Anytime Fudgy Picnic Chocolate Cake
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This Picnic Chocolate Cake is a rich and fudgy, slightly decadent anytime cake you’re going to love. And easy? Oh my, yes! Made in one bowl with a spoon and baked in an 8 x 8 square pan in 30 minutes, it’s a delicious picnic cake, perfect for the season.
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Anytime cakes are a favorite around here. And I know you love them too! If you’re unfamiliar with our “anytime” cakes, they are precisely what the name implies. Simple to make cakes that are perfect anytime, for almost any occasion.
That they are also delicious is what makes us love them so much!
This Picnic Chocolate Cake is especially lovely for summer picnics, outdoor eating, backyard BBQ… desserts you need to bring for gatherings, or simply anytime you’re craving chocolate cake, whether it be summer or the dead of winter.
What to Love About Picnic Chocolate Cake
Here are a few standout reasons we love this snack size Chocolate Cake recipe:
- Just the right size for picnics, backyard, or BBQ gatherings
- Fudgy, chocolaty, and so, so tender
- Easy to make in one bowl with a spoon!
Picnic Chocolate Cake Ingredients
You can find the exact ingredient measurements in the recipe card below, but here is the simple list of items needed; and a few thoughts.
- All-purpose flour: you will not need cake flour in this simple recipe.
- Granulated sugar
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Leavening: a combination of baking powder and baking soda gives a perfect rise to this Anytime snack cake.
- Salt: I prefer fine sea salt for flavor but table salt works fine too
- Buttermilk is a delicious, tenderizing ingredient in this chocolate cake. Regular dairy milk or non-dairy milk works well too.
- Vegetable oil: use your preference of neutral oil in the recipe
- Large egg to thicken, provide body, and stabilize the cake
- Vanilla extract for enhanced flavor (I cheat sometimes and double the measurement)
- Liquid and Espresso: While you can substitute the water for strong brewed coffee, I prefer using water with instant espresso powder for a richer more decadent flavor.
- Chocolate chips for ultimate chocolate flavor. I’ve been using dark chocolate chips, which give the cake a nice flavor balance and color.
Tips for Picnic Chocolate Cake
As mentioned above, this is a super easy chocolate cake recipe. It doesn’t require any special techniques and bakes effortlessly. Here are a few observations made during the testing of this recipe:
- Electric Mixer: If you use a mixer to blend the ingredients, it will add air to the cake and have a higher rise. Mixing for 2 minutes is usually sufficient.
- Mixing by Hand: My preferred way of making this cake is mixing the ingredients by hand with a whisk (for the dry ingredients) and then a spoon or spatula to make the batter. It gives the cake a more dense texture and fudgy crumb.
- Chocolate Chips: As we are not frosting this picnic cake, including chocolate chips in the batter provides a richer chocolate experience.
- Be Careful Not to Overbake. As with all cakes, overbaking can lead to a dry cake. In my oven, 28 minutes is perfect.
- Servings: An 8 x 8 square pan can yield up to 16 servings when cut into 4 horizontal and 4 vertical rows. If you want more generous servings, you can also cut them into 9 squares.
How to Make Picnic Chocolate Cake
More detailed instructions are in the recipe card below, but here is a brief overview with photos:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line an 8 x 8-inch square baking pan with parchment.
Dissolve the espresso powder in hot water and aside. This will cool for a few minutes while proceeding with the recipe.
- In a large bowl, stir together the dry ingredients.
- Add the egg, milk, oil, cooled espresso mixture, and vanilla to the same bowl and mix until smooth. Fold in the chocolate chips, and then transfer the batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
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Fudgy Picnic Chocolate Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup hot water
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup milk or buttermilk
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line an 8 x 8-inch square baking pan with parchment.
- Dissolve the espresso powder in hot water and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Whisk in the egg, milk, oil, espresso mixture, and vanilla until smooth. Fold in the chocolate chips, then transfer the batter with a spatula into the prepared pan.
- Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes before cutting and serving.
Video
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
What about the espresso powder and hot water?
The espresso powder is dissolved in the hot water and then cooled slightly before adding with the wet ingredients.
In the “Picnic Chocolate Cake Ingredients” section, it mentions almond flour on the line with all-purpose flour but it looks like the rest if the sentence was cut off.
You’re right! Sorry about that. My recipe notes found their way into the text. I was testing the cake with almond flour. Because the cake is already dense and fudgy, almond flour requires a few more modifications. I’m going to write a post soon on that recipe!