Just like a great drop-cookie recipe, every home cook needs a fuss-free cake that can be mixed in a flash and is adaptable enough for layer cakes and cupcakes. One-Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes are so effortless, they don’t even warrant their own technique lesson; you simply combine dry ingredients and whisk in a few liquid ones. There is no need for an electric mixer, and best of all, you have to use only one bowl in the process.

　　

Ingredients

makes 24

　　1 1/4 cups unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder, plus more for pans

　　2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

　　2 1/2 cups sugar

　　2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

　　1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

　　1 1/4 teaspoons table salt

　　2 large whole eggs plus 1 large egg yolk

　　1 1/4 cups warm water

　　1 1/4 cups buttermilk

　　1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

　　1 1/4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

　　Swiss Meringue Buttercream (recipe follows)

　　

Step 1

Prepare oven and tins Heat oven to 350°F. Line two standard muffin tins with paper cupcake liners.

　　

Step 2

Combine ingredients In a large bowl, whisk together cocoa, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisk in eggs, yolk, water, buttermilk, butter, and vanilla until smooth and combined, about 3 minutes.

　　

Step 3

Bake Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each about halfway. Bake cupcakes, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted into the centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes.

　　

Step 4

Cool and frost Transfer to a wire rack; cool 10 minutes, then turn out cupcakes onto rack. Let cool completely before frosting. Unfrosted cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container, up to 3 days at room temperature or frozen up to 1 month.

　　

Chocolate Layer Cake

Step 5

Coat two 8 by 2-inch round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray. Line bottoms with parchment paper rounds; spray parchment. Follow instructions for cupcakes above, dividing batter evenly between prepared pans. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in the centers comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Transfer pans to a wire rack to cool 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto the rack; peel off parchment. Reinvert cakes, and cool completely, top sides up, before frosting.

　　Reprinted with permission from Martha Stewart's Cooking School: Lessons and Recipes for the Home Cook by Martha Stewart. Copyright © 2008 by Martha Stewart. Published by Crown Publishing. All Rights Reserved.Martha Stewart is the author of dozens of bestselling books on cