Amazing One Bowl Chocolate Chip Cake
This one bowl chocolate chip cake is amazing! Incredibly after dumping all the ingredients to mix together, it is one of the fluffiest cakes ever!
This one bowl chocolate chip cake is unbelievable.
Every single last cake batter ingredient is thrown into one bowl and mixed up all together. Professional cake bakers everywhere will tell you this means sudden death to your light and fluffy cake.

But I’m arguing back: not so! It is moist and tender and one of the fluffiest cakes I’ve ever had.
In other words, it’s kind of a miracle cake.
Double Duty Cake
With the layers of chocolate chips and cinnamon/sugar (trust me, it’s a winning combo!), this cake has made many, many appearances for birthdays and Sunday dinner desserts and potluck treat offerings.
But it also reminds me a lot of a really good coffee cake. Which means, it’s totally acceptable to serve for breakfast.
I’ve been making this cake for over ten years, and it continues to be a huge favorite. It’s so, so good!!
A True One Bowl Wonder
You may feel morally opposed to throwing the eggs and flour and butter and sour cream and everything else in the same bowl together. I get it.
It feels weird and slightly wrong. And if you’re like me, you may even start questioning who to even trust anymore!
But I promise, it works. I don’t know how or why, but it does.
Mix up the batter until it is very well-combined.
Whatever you do, DON’T taste even the smallest smidgeon of batter. Just don’t. It’s terrible and gross and you shouldn’t be eating raw batter anyway. Jeez, who are you??
{Ok, lying. It’s actually amazing. And so perfectly cake battery sweet and vanilla-y. If you taste any, good luck stopping at just one little lick.}
Layers and layers
Once the cake batter is ready:
- spread half in a 9X13-inch pan
- sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar
- layer on 1 cup of chocolate chips
Then take the remaining cake batter and dollop spoonfuls across the top of the chocolate chips.
Doing so will make it easier to spread into an even layer.
And then repeat the same cinnamon and sugar + chocolate chip layers.
Easy peasy.
I’ve classically never been a huge fan of the cinnamon + chocolate combination.
I mean, I would never say no to it, but I don’t necessarily crave it.
But in this one bowl chocolate chip cake, the cinnamon and sugar gives the most delightful ribbon of spicy sweetness to the middle of the cake and allows the top to get crispy, crackly golden.
And the sweet cinnamon flavor is so delicious with the dots of rich, melted chocolate chips all throughout the cake.
Let’s Talk about Chocolate Chips
You already know I feel strongly about chocolate chips. There’s very limited room in my heart for milk chocolate chips, and so I always use semisweet chocolate chips in this cake.
But you do you. And I promise we can all still be friends.
Interestingly, while I love a good quality chocolate chip (Guittard or Ghirardelli), they don’t stay as soft in this cake after it cools as Nestle or Kirkland Signature brands of chocolate chips.
So do with that information what you will.
The Great Sinking Debate
Sometimes the middle layer of chocolate chips sink to the bottom of the cake. And sometimes they don’t.
You can try tossing them with a bit of flour, but in my experience, there’s honestly no rhyme or reason to when or why they sink. Same brand of chocolate chips, same cake recipe, sometimes they sink, sometimes they don’t.
*Several readers have reported in the comments that when they use mini chocolate chips, they don’t sink at all.
I’ve chosen not to let it keep me awake at night because this chocolate chip cake is crazy delicious no matter if the chocolate chips are well behaved or not.
Basically, of all things going on in the world right now, we aren’t going to let chocolate chips stress us out.
This one bowl chocolate chip cake is really, really good served slightly warm or at room temperature on its own. It’s interesting and fluffy and moist enough to do quite well by itself.
But. It is insane in a whole different way served ever so slightly warm with a scoop of ice cream. And hot fudge, too.
This cake is a solid favorite of ours and so many others (just read through the comments!). I hope you love it, too.
FAQs for Chocolate Chip Cake:
Sure, the cake will still turn out fine. But I promise it’s really delicious with the cinnamon and sugar layers.
