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.
This looks amazing, and I’m definitely going to try it out as is! But I was wondering, do you think it could be made with blueberries instead? If I’m really going for that coffee cake flavor?
Sure! I bet it would be delicious.
Sue – did you make 2 tier cake? Would love to know how it turned out. I’m going to make 2 tier cake this week and this chocolate chip cake is going to be 1 of my tier/ layer
LIES all LIES
ONE BOWL CHOCOLATE CHIP ????YEEEAAAA OKAYYY….Sorry sista but u make it sound like everything goes into 1 bowl while making it…Not True your ad is misleading and your persona is waaaaay to over girly and actually borderline immature…. almost likr a high school girl …no not a college girl a high school girl that is high and suddenly the mundane becomes “Totally Awesome and Unique Wowsey Wow Wow” The recipe sounds ok at best… i was gona try it but because you presented it deceptively i wouldn’t waste my time… who knows what else you’re up to….smh. bye
I genuinely hope your life starts looking up. It sounds like you’re going through a pretty rough and miserable time to be treating a total stranger, that shares her wonderful recipes with the world, this badly. Have a great week. 🙂
From the looks of your grammar and spelling… maybe you’re an elementary girl? I’ve had nothing but GREAT success with all of Mel’s recipes. Hope you feel better soon, Tyona.
This is the strangest comment I have ever seen. You came to her website insulting her personality. I’m sad your mother never taught you the saying, “if you don’t have anything nice to say don’t say anything at all.” It’s one thing to add a constructive comment on what worked or didn’t work, but you’re just being hateful. You said she sounds overly girly and it’s annoying (weird thing to get annoyed with maybe you grew up lacking feminine energy in the family) well you sound overly angry and condescending and it’s annoying to me.
*I didn’t even make this yet but I am planning on doing so right now! I’ve never been on Mel’s page either just wanted to leave this comment because your comment was repulsive.
Please be sure to include one bowl chocolate chip cake recipe.
I’m not sure how I haven’t made this one before. It’s so good and so easy. And I may have already eaten half the pan by myself.
Glad you liked it, Heather! Thank you for letting me know!
Can I subsitute the eggs?
I haven’t tried, so I’m not sure – sorry!
I made this Sunday evening with mini chips and did not have any sinking issues with the chips or at high altitude. I also used a glass plan, 350* for 35 minutes. The cake was gone by Tuesday morning and I only gave two small pieces to neighbors! My son asked me last night if I could make another today – that’s a first! Also, I use mini chocolate chips for everything as I have tricked my mind into thinking I get more chocolate that way!
Thought the cake was average on day 1. Woke up the next day and it looked like a mouse had eaten the top of the entire cake. Turns out it was my toddlers. The flavors had changed or something because it tastes DE-LI-CIOUS! Sadly I only have half a cake now. I’ll have to go make another lol.
P.S. Love the one bowl dump and go–all cakes should be this easy.
Ha, I laughed out loud at the “mouse” debacle.
Can I substitute blueberries as one layer into this cake?
You could definitely try, Sam!
Just made this recipe. It is great (or was, it is all gone). We ate it warm and was amazing. I case someone else bakes in Germany I used a combination of yogurt and Schmand and turned out perfect. I also chopped the chocolate myself and loved having big chunks of melted chocolate. Thanks, Mel, for the amazing recipe!
Thank you so much, Carolina!
Made this cake tonight and the texture/crumb was magical. This recipe is a keeper, for sure. Thank you, Mel!
Thank you, Angelika!
This was yummy and crazy easy and delicious!! Made it at the last minute to have for a quick birthday cake for Grandpa and it was a hit all around. Yum!!
Thanks, Allison!!
I’m not a fan of the taste of chocolate with cinnamon. I’m excited about this recipe but inclined to omit the cinnamon or at least cut the amount drastically? Thoughts?
The cinnamon is not overwhelming and it was okay with the chocolate. If not, maybe you could use those cinnamon chips?
Hi Corrine – you could cut down the amount of cinnamon or just leave it out.
Mel, the cake looks AWESOME! I’ve never combine chocolate and cinnamon together but for this one, I think I will give it a try. Thanks for sharing!
Amazing! Had to use Bob’s Red Mill gluten free flour but it was still amazing! Thanks for another great share!
I’m happy this transitioned well to gluten free!
I made this today and it is yummy! I do admit to using cinnamon mini chips instead of chocolate. I’m not a cinnamon/chocolate combo lover. But I love the cinnamon chips in the cake. I’m serving it with vanilla bean ice cream and a drizzle of salted caramel sauce. I live in a high altitude but didn’t have sinking issues with the center or with the mini chips. Thanks for the great and easy recipe.
Saw it. Made it. My college-age daughter came home and took it all back to school with her where they ATE ALL OF IT.
So now I’m making another. And she is making her own at school.
