The one-bowl chocolate cake is a busy baker's workhorse, and a concept that's been riffed on in countless ways by just about every cookbook, food magazine, and professional domestic goddess over the past few decades. And for good reason-who doesn't love being minutes away from homemade chocolate cake, no complicated machinery required? My version is naturally sweetened with maple syrup, which also makes it unbeatably moist.

　　

Ingredients

Makes two 9-inch cake layers, one 9 x 13-inch sheet cake, or about 1 1/2 dozen cupcakes

　　1 1/2 cups (6 3/4 ounces/192 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled

　　3/4 cup (2 1/2 ounces/72 grams) unsweetened natural cocoa powder

　　1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

　　3/4 teaspoon baking powder

　　3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

　　1 cup (11 7/8 ounces/336 grams) pure maple syrup (dark or very dark preferred)*

　　1 cup (8 1/2 ounces/242 grams) 2% Greek yogurt

　　2 large eggs

　　1/4 cup (2 ounces/57 grams) grapeseed, or canola oil

　　1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

　　

Step 1

1. Position oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F.

　　

Step 2

2. Lightly grease a 9 × 13-inch rectangular baking pan or two 9-inch round pans (and line them with parchment paper), or line 18 wells of two 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners.

　　

Step 3

3. Into a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

　　

Step 4

4. In a large measuring cup or medium bowl, whisk together the syrup, yogurt, eggs, oil, and vanilla extract.

　　

Step 5

5. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry. Using a whisk, energetically blend the batter by hand until smooth and thick, about 1 minute. Spread the batter into the prepared pan or pans. (For fill the cups no more than two-thirds full—you should get 18 cupcakes.)

　　

Step 6

6. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean and the tops of the cakes spring back when lightly touched, 30 to 35 minutes for sheet and/or layer cakes, or 20 minutes for cupcakes. Cool completely in the pans on a wire rack before inverting and frosting.

　　Cooks' Note

　　I like honey here, too. It creates a noticeably different flavor profile when combined with cocoa, which makes this recipe great for mixing and matching with a variety of frostings and toppings.

　　From Real Sweet: More Than 80 Crave-Worthy Treats Made With Natural Sugars © 2015 by Shauna Sever. Reprinted with permission by WilliamMorrow Cookbooks, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.Buy the full book from HarperCollins or from Amazon.