Yes! A half recipe should fit well in a 9X9-inch baking pan (keep a close eye on the time, I’d check it after about 22 minutes).
Many people have done this in the comment thread below with good results!
This happens sometimes; it’s not something to stress too much over. Many people have reported that using mini chips solves the sinking issue. Or you can try tossing the chocolate chips in a tablespoon or two of flour before adding to the layers. Brand and type (milk, semisweet) can also make a difference on whether they’ll sink or not.
A lot can depend on oven (gas vs. electric, convection bake vs regular) and if your oven bakes hotter or cooler than mine. Also, glass pans can be the culprit, too. Cakes baked in glass pans bake less evenly and can take much longer to bake. So if you are using a glass pan, it won’t be unusual to have to add upwards of 10-15 minutes onto the baking time.
Chances are it needed a few more minutes in the oven. A toothpick inserted into the center of the cake should come out with a few moist crumbs. If there’s any hint of wet batter, continue baking for a few more minutes. Also high altitude can play a part in sinking cakes. Try googling u0022baking cakes at high altitudeu0022 for tips (I’ve heard adding a few tablespoons extra flour can help).
Chocolate Chip Cake
Ingredients
Cake Batter:
- 2 cups (284 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups (318 g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ⅓ cups (302 g) sour cream
- 10 tablespoons (141 g) butter, softened
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Cinnamon + Sugar + Chocolate:
- ¼ cup (53 g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 cups (340 g) chocolate chips, regular or mini (see note)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (325 if using a glass pan). Grease a 9X13-inch pan with cooking spray and/or line with parchment paper for easier cleanup.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl using an electric handheld mixer, combine all of the cake batter ingredients. Mix until well-combined, about 2 minutes.
- Whisk together the cinnamon and sugar until combined.
- Spread half of the batter in the bottom of the prepared pan. Sprinkle with half of the cinnamon sugar and then sprinkle half of the chocolate chips over the top.
- Spoon the remaining cake batter on top in large dollops and spread evenly to cover. Sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon and sugar and chocolate chips.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden on top and set around the edges and a toothpick comes out with only a few moist crumbs (don’t over bake or cake will be dry!). Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: from A. Marilyn and Monique G.
Recipe originally published May 2009; updated Sept 2020 with new pictures, recipe notes, etc.
Can this recipe be made in advance and frozen – thinking it would be a good option for a team sports trip to feed hungry teenagers for dessert with ice cream. But if I froze then defrosted and warmed when we needed it?
Thanks
I haven’t tried it, but I think it would probably work pretty well.
Degrees means :Degree Fahrenheit or Degree Celsius
REALLY dumb question… Corningware would be considered glass, right? Overcooked anything is my enemy, so I’m thinking err on the side of caution at 325, but wanted to double check.
Yes, I think I’d decrease the temp for that type of dish
Can I make this into a cupcakes
I haven’t tried but I believe others have with good results.
I made it with milk instead of sour cream and it was still lovely. I also made it with, wholemesl flour, 1 tsp of baking soda instead of 1/2, 1 cup sugar rather than 1.5, and also added walnuts & pecans. Was very yummy.
Quick, easy and delicious. Brought it to work to share and people loved it. It’s a keeper.
Just recently made this recipe and everyone loved it!! You have so many great recipes, I have never been let down by one of them!
Thanks so much, Amber!
This was an easy amazing cake!!! I made this for work and it was a huge hit! Everybody heated up their slice and we had ice cream and hot fudge to go with!!! Will be making this as a go to dessert!!!
Made this for a birthday celebration, and it was the biggest hit!! I left out the cinnamon/sugar in the middle and replaced it with a bit of dark brown sugar and mini chocolate chips. (I have some picky eaters). Even my most skeptical, and judgemental guest loved it! I also made a chocolate ganache to top the cake when serving. Thanks for such a simple and amazingly tasty recipe!
it’s looking good. ill bemaking it soon
Hi! This may have been addressed in our of the comments already, but I did not come across it after reading the first 100 or so…
My son would like me to make this for a birthday treat to send to school, but I’m thinking it would be easier to send as cupcakes instead of as a cake.
