This Sunday Chocolate Cake is the easiest, most comforting chocolate cake recipe ever. The boiled frosting on top is flaky, fudgy and delicious!
What IS Sunday Chocolate Cake?
So this cake might not look like much, but let me tell you…it’s everything. It’s simple, it’s classic, it’s nostalgic. AND it has the best flaky boiled chocolate icing on top.
I found the recipe for this in my Grandma’s recipe box and yes, she’d always make it on Sunday’s…hence the name. My Gram was a rule follower.
BUT it’s the perfect weekend cake. Or weeknight cake. Or afternoon cake…Also, it’s my kid’s most favorite. The classics usually are.
What is fantastic about this chocolate cake recipe, is it’s SO easy. There is no mixer involved, which is always nice!
How to Make Sunday Chocolate Cake:
Go ahead and whisk your dry ingredients in one bowl and your wet in another…
Melt your butter and shortening in a saucepan…also, if you think vegetable shortening is from the devil go ahead and sub in all butter. This recipe is my Grandma’s back in the days where Crisco was king. Actually the recipe calls for Oleo, so yeah. I’ve made it will all butter and it’s delicious.
Next add unsweetened cocoa powder.
Also, I am the messiest cocoa powder user ever in existence. What’s my problem??
When it’s all melted pour it into your dry ingredients…
And whisk them together.
A smooth, glorious batter will form.
Pour that all in your prepared pan.
When the chocolate cake is almost done baking, start making your boiled frosting.
Boil butter, milk and cocoa powder together in a medium saucepan, and then stir in some powdered sugar…
Whisk it all up until it’s smooth.
Pull the cake out of the oven when it’s done…
And pour that frosting all over top!
Glorious.
Allow the cake to cool, and your frosting will look like wrinkly. It’s ok…in this case wrinkles are good.
This is easily the most made cake in my house, along with my easy cinnamon roll cake. Not having to worry about making layers and piping frosting makes cake baking so much more of an everyday type of dessert.
Your Sundays will be better for it.
Also, the edge pieces are my favorite. All the frosting.
PrintSunday Chocolate Cake
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Prep Time: 20 minutes - Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: serves 12 1x
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Dessert
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PinDescription:
This Sunday Chocolate Cake is the easiest, most comforting chocolate cake recipe ever. The boiled frosting on top is flaky, fudgy and delicious!
Ingredients:
Cake
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup vegetable shortening (you can sub in butter if you prefer)
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
Icing
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup milk + 2 Tbsp
- 5 cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
Instructions:
Cake
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a 9×13 baking pan with nonstick spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl whisk together sugar, flour, salt and baking soda. Set aside.
- In another bowl whisk eggs, milk, vinegar and vanilla together. Set aside.
- In a saucepan melt butter, shortening and cocoa powder together, whisking until completely melted and smooth.
- Remove from heat and pour into flour mixture, and then add the other liquid ingredients. Stir together until smooth and there are no more lumps.
- Pour into prepared pan and bake for 15-20 minutes until center of cake is set.
- Prepare icing when cake is almost ready.
Icing
- Melt butter, cocoa powder and milk together over medium heat. Bring just to a boil and remove from heat. Whisk in powered sugar and vanilla until there are no lumps.
- Pour icing over hot cake in pan.
- Allow cake to cool before slicing.
Notes:
Store airtight at room temperature for up to 3 days
Keywords:: cake, chocolate cake, recipe, baking, cocoa powder
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Hi! I’m Shelly and I’m an addict. Of the buttercream sort. I started this site a few years ago as a way to justify my sugary, buttery obsession with desserts. It has worked out well for me so far, because as it turns out you guys all love sugary, buttery desserts too! It feels good to know you're not alone, doesn’t it?
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Looks easy and delicious. But just want to make sure the oven temperature ishoukd be 400. My other cake recipes aren’t as high.
Yep, 400!
I made this Cake Last night because I’m a baker and wanted cake and something chocolate… with that being said OMG when I tell you it was the BEST HOMEMADE CHOCOLATE CAKE I’VE EVER MADE!!!! THE Heavens opened up with the first bite. Also when I cut a piece there was so much hot icing that it flowed down the cake (from where I cut it ) like lava WOW I will be making this cake again. This is a good one
★★★★★
This comment made my morning! SO glad you loved it!
I remembered that I didn’t have cocoa powder when I took the cake out and now it’s cooled, can I pour the boiled icing on cold cake?
yes absolutely! The only thing that will change is, when the cake is warm the icing partially melts into the cake. When the cake is cooled it will sit more on top, like a regular frosting, which is completely delicious as well!