Thanks for sharing another amazing recipe!
This is awesome!! Mostly the part about your daughter making it at college!
This is so, so good! I halved this recipe for our family of three and per personal preference, omitted the cinnamon and sugar. It tastes like a better, fluffier version of the “Snacking Cake” mixes from Betty Crocker. Yum!
Thanks for the review on halving the recipe, Jen!
It’s like a CC cookie and a coffee cake (kind of). It’s so easy and dare I say fool proof. I was really nervous because my butter wasn’t as soft as it should have been when I started and it went in the oven with chunks of butter that hadn’t fully incorporated. My expectations were low that it was going to turn out. But it DID, and it was AMAZING. I can see taking this as a breakfast pastry to brunch or eating it for dessert. Or having a small piece at every meal until it’s gone.
Excuse me while I go write poetry in its honor. And thanks for the recipe Mel <3
Haha! I’m so happy you made this and loved it, Rebecca!
This intrigues next but not a big fan of chocolate chips. Does this cake have enough flavor on its own if I leave them out?
I would also like to know if I can leave out the chocolate chips.
You can definitely experiment leaving them out – should work fine!
I haven’t ever let them out, so you’ll have to experiment, but I think it would be ok.
Absolutely wonderful!
Thanks, Hannah!
Mel, did you make this cake at high altitude or should I adjust for where I live in Colorado at 7600 feet?
I live at around 2,400 feet currently but I originally posted this recipe way back when and I lived at 6,000 feet in Utah. It had a tendency to sink at high altitude but I never bothered to mess with it. I’ve heard adding a few tablespoons extra flour and adjusting the bake temperature (I think a bit lower?) can help
Mel, I’m going to try a half recipe of this cake for my family of 3. But how should I halve 3 eggs???
Hi Alice, I’d try 1 whole egg + 1 egg yolk.
Got it! Thanks!
One question: you say that 1/2 of recipe works well in 9 x 9 instead of a 9 x 13… Yet area of a 9 x 9 is 81 sq in, which is more than 1/2 of 9 x 13 (which is 117 sq in), so cake should be thicker. Why then is the cooking time shorter?
Maybe because the heat is coming at the batter on all sides and has a shorter distance to go before it reaches the gooey middle ?
Hi Ed, good question. The bake time may end up being the same, but I’d rather have people check it early to be sure than have it over baked.
Hi Mel: Leslie Clark here. I love, love, love your wonderful humor! Almost as much as I love your chocolate recipes. Thanks for making me laugh in these very bizarre times we are living in! (We have just survived the Medford, Phoenix, Talent fires)
BTW we are related through marriage. Our daughter is married to your Aunt Marilyn’s nephew. Can I claim you as a relative? Thanks for all your great tips and your terrific enthusiasm – even when you aren’t feeling great! You are lifting lots of us! There is definitely a one bowl chocolate chip cake in my future today.
Hey Leslie, our relation to each other had me doing mental gymnastics and now I’m really interested to know which nephew you’re talking about. I’ll have to ask Marilyn! Thank you so much for your sweet comment. I’m glad you stayed well despite those fires. It has been quite a year to say the least!
I believe it’s “the law” that the beaters must be licked clean! Well, it’s my law, anyway.
Ha. I will gladly live under your rule.
Love this cake – though I put it more in the coffee/tea cake genre and think it’s great for breakfast or a snack (though I should probably classify it as a dessert). I’ve thought of making it in muffin form.
I’ve been wanting to try muffin/cupcake form, too! Others have with good results.
Looking forward to making this. What I love about you is not only your fabulous recipes but the wonderful way you write. It’s always cute, entertaining and knowledgeable. Always a joy to read. Thanks!
Thank you so much, Kelli! 🙂
Hi, I made this recipe a couple of times using margarine instead of butter (i don’t like butter[least amount of fat possible]) Is there a specific kind of flour or sour cream(i use low fat) or something else that could prevent my problem: the middle isn’t cook all the way through. I even boosted the baking time to 48min but it keeps happening… i dont know what to do other than simply look for another recipe. It taste great for sure but to me it looks strange.
What kind of baking pan are you using? If it’s dark nonstick coating or glass, you might need to turn the oven temperature down by 25 degrees so it bakes more evenly.
ok, i’ll try that hopefully its fixes the problem but what if it does it anyways? what would be the next “solution”?
Can’t wait to bake this but would like to know what weight is your bag of chocolate chips?
Many thanks. Sue
Hi Sue, it’s 12 ounces.
This is my favorite cake ever?
Could I sub buttermilk for sour cream?
Do those two ingredients have the same effect on most baked goods? Could I use them interchangably?
Seriously, this cake is my favorite dessert, thank you for sharing the recipe!
Hi Emily, you could definitely try! Buttermilk often subs well for recipes that call for sour cream plus a little milk, but I think it would work ok here.
