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.
when I
was 8 i loved to cook and I still do now this recipe was my first ever recipe to cook and my family loved it
I’ve made this a dozen times already. I love it so much. I usually do it in steps like a normal cake because my mind can’t wrap my head around the one bowl thing haha! But either way it’s delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
I misread the recipe, and it still came out great! To the batter I added one cup of sugar mixed with one cup of chocolate chips and one teaspoon of cinnamon. Because I’m at almost 7,000 ft I reduced the leavening by 1/4. On top I sprinkled a quarter cup of granulated sugar and another one cup of chocolate chips. It baked up beautifully, light and fluffy and gorgeous.
Bad recipe
Very helpful review
Wow! This is so amazing! I’m addicted to it. I couldn’t help but to mix the wet ingredients separately ♀️. Definitely will make this again!
Oh My goodness! This recipe is so easy and quick to make it. I decided to put 1 cup of sugar instead of 1 1/2 cups of sugar. Delicious!
Would this recipe be ok as a layered cake?
I haven’t tried it as a layer cake – it’s a very soft and fluffy cake – I’m worried the layers may not hold up well but it’s worth experimenting!
I’ve been making this cake since 1998. It was published on AOL in 1995 with the name Chocolate Chip Sour Cream Cake. The original was made in a Bundt pan but I double the recipe and make it in a 1/4 sheet cake pan. It has been a family favorite since day 1. EVERYONE loves it and requests the recipe.
Vanessa, What is the est. cook time for this cake doubled and in a quarter sheet cake pan? Thanks for the suggestion!
Would this recipe work with melted butter? As another poster said, even with well-softened butter (like I would use for cookies) the butter never seems to fully incorporate, it still tastes wonderful (and I have made this several times, including one baking as I type), but I have to wonder if melted butter would work as well.
Definitely worth a try!
Do you think you could make this in a bundt pan?
Oops just saw the answer to this below!
WOW cinnamon and chocolate. Totally delish and so easy to toss together. Another keeper from you. Thanks
I came across this recipe yesterday and thought there was no way it could work. I make a lot of cake, this seemed too easy. I used the weights provided in the recipe, used mini chocolate chips and baked it this morning at 6am. It is beyond good. The texture is soft, light, almost pillowy. It is sweet enough to be cake like but not too sweet to have for breakfast or brunch.
My ingredients were at room temperature and the batter was much smoother than I thought it would be. I used about half the amount of chocolate chips. They didn’t really sink, but it’s hard to tell because I put more than half of the batter in for the first layer and the first layer of chocolate chips did seem slightly lower down in the pan but not at the bottom. I love chocolate and cinnamon together but would even make this without the chocolate because the cake is that good.
Because I used weight measurements the only thing I had to clean was the kitchenaid bowl and paddle and a few measuring spoons. Wow. If you are as skeptical as I was, you are going to be amazed.
I love this recipe so much. It’s very moist and the cinnamon adds a nice touch.
Could this work in a Bundt pan?
I haven’t tried that, so I can’t say for sure. But I *think* it would work in a large 12-cup bundt pan?
One of my favorite cake recipes. So easy and so good! Great for a brunch dessert!
This cake is delicious. So easy to make and moist. A friend has asked me to make her a chocolate chip layered birthday cake with frosting. Do you think this will work or is the cake to delicate to be layered and frosted? Thank you.
I haven’t tried that, but I think this cake is a bit too light and fluffy to layer.
Followed directions as written. In some spots where the chips were (not the middle) the cake has raw batter under the chips? Not sure why
Made this yesterday (with mini chips) and it is moist and delicious. I will definitely make this one again. Did take more like 45 mins but I used a glass dish.
I added everything to my bowl and used the paddle attachment but ended up with butter pieces that didn’t blend.
I left the butter out overnight so it was room temperature. Should I have microwaved if or softened it even more somehow?
Cake still tasted great but texture was off a bit.
Thank you!
Hi Steven, you could try to soften the butter a bit more or use the whisk attachment for better combining?
This turned out wonderfully – the cake is so moist and tender. I did make a few slight changes: Skipped the cinnamon/sugar mixture, and only 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips. Reduced the sugar in the batter from 1 1/2 cups to 1 1/4 cups. Also used 1 stick (8 TBS) of butter instead of 10 TBS.
Just personal preference, since I usually like things less sweet. Will be making it this way again for something quick, easy, and delicious! Maybe I’ll try adding some orange zest next time, too. Thanks.
