This easy-to-make chocolate cake is dark, moist, rich—and only dirties one bowl! Not quite as easy as boxed cake mixes, but those often contain trans fats. Our simple "from scratch" recipe gives you a home-baked cake with healthful canola oil and whole-wheat flour.

Servings: 12 servings
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Ease of Preparation: Easy
Health: Healthy Weight, Low Sodium, Low Cholesterol, Low Sat Fat, Low Calorie


Ingredients:

One-Bowl Chocolate Cake
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole-wheat pastry flour (see Ingredient Note)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup nonfat buttermilk (see Tip)
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg , lightly beaten
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup hot strong black coffee
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting


Steps:

1: Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray. Line the pan with a circle of wax paper.

2: 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.

3: 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.

Nutrition: (Per serving)

Calories - 139
Carbohydrates - 27
Fat - 3
Saturated Fat - 0
Monounsaturated Fat - 2
Protein - 2
Cholesterol - 18
Dietary Fiber - 2
Potassium - 62
Sodium - 212

Ingredient Note: Whole-wheat pastry flour, lower in protein than regular whole-wheat flour, has less gluten-forming potential, making it a better choice for tender baked goods. You can find it in the natural-foods section of large super markets and natural-foods stores. Store in the freezer.

Tip: No buttermilk? You can use buttermilk powder prepared according to package directions. Or make "sour milk": mix 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar to 1 cup milk.

Related Links:

  • Chocolate-Dipped Gingersnaps
  • Healthy Valentine's Day Recipes