

I’ve always heard applesauce can replace oil – do you think that would work in this recipe? Overall, sounds like a great recipe and I plan to make it for my son’s 1st birthday next week!

Comment by Melissa:

The BEST cake ever!! I’ve made this cake FIVE times now. We love it. It’s not just easy, it’s delicious. I have used 1/2 cup cold coffee and 1/2 cup cold water twice and it’s amazing. I always have the ingredients on hand, too. Just can’t thank you enough for posting this recipe.

Comment by mahek:

hi
I would love to bake this cake as i love baking , but there is one question why do you use vinegar? I have never used vinegar in a cake recipe , Is adding vinegar a must? Can i use white vinegar used for Chinese dishes
Thank you

Comment by mommyoftwins:

I’m so glad I found this recipe while googling homemade cake recipes! I just made this while my twin 15 month old girls were napping…it is DELICIOUS!!!

Comment by Kim:

I am sooooo glad I found this cake recipe..Last year we stopped eating processed foods, so this is the best! (lost 50lbs, just changing what I put in my mouth) Just about every cake mix out there is loaded with junk. It’s my husbands birthday tomorrow, & I’m going to make 2 of these. One on top of the other, w/ strawberries in the center, & homemade chocolate cream cheese frosting. If I have success I’ll be making it for his birthday party this sunday, doubling the recipe for a larger cake.. He is going to love it!! I’ll let you know how it turns out! Thank you for a simple ingredient recipe!

Comment by Leyda:

WOW, this cake is so CHOCOLATEY! Moist and soooo rich! I used melted coconut oil (very healthy!), and added some chocolate chips in the batter. My husband LOVED IT! Thank you for sharing this SCRUMPTIOUS recipe!!

Comment by Helen:

I made this cake last weekend and was very happy with the outcome. My daughter is graduating from high school tomorrow and we are planning a surprise tailgate party after the ceremony complete with this cake (as cupcakes with a cream filling), jaunty 2010 Grad picks and sparkling cider in flutes. Thanks for posting it.

Comment by Christine:

I made the one pan chocolate cake and it was wonderful!! I couldn’t believe how easy it was to make and how delicious it was to eat. It even passed the husband test!

Comment by Sandy:

Hi Shirley,
I just bit into the cake hot out of the oven (had to)and it is delicious! I love finding simple ideas that are amazing. I’ve been on a bread baking craze since the school year ended – have made at least 30 loaves in just a month (”no knead bread” is excellent – if you haven’t tried it yet, I’m certain it will fit your simplicity pursuit). I love that the ingredients in this cake are something we all usually have on hand and not one needs refrigeration. I’m pleased on many levels. Thank you for posting this recipes and your ideas – can’t wait to dig in further. The idea of “voluntary simplicity” has such appeal to me but I’ll write more about that another time. For now, the cake is an excellent addtion to my collection of favorite recipes. With each new recipe I discover or create, I date and write a little something about what’s happening in my life like little mileposts in my journey. I have strong memories tied to my favorite foods along the way. This one will have something to do with finding time to breath doing the things I love (cooking)- having just put in drip system for our newly planted 720+ pomegranate trees figuring it out as we go- loving every minute of summer break between teaching years. The trees and I will grow together as I continue to find what’s best for both of us. For now what’s best for me is another piece of chocolate cake – yum! Thanks again Shirley, Sandy