One Bowl Chocolate Cake

There's something about chocolate that just warms a pregnant mama's soul--don't you think? A couple weeks ago I got a hankering for chocolate and started flipping through my trusty Better Homes and Gardens cookbook for some inspiration. When I found the recipe for One Bowl Chocolate Cake, I knew I had to give it a try. Y'all--it did NOT disappoint! It was so quick and easy to put together and it came out really nice and moist. Plus, it's made of ingredients I pretty much always have on hand. When I made it a second time last week, I decided to snap a picture and share the recipe here, with my healthier tweaks. It's definitely a keeper!

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour (I used organic unbleached flour, though I may try 1/2 whole wheat pastry next time)
1 cup Sucanat (regular sugar will work fine, of course)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg

1) Preheat the oven to 350*. Grease and flour a 9x1/2 round cake pan or an 8x8 square pan (this is the size I used).
2) In a large mixing bowl, stir together dry ingredients. Add milk, butter, and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer on low just until combined, and then beat for 2 minutes on medium speed. Add the egg and beat for another two minutes (This is important! The second time I made the cake, I added the egg at the same time as the other wet ingredients and the cake wasn't nearly as moist). Pour into baking pan.
3) Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until it tests done. Cool cake in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes and then remove it from the pan.

Once the cake is completely cooled, you can top it with this yummy glaze:
Melt 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons semi-sweet chocolate chips (or 4 oz. coarsely chopped semisweet chocolate) along with 3 tablespoons butter over low heat, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and beat in 1 cup powdered sugar (don't know of a healthy alternative to this--you could use organic, though) and 3 tablespoons hot water.

If you try this recipe, let me know what you think! I'm sure I'll be making it many more times, as it was a big hit with my hubby--and Katie enjoyed the couple bites with shared with her, of course. ;)

This recipe is linked to Tasty Tuesday and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday.