This is my grandmother Clara’s chocolate cake pan cake recipe!
This recipe brings back a lot of great memories!
I have to relay this. I did name this chocolate cake after my grandmother Clara, but I found out a few years ago that this wasn’t really Clara’s cake recipe. It came off of the back of a bag of flour!
Say what?
I thought my Nana discovered the best chocolate cake ever.
But wait!
She did. She discovered it on the back of that bag of flour! 🙂
If someone wants to make me a cake for my birthday, this is the cake I request.
In fact, a few years ago I celebrated a milestone birthday and Christopher and I threw me a party. My sister, Robyn, made my birthday cake and since I had oodles of peeps at the festivities, we needed a big cake.
So, Robyn made two 9 x 13 pans of this glorious chocolate deliciousness.
Now, here’s what makes that pretty amazing. This cake always gets frosted in the pan because it is mixed in the pan and not in a bowl. You can’t/don’t grease the pan you bake it in for easy removal.
What Robyn did was to somehow get the cakes out of their pans and then frost them together so they looked like a half sheet cake.
Inconceivable! And a family first.
I so appreciated it.
On to Making the Chocolate Cake Pan Cake
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Process shots for the chocolate cake pan cake
- Spelt flour in the 9 x 9 pan
- Sugar
- Cocoa powder
- Baking soda and salt
- Fork mixed all the ingredients together
WET INGREDIENTS GET INTO THE GAME
- 4 holes in the dry ingredients
- Olive oil in the holes
- Apple cider vinegar and vanilla
- Water
- Mixed together with a fork
Tips for making the chocolate cake pan cake
- The holes that you make in the flour aren’t really necessary but I’ve always done it this way
- When you mix with a fork, make sure the scrape the corners and sides to get all the flour mixed
- I take my fork and squish it towards the bottom of the pan as well to get all the ingredients incorporated
- Wait until the cake is completely cooled before frosting it
Bake for 30 minutes, use a cake tester and if not done, cook for 5 more minutes.
Ding, the Chocolate cake pan cake
- Straight out of the oven. Wait until fully cooled before frosting it
- Frosted – see recipe below for frosting
All that is left is to cut a piece and serve it.
Time for its close up.
One more photo.
*Calls sweetly* Oh, Christopher! I need your ha-and.
Christopher aims the fork into my mouth.
Yum.
I hope you enjoyed this chocolate cake pan can recipe. What’s one of your famous family recipes? Leave me a comment to let me know.
And as always, may all your dishes be delish!
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons olive oil (or vegetable oil)
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup cold water
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Preheat oven to 350 F
- In the pan add all the dry ingredients, use a fork to mix them together
- Make 4 holes in dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients to the holes
- Use the fork to mix the batter, making sure the flour is totally incorporated. Especially around the edges
- Place in oven for 30 minutes
- In a saucepan, add the flour and milk. Turn the heat on medium and using a whisk incorporate the flour into the milk until it thickens and the mixture pulls away from the sides. It takes around 5 minutes or less
- Place saucepan into the refrigerator to cool for 10 minutes
- Take out of fridge and add the softened butter, sugar and vanilla and beat it for 5 minutes minimum until it's nice and creamy
- Place in fridge until cake is cooled
- Frost cake
- Cut into cake
- Plate a piece
- Eat the piece
- Smile
- Enjoy
If you want a 13 X 9 cake, then double all the ingredients, including the frosting.
Tips for making the chocolate cake pan cake
- The holes that you make in the flour aren't really necessary but I've always done it this way
- When you mix with a fork, make sure the scrape the corners and sides to get all the flour mixed
- I take my fork and squish it towards the bottom of the pan as well to get all the ingredients incorporated
This just made me crave a bite of this cake!! Looks so yummy..Thanks for this recipe!
Sibel,
Thank you. It is so delicious. My favorite cake.
What a great tutorial! Thanks, this looks delicious:)
Tina!
Thank you! It is super yummy!
I’ve never seen cake batter mixed directly in the pan. That looks like fun with the baking soda and vinegar! This cake looks absolutely delicious. 🙂
Kimberly,
Thank you! It is fun! And delicious!!
I love your step by step guide! And I love spelt flour…. your cake looks delicious
Katin,
Thanks so much!
Such a family favorite. Can’t wait to eat it again!