I have just now seen the recipe and read the post. Interesting about the Crisco/Oleo comment in the post. Both of my parents grew up on a farm where fresh butter was the norm. Raising four children in town during the 50’s/60’s, real butter was not an option. My mother had to resort to “fake” butter–Oleo margarine. So, in my mind Crisco and Oleo are two different ingredients. I haven’t made the cake, yet, but 15-20 minutes for a 9″ x 13″ sheet cake doesn’t sound long enough. Most of my sheet cake recipes call for at least 30-35 minutes.… Read more »
I am going to make this right now, have a chocolate craving going on today. I have tried the frosting on my Texas cake recipe, I agree that it is the best frosting you
Could ever use on a chocolate cake, hmm, wish I had some vanilla ice cream to go with this
So, I found this recipe and have been wanting to make it. I followed the recipe to a T & put it in the oven for 15 minutes, checking it still Very runny in the middle, 5 more minutes, still not done another 5, still not done, now I’m thinking I messed it up, another3 minutes, I made the frosting and poured it on the hot cake. Let it cool and it was like a dence brownie with frosting? It tasted good, but did not look like the pictures at all. I am an experienced baker, my oven is good,… Read more »
Same thing happened to me. It came out like a dense brownie with frosting. The taste was good but not at all cake like and didn’t look like the pic.
I am making right now, and after 20 minutes in the oven the cake is really wet in the center. Going to let it cook another 10 minutes, and re-check, and cook a little longer if needed. Hopefully it doesn’t dry out.
Should be fine if it takes a little more time! Ovens can vary how they bake! Let me know how it turns out!
Made it today, came out really well. My children loved it. It took around 28 mins in a fan oven plus the only substitution I made was, that I made it on a Tuesday, oops!!
★★★★★
I do not know when..and I do not know how but one day I started follow your facebook profile…………..and last saturday I prepared this cake for my family……it has been a SUCCESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!WONDERFUL……today my mum asked me to do it again…………… my sister asked me your receipt and my son confirmed me it was very good!!!!!!!! thank you!!!!!
haha! Well I’m glad you found me!!
I made this with a few tweaks (mostly because I messed up) and it is the best cake I have ever made. I am not a fan of chocolate but this will be craveable. My icing ended up having almost instead of vanilla and I topped it with coconut. So yummy I debating hiding it from the rest of my family.
★★★★★
It won’t cook in center at all 🙁
That’s very strange! I haven’t ever had that problem.
I just made it and it took 50 minutes to bake! I kept checking every 5 min. The center was really jiggly even after 40 min.
Made the Sunday chocolate cake and oh man was it a hit!!!! Kids loved it and loved it will make this again for sure
Do you think I could make this a day in advance? I’d like to make it for Easter Sunday lunch, but I’d need to make it ahead on Saturday morning. Store in the fridge or out on counter?
Yep! You definitely could!
I saw this post on Facebook, had everything on hand, so I made it. It looks just like yours, my family will love it! Thanks for sharing.
Awesome!!
Hi. Can u please tell ehat if i want to use oil omstead of butterand shortening? How much oil should I use.
★★★★
You would replace it in equal amounts
Looks terrific! I’d double the amount of cocoa (from 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup) in the cake recipe – I like my cake more chocolatey 🙂
Hi, i want simple vanilla sponge cake recipe…
Hi,
But where is the recipe? The link after your explanation does not work….
Thanks!
Ahh so sorry!! I just switched all my recipes over and it looks like that one didn’t get transferred! All fixed!!
Yummy! looks really good!
This cake is really awesome, but I was scared to put 5 cups of powdered sugar into the icing. I made it with just one cup. It was still tasty, but of course looks completely different 🙂 My son loved the cake and so do I 🙂
I just did the same. 5 cups of sugar was too much. In went just 1 cup Sugar just was yummy.(It was the frosting that drew me to this cake though) Will make it again for church.Also, I had Dutch processed cocoa so I went with Self Rising flour.
★★★★★
could you please put the oz and pounds or even grams it takes so long to work out the ingredients and i so love all your recipes thankyou x
fyi. it took a while, but i pulled it out at about 28 minutes. it tastes delicious. i hope i can freeze it?
i used a metal pan instead of glass, and it was still not cooked at 23 minutes….wonder if i did something wrong?
All ovens are different, if even slightly, and yes the baking dish will also make a difference. I am sure you didn’t do anything wrong, just give it a few more minutes in the oven!
The icing turned out all right, too much powdered sugar for my taste though. The cake would not cook in the centre at all. I left it in for over thirty minutes and it still would not cook. Very disappointed as I was looking forward to making this cake.
can i make this as a layer cake?
I don’t really think with the poured frosting, but if you’re just making the cake itself, yes!
I’m a little disappointed–I tried this recipe (using the butter for Crisco substitute and skim milk instead of whole) and by the end of 20 minutes of cooking my cake was still liquid! I ended up cooking for closer to 30 minutes, and when it came out it tasted like eggs. Any advice?
That’s strange! I can’t imagine that the substitution of butter for Crisco would make it taste egg-y, but I don’t ever bake with skim milk, as the fat content isn’t high enough. Maybe that could have been the issue.