I’ve made this a few times and it’s always delicious! I was out of sour cream today, so I subbed in whole milk honey Greek yogurt, and scaled back a little bit on the sugar since the yogurt is sweetened. It turned out fantastic!
I made this for the second time today. The first time I made it for a friend and gave them the whole cake – and they raved about it. Today I divided the batter into two 9 inch pans. I gave half away to a neighbor. I finally tried it just now and I have got to say that it did not disappoint! It is so light and fluffy, and the mix of chocolate and cinnamon was wonderful! I don’t normally give away something I haven’t tried, but if I was going to do it with anything, I’m glad it was this cake.
My hubby bought too many chocolate chips from Costco so decided to try something else then cookies. The recipe was very simple and I will make again. I thought I would like the cinnamon, but turns out I am not a fan in this combination. I will make cake again for my son and omit the cinnamon. Thanks for the recipe
Would I be able to use a 10inch round pan please?
I think this is too much batter for a 10-inch round pan. You might need to cut the batter down by 1/4 or 1/2.
I thought this was really good and so simple to follow and make. I used semi-sweet chocolate chips which came out almost bitter or with a slight after taste. I think I would try the milk chocolate ones next time.
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe, Mel! Oh my goodness — I am such a sucker for chocolate chip cookies, so I adored this recipe! I can’t wait to make it again during the holidays. 🙂
This cake is very easy and delicious! So easy that I thought I was doing something wrong. a keeper for sure!
This recipe was perfect! Absolutely delicious and spot on with ingredients. I followed it to the tee and it was amazing. It was pretty straight forward and easy to follow, I really love that you mix everything in one bowl! I can’t wait to make this again and share with more people!!!
I made cupcakes! They are amazing!
I am a serial chocolate chip cake maker and love this recipe. Tonight I made cupcakes. Sprinkled the top with turnbinado sugar. Delicious! So much easier to transport than pieces of the cake which I have to wrap in saran wrap one by one. I think my senior friends are going to love them! Can’t thank you enough Mel for this fantastic recipe. Makes me look like a rock star every time! (Note: I don’t do the cinnamon thing 🙂
I am always looking for easy recipes that I can convert to gluten free….because someone else had recently commented they also made with the bobs red mill gf (I have used that brand gf flour in the past..but used the generic great value this time) I thought I’d give this a try. This was perfect. Wasn’t too terribly dry with the gluten free ap flour I used. I made for my daughters birthday and since it was a birthday cake, I took some chocolate frosting (store bought) and put about 1/3 in a bowl and softened in mircrowave then simply drizzled over top. It was a huge hit!
I need a 9″ square cake
Can this be made into that size?
Thanks so much
You would probably need to halve the recipe for that size baking pan.
This is such a great recipe!
I’m always on the hunt for recipes that can transition to GF and low glycemic sweetner pretty painlessly and this one passed the test . . . I replaced the flour with Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Baking Flour (not low carb), and replaced the sugar in the batter with 1 cup of Swerve (erythritol) and 1/3 cup coconut sugar, and for the used coconut sugar to mix with the cinnamon for the layers and it turned out great.
Hi Mel, I have made this recipe countless times and it is always a huge hit with my fans. I volunteer to deliver meals to seniors and always have a sweet baked treat for them to enjoy. If you scrolling the internet for a chocolate chip cake, you can stop!
This sounds weird but I was experimenting with the whole chips sinking thing and found that if I toss the chips in flour and really massage (with impeccabley clean hands) the chips and flour. They get sifted so as not to add the additional flouir and then go directly into the batter. Full size chips that come in the yellow bag. They don’t sink! I think the warmth of my hands allows the chips to really adhere to the flour. Who knows, thought I’d share!
I confess I have never tried the cinmamin thing. I’m a purist I guess!
So moist and delicious and made in one bowl, YAY!
My 10 year old daughter made this cake all by herself! It turned out perfectly. Her dad was so impressed. “You made this from scratch! Where’d you learn how to do that!” She answered, “Mel!” 🙂 Like mother, like daughter haha. Thanks for the yummy recipe!
Ok, she’s amazing!!! And I’m guessing she learned from you, not me! 🙂
you were right! delicious! Made as written, absolutely wonderful and easy to make
So good and so easy!!
You are so right about not trying the batter! 😉
I had mini chocolate chips to use up. Perfect amount for half the recipe. This cake is great!
Had it as a kid and wanted a good recipe …this is it! I make chocolate chip cookie cakes all the time, this was a great change. Got the ice cream and syrup to top it off for this St. Paddy’s day dinner. Thanks!:)
Making this tomorrow and am so excited to test it out! Considering omitting the top layer of cin/sug + choc chips and instead adding the streusel topping from your banana cream cheese coffee cake that I love so much…Thoughts on this?
I *think* it might work although this cake batter isn’t quite as thick and sturdy as the banana cake, so I’m not sure if the streusel will sink or not.
Hi Mel,
So I actually ended up making two cakes! One according to your recipe and the other with 1/4 cup less sugar in the cake batter and the streusel on top. Both were amazing and the streusel didn’t sink, even added a little maple glaze on top and it was fantastic. Thanks for another fun baking project 🙂
Thanks for the report back, Grace! Sounds amazing!
What waste of time cake did not cook waste of good ingredients would rate this zero
Can I sub almond or coconut flour and stevia or monk fruit?
I haven’t tried those substitutions, but you could experiment.
I was drawn to this recipe because it looked like one I could easily adapt for my son’s girlfriend who is lactose intolerant. I subbed in Tofutti sour cream, Earth Balance and semi sweet chips made with oat milk ( who knew?!). It was delicious and will remain in the rotation!
I made this for my husband’s birthday, to bring to work. It was gone in a blink and everyone wanted the recipe! Thank you for sharing it with us!
I, now, would like to make it for xmas gifts in small tins but have no idea of how many this recipe will make and how to decide how much goes in the tin so as to not overfill or underfill because any mistakes will have to be eaten by me and that’s not a good thing! If you have any advice for me I would love to hear it. Otherwise I guess trial and error will win out.
It really depends on the size of the pans you’ll be using. To be safe, I’d fill 1/2 (or slightly more) full. good luck!
Hubby had a craving for something sweet and he wanted to help make it, so I needed something super easy (he’s not a big baker). This was super simple to pull together and it was delicious! We enjoyed the cinnamon-y, chocolate-y flavors together. 🙂 Thanks for reposting this recently, Mel. I have been wanting make it since I saw it was updated, and I’m glad we finally tried it.
I reduced the sugar in the cake to 1 cup, and I will cut it back further to 3/4 or maybe 1/2 cup the next time I make it. It is plenty sweet, especially with the cinnamon-sugar and chocolate chips added to it. I think I will also cut back a bit on the chocolate just for personal preference (little toddlers=big chocolate-y messes lol!).
Can I mix this by hand? I don’t have a stand mixer or a handheld mixer. Should I melt the butter so it mixes in more easily?
You could definitely try that…yes, I’d recommend super soft or melted butter.
I halved this recipe and it came out fantastic. It was fully baked at 27 minutes. I used Ghirardelli bittersweet chips which i bought by mistake and they were a great combination with the cinnamon sugar. And the one bowl technique is so easy. Live it!
Hi, I am assuming the recipe calls for unsalted butter, I just want to confirm before I make it this weekend. I don’t want to screw it up . Lol thanks
All of my recipes are developed using salted butter.
This cake was wonderful and easy too! We made it exactly as written on Halloween (used semi sweet chips) and it came out perfect. We ate it while it was still warm, oooh so good! Every recipe that I have made from your site has been fantastic. Thank you for all the notes and suggestions that you give along with the recipes too.
Thank you so much, Barbara!
I was shocked for the amount of sugar and baking powder in this recipe. But i have faith in u. Baking soda slightly smell but no bitter taste at all! I have problem with the oven temperature and baking pan. My cake cracked. My choc chips sinked and I regretted for not coating them with flour. But overall this recipe turns out great! I only use half of the cinnamon sugar.
Oh i substituted sour cream with milk and vinegar (homemade buttermilk) for 1 cup.
Thank you Mel for another winner. I had been craving that “Snackin’ Cake” of old and this fit the bill nicely. I was lazy and didn’t even get out the mixer. I just softened the butter in the microwave, and mixed everything in a bowl with my Danish dough whisk. Since I was going for that chocolate chip cookie taste, instead of cinnamon sugar, I sprinkled brown sugar over the batter. I used mini chocolate chips, using about 1 1/3 cups, which was plenty for me. 5 stars!
Did you replace brown sugar exactly for the white sugar, cinnamon mixture? I want the cookie taste too and wondering how much brown sugar you used?
Is there any replacement for sour cream apart from yogurt in this recipe?
I don’t know of another (at least that has been tested)…