Has anyone tried making this as cupcakes? Would I have to double to recipe to get 24 cupcakes?
Thanks for your help! 🙂
P.S. I’ve made this as a cake and it is a family favourite for sure! 🙂
Hi Adrienne – I haven’t made this in cupcakes so I’m not much help sorry! I think you might want to 1 1/2 the recipe for 24 cupcakes.
Made this for a last minute picnic plan.. I blended all the liquids in one bowl and mixed all dry ingredients in another and added dry to wet. I substituted sour cream for yoghurt and used 01 cup of sugar. I did not use cinnamon sugar simply because I didn’t have any cinnamon at home but it tasted just fine. Loved it and will definitely try it again.
I can’t tell you how much my family and I love your site! It is the first place I go when looking for recipes and I know if I have company over I can always count on your meals even if they are new to me.
My 9 year old has become in love with cooking/baking and yesterday asked if she could look through your cake recipes and make one. She chose this one and had everything almost mixed up when her 12 year old sister asked to help. Somewhere there was a miscommunication and when they were making the cinnamon sugar mixture my 9 year old heard 4 TABLESPOONS (instead of teaspoons) cinnamon and then also added it to the cake mixture instead of into the sugar. She was sure she had ruined her cake. We spooned out as much cinnamon as we could butt there was still a fair amount in the batter and I convinced her to bake it. Well, even with the accidental ingredient the cake turned out so yummy and she exclaimed that maybe I could comment and let you know a little cinnamon in the batter makes it yummy as well. Thanks for sharing all of your yummy recipes and helping me teach and make memories with my kids in the kitchen.
Thanks for this comment, Shauna! I’m so happy the cake still tasted amazing (now we know that cinnamon in the batter is a good thing), but mostly I’m super impressed with your kids and their desire to bake. Love that!
I need help can we also use milk if we are not able to
Use sour cream
Yes! I used google and sub’d the sour cream for buttermilk. And since it’s more liquidy, used only 1 cup instead of 1& 1/3. Turned out just fine for us! (:
What a great recipe! I followed ingredients exactly, but skipped the cinnamon and sugar layer. Instead I just mixed in chocolate chips randomly as I poured the batter in the pan. Had no issue with any sinking chocolate chips and I didn’t bother to coat them. I made in a loaf pan and it took about 45 minutes to bake. Very easy considering I didn’t bother to sift, cream the butter, etc. Just literally put it all in a bowl and mixed for the approximate time on the recipe. Very tasty, like a fluffy coffee cake. I may cut the sugar down if I make again.
Love this recipe! So easy to put together and absolutely delicious. Only thing is that I had to reduce the amount of sugar and cinnamon sugar by more than half as I found it way too sweet for my liking.
This is a really good cake! The cinnamon with the chocolate is a great combination. Heating for a few seconds is a must.
I’m glad you liked it!
I have been looking for a cakelike this for a while . It’s cake and chocolate chip , without getting dense like a blondie. Will make it again.I used milk chocolate chips and still amazing.
I’m glad you liked it!
*Drooling* This was incredible! I’m a sucker for chocolate chip anything so this was perfect for me. Thank you for sharing the deliciousness!!
This was a very simple recipe for a very delicious cake!
A couple of notes:
– I didn’t toss my chocolate chips in flour so they all sunk to the bottom but it was fantastic nonetheless.
– When I first poured half the batter, I thought maybe I did something wrong because it was a very thin layer. But it all puffed up nicely in the oven!
– I baked it for 30 mins and the tester came out clean, but I think next time I’ll do the full 35 mins. The squares I cut had trouble staying together (not sure if it was because all the chocolate sunk and melted into the bottom layer or because the cake was slightly undercooked).
Will definitely be making this again – thank you for sharing!
Delicious! I am not a baker by any means but this recipe made it look like I am. Super moist and fluffy.
Planning to make this for my daughter’s birthday, and I had a quick question! If I pour this into a bundt pan instead, how would you adjust the temp and bake time?
I’d keep the temperature the same and probably check after 35-40 minutes? I haven’t made it like that, so that’s just a good starting point suggestion. 🙂
My husband didn’t like cake until this cake ! It’s the first cake I’d ever made from scratch, and I couldn’t believe it was possible for cake to be so fluffy! It’s the right amount of sweet. There’s another in the oven now. It’s a hit
My 6 yr old son wants to be on Madter Chef Jr someday. He has decided to make a new dessert once s week to learn to bake. We tried this recipe and loved it! We have made it several times and it has been reliably good!
Yay! Tell him he’s a rock star!
Loved this recipe! So fluffy and delicious!
I combined things (by hand) in the typical order I’d make cookies. Cream butter & sugar, add wet, add dry. I did brown the butter first as I do in most of my recipes. Let it solidify in the fridge once cooled, then let it sit out to soften again. I did eliminate 1/2 cup of sugar and it was still plenty sweet. My chips were Nestle dark chocolate buttons and did not sink even though I forgot to toss them with flour first.
My cake took 30 minutes exactly at 350 in a ceramic pan. It didn’t get exceptionally brown but I didn’t want to risk overcooking.
It was a big hit even cooled down. I can’t imagine it warm! Won’t have to since I plan to make it again very soon. Thanks for the great recipe!
My brother has been asking for a chocolate chip cake for a long time, and this totally fit the bill! Thank you! Do you know if I could simply add cocoa powder to the batter to make it a chocolate chocolate chip cake?
I haven’t tried that so I don’t know – sorry!
Great recipe! Cake was delicious. However, I had to bake it a bit longer. 40 -45 mins is a more accurate bake time in my humble opinion.
It was my son’s birthday yesterday and only had two hours to bake a cake before our family came over.
I finished on time and had a little extra to clean up.
It was so easy to make and the flavor and texture were incredible. Everyone loved it!
I just have to say that for my oven it was not enough time to cook it on 35 minutes, I had to let it cook for 12 or 15 minutes more and it didn’t go dry.
Yay!
A really delicious and super moist cake. I used half cream cheese, half yoghurt and only one cup of sugar (cake is still very sweet) and sprinkled one layer of cinnamon&sugar which was perfect for my little ones. I also had to cook it for 45 minutes and allowed 10 minutes rest time in tin. A beautiful cake.
This cake was AMAZING!! To say the least…
Fantastic. Everyone loved it. Mine took 40 minutes.
Can you skip the sour cream?
You could definitely experiment – I’ve never tried that.
Super yummy! I ran out of sour cream though so I just used Greek yogurt for the rest of the sour cream! Turned out awesome! I will be making it again! It defenitly reminded me of a coffee cake (:
I cut the sugar down to just under 1c and accidentally left out the butter, lol. But I still give it a 5 star rating. I’ll make it again and put in the butter!
I just made this cake for the first time. I followed the directions. I used milk chocolate chips. We liked the cinnamon. Mine was done at lime 32 minutes. Will be great when the grandsons come over tomorrow. Thanks for the nice recipe.
Delicious!
I am looking for a sheet cake recipe and this caught my eye anyway this could be made into a sheet cake for a church party?
I haven’t tried this as a sheet cake…so I’m not sure. It does well with the thick layers because the cinnamon and sugar is sandwiched in between.
Very tasty, thank you for the recipe! I made it for our guests and they all loved it a lot:)
I mace this cake today n it was divine. One of my best cakes i ever baked. Made few changes. Didnt have a sheet pan so made it in round tin n didnt have sour cream so substituted it with fresh cream n lemon juice.
Would love it if u could share a good recipe for cake with nuts. Thank you
We LOVE Italian Cream Cake with pecans or hickory nuts. By far the best cake with nuts I’ve ever made or had hands down. It even gets better with time because the flavor of the nuts really permeates after a day.
I made this for guests at dinner tonight and even though everyone was stuffed they couldn’t stop eating it. Husband says it was the best cake ever!
Made it GF and subbed whole milk Greek yogurt for half the sour cream. I also tossed the chocolate chips in a tiny bit of GF flour and had no problem with the chocolate sinking. Thank you so much for the recipe!
Loved it! I’m SO glad I HALVED the sugar in the cake batter, and kept the cinnamon sugar and chocolate chips
Delicious.
This looks like a great recipe! I’m curious if anyone has tried making it in a bundt cake pan or I have a rose silicone cake (bundt style) pan that I would like to use for my moms bday. Any thoughts? Thanks!
I make this cake all the time. Everyone loves it and it’s so easy. One of my favorite cakes!!
Best cake I ever made!
Holy Cow!!!
I made a couple of substations. My husband is diabetic, so I try to incorporate as many healthy things as I can. I used one cup of wheat flour along with the white, and used Splenda instead of sugar. These are spectacular!!! My grandson loved them!! Will sooooo be making these again & again!! Thank you so much for the great recipe!!!
I made this cake a couple of times and received nothing but rave reviews. It is definitely a keeper! Thank you so much for sharing
Found this recipe on Pintrest and had to try it. So glad I did! It was love at first bite! My internet died before I got to the part on how to add the chocolate chips, but I had read some comments before I started and so I just tossed them in flour and added them all to the batter at one time, which now I see was not how the instructions go, but it worked out just fine and there were chocolate chips throughout the cake. I baked mine in a glass casserole dish so I also followed commenters on baking it at a lower temp and for a longer amount of time. It took an hour at 325. can’t wait to make again! I am writing this down and its going in my recipe file!!! Thanks Mel!!!
I have been wanting this for dinner all week since you posted…finally made it tonight for dessert. Thumbs up all around. Thanks for a good, easy recipe!
Hi Mel,
I was hoping someone else might ask about this…but I don’t really like cinnamon! Obviously I could leave it out but would I still need some sugar? How much? Do you really taste the cinnamon that much?
Totally my favorite blog!
Hey Angela – maybe just try a dusting of granulated sugar and see how that goes! The cinnamon flavor definitely isn’t overly strong but if you don’t like it, you could try leaving it out.
I’m glad someone asked this question! I hate cinnamon and chocolate together. Did you try with only sugar? How did it turn out?
All my chocolate chips sank to the bottom , next time I will dust them with flour
Thanks for sharing this recipe! I made cupcakes instead of a cake and they are wonderful! I also left out the cinnamon sugar and filled the cupcakes with chocolate ganache and frosted them with chips ahoy cookie buttercream, Yum! I have a Cupcake business out of my house where I cater and sell at the Farmers Market year round, keeps me crazy busy and my customers always look forward to trying a new flavor. This was a hit! Thanks again I know I’ll be using this recipe often!!
Oh my goodness, yum!
I have a question! Can u use milk instead of sour cream or yogurt?? Maybe cream cheese?? I wanna make it tomorrow and I don’t have sour cream or yogurt! Please help if u could.
It’d be best to use milk with a little lemon juice; I’m not sure how it would affect the consistency of the cake since milk will be much thinner than the sour cream but it’s worth a try!
would love to know what size bag of chocolate chips you are using, 6 oz. or 12 oz.?
12 ounce bag.
I just baked this today! Attempting to save it for dessert tonight, so I haven’t tasted it yet, but I’m sure it will be delicious. My cake sank in the middle, like a lot of other commenters. I’m guessing I didn’t cook it long enough. I’m using a new oven- new to me at least- so I am just not really comfortable with cooking with it yet. I also had to substitute the sour cream for something that I don’t think exists in America, because I’m in Israel, but I’m sure that’s not the problem because it’s super similar to sour cream. Maybe I’m at a higher elevation too, because I’m in Jerusalem. So many potential issues here! Regardless, I’m looking forward to playing around with this recipe and figuring it out because your pictures look amazing- I want that!!!