Easy Cake Recipes (12 Foolproof Cakes from Scratch)
The easiest cakes are one-bowl, oil-based cakes — you whisk the dry, add the wet, and bake, no mixer and no creaming. Oil keeps them moist for days, and there’s a foolproof cake for every craving: vanilla, chocolate, lemon, or a four-ingredient dump cake. Here are 12 easy cake recipes, plus the fix for the most common cake fails.
The Quick Version
- Oil-based, one-bowl cakes need only a whisk — no mixer.
- Oil = moist for days, more than butter.
- Don’t overmix — stir until just smooth, or the crumb toughens.
- Cool completely before frosting so it doesn’t melt and slide.
Easy cakes everyone loves
- Easy chocolate cake — one bowl, deeply chocolatey, no mixer.
- Easy lemon cake — bright, sunny, with a simple glaze.
- Easy carrot cake — moist and spiced with cream cheese frosting.
- Classic pound cake — buttery, dense and perfect with berries.
When you want it really easy
- Easy dump cake — fruit, cake mix and butter, no bowl.
- Mug cakes — single-serve, ready in 90 seconds.
- Small-batch cupcakes — just a few, no leftovers.
The 3 cake fails (and the fix)
- Sinking middle. Underbaked, oven opened too early, or too much baking powder. Bake fully and keep the door shut.
- Dry cake. Overbaked or overmixed. Use oil, set a timer, and stir just until smooth.
- Stuck to the pan. Grease and flour (or line with parchment), and let the cake cool 10 minutes before turning out.
Frequently asked questions
Why did my cake sink in the middle?
Underbaking, opening the oven early, or too much leavening. Bake until a toothpick is clean, keep the door shut, and measure baking powder carefully.
What makes a cake moist?
Oil (it stays liquid), not overbaking, not overmixing, and enough sugar. This one-bowl cake uses oil to stay soft for days.
Can I make a cake without a mixer?
Yes — oil-based cakes need only a whisk. Dump cakes, snack cakes and mug cakes need no mixer at all.
Easy One-Bowl Vanilla Cake
Ingredients
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350F (175C) and grease a 9×13 pan (or two 8-inch rounds). Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
- Add the oil, eggs, milk and vanilla and whisk until just smooth – don’t overmix.
- Pour into the pan and bake 28-32 minutes (9×13) or 24-28 minutes (rounds), until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool completely before frosting. The cake keeps moist for days thanks to the oil.
Keep baking
Browse all our beginner recipes, frost your cake with our cookie favorites on the side, or learn why cakes sink in detail.
