Easy Chocolate Chip Cake with Oil
This chocolate chip cake is made with oil for the easiest one bowl batter you’ll ever throw together. It’s the kind of snack cake you make on a Sunday and just leave on the counter all week. Loaded with chocolate chips and topped with the fluffiest Swiss meringue chocolate buttercream, there’s no special occasion needed to make this cake!
You know how some cakes are for birthdays and special occasions and you have to plan ahead and make four different components?
This is not that cake. This is the cake you make because it’s Tuesday and you want something chocolatey on your counter. That was literally my entire vision when I developed this- a fun, easy snack cake that anyone can pull together without a lot of fuss.
And because I wanted it to be as easy and moist as possible, I made it with oil instead of butter. That means no softening, no creaming, no stand mixer required- just one bowl, a whisk, and about ten minutes of actual effort.
You add the dry ingredients, the chocolate chips, the wet ingredients, mix it together, pour it into a 9×9 pan, and you’re done. Easy.
I do have to tell you about my chocolate chip situation, because this is the kind of pastry chef problem solving I live for.
The first time I made this I dusted the chocolate chips with flour like you’re supposed to, and they still sank straight to the bottom.
So instead I threw them directly into the dry ingredients before adding the wet, and they distributed perfectly throughout the cake. Little trick, big difference!
For the frosting I topped it with my chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream. It’s incredibly fluffy and almost cloud-like, which is such a fun contrast to the chocolate chips in the cake.
But if you want something quicker, my easy 5 minute chocolate buttercream frosting works beautifully too.
And full disclosure, the first time I tested this I just drizzled a simple chocolate glaze on top, and my taste testers were absolutely obsessed with that version too. So really, you can’t go wrong!
How to make it
Cool the cake for 15 minutes in the pan and then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.
Choose your own frosting adventure from the options above depending on how much time and patience you have.
The glaze is the easiest and fastest to make, then the chocolate frosting, and then the Swiss meringue which is what I used here.
Easy Chocolate Chip Cake with Oil
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup white sugar, 150g
- 1/4 cup brown sugar, 50g
- 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour, 180g
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup chocolate chips, mini or reg
- 3/4 cup milk, any kind, even dairy free
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup neutral oil, vegetable or avocado
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F and line or spray a 9×9 inch pan.
- In a medium sized bowl add the 3/4 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, and 1/4 tsp kosher salt. Mix well to combine.
- Add the 1 cup chocolate chips and mix to coat well.
- Add I the 3/4 cup milk, 1 tbsp vanilla, 2 eggs, and 1/4 cup oil.
- Mix just until combined.
- Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 26-28 minutes. The cake is done when the cake is pulling away from the sides and a toothpick inserted comes out with moist crumbs.