I made this cake at my brother’s house and it was so delicious!! I just want to know if I’m able to make it in a round pan. At my house we only have a small oven, so I can’t fit a 9 x 13 pan in it.
How big is your round pan?
It’s 8 x 6
can i make this without cinnamon sugar? and can i mix the chocolate chips in the batter? thanks
You can definitely try both of those variations!
I also have a 9 x 9 square cake pan
Delicious cake! I substituted sour cream for yogurt, and I also added coconut into the batter and between the layers (my family love coconut). I didn’t have enough chocolate chips but it still turned out greattttt!!
First, I love this recipe! It’s a favorite in our home. I do have a question tho…would it be possible to make this in a 9-inch springform pan to make serving easier? Would love to know your thoughts!
I think you’d need to cut down the amount of batter – it is probably too much for a 9-inch pan, but definitely worth a try!
Nice recepie! Just baked it. The kids loved it, and me too. Easy, fast and delicious! I put a smaller amount of sugar though… we like sweets with less sugar. Used yogurt instead of sour cream, it worked just fine. Thanks for the recepie!
Nice recepie! Just baked it. The kids loved it, and me too. Easy, fast and delicious! I put a smaller amount of sugar though… we like sweets with less sugar
Excellent!! I used a cup of sour cream and 1/3 cup whole yogurt, and my butter was on the melted side of softened. It baked for about 45 mins. It was fabulous warm with vanilla ice cream, and also fabulous the next morning with a cup of coffee (I did not re-warm it). It’s more cake than my family will be able to eat before it dries out, so next time I might try halving the recipe. But today, I’ll share the cake with my mom and a friend. A “make again” for sure!
Made a gluten free version, it was bombtastic! Definitely making again. It makes for an awesome chocolatey coffee cake.
What kind of GF flour did you use Tom? I’m new to the GF world and having a tough time making substitutions (but in reality also subbing for granulated sugar so it’s hard to know what is causing the issue, lol).
I just baked this cake and replaced sour cream with yogurt and vanilla extract with fresh orange peel. It was tender and delicious.
Just made this recipe – used half the ingredients and used an 8” round pan, similar baking time(just check it regularly after 30 mins)
I did an egg and a yolk.
A chocolate-y coffee cake! Tasty and easy, great for baking with kids. My 5 year old says he wants it for his 6th birthday!
I made this cake for my friend’s son’s first birthday party. I didn’t have sour cream, so used yoghurt. It took an extra 10 minutes to cook, but everyone loved it-kids and adults alike! Thank you so much.
Made this recipe.
It is absolutely incredible!!!
…and the smell in your kitchen is wow, too. Melskitchencafe should market the smell as a candle scent…
Much love and thank you
Annie
Could you please give me a substitution for sour cream?
Greek yogurt works well as a SC substitute for me! I actually don’t ever use SC anymore.
Has anyone made this without egg? What can you use to substitute instead?
I’ve been making this cake for 20 years, it’s a family favorite! I use Mini Chocolate Chips and I do not have a problem with sinking chips..
This cake must be toothpick tested or the center will be under baked..
This recipe is amazing!!!!! My family and friends keep requesting it…. Infact my mother-in-law demanded I make this and told the rest of the family not to bother with any other desserts!
Let me start off by saying THANK YOU! This recipe is so simple ( gotta love one bowl recipes, especially with children running around!) , my 4 year old and 2 year old were able to help. I didn’t have enough sour cream so I used almond milk and added 1 tbsp lemon juice to that for buttermilk, I only used 1 cup cane sugar and it was perfect! It turned out great, I know the children will love it, mommy snuck a piece… Okay 2 pieces since they are napping definitly a keeper, thank you again for this tasty recipe! ✌❤
Loved the cake but my chocolate chips fell to the bottom what did I do wrong
My whole center sank after a day sitting out. 🙁 I was so paranoid I was going to over bake I may have taken it out before it was completely done even though I had it in for the prescribed amount of time. Even with that it was delicious – the batter was divine (yes, I licked the beater…shhhh…) And my tween daughter who stated a few months ago she was “over” anything with chocolate chips could not get enough of it. I will make again and try to resist the urge to take it out as early as I did the last time.
Lovely cake! Reduced the amount of sugar to one cup. 3/4 brown & 1/4 cup white sugar. Used half butter& half olive oil for the quantity of butter & a cup of curd for sour cream. Super soft & moist. Oh, and I had quinoa flakes so used half cup of that & half cup of instant oats & one cup of flour. Used both dark & white Choco chips. Had it fresh with a cup of black coffee. Yumm
So basically you are reviewing a totally different cake!
Exactly lol
I haven’t tried this yet, but I need to know can the cinnamon sugar be eliminated from the recipe & will it still taste good? I have picky eaters.
Yes, you can leave out the cinnamon and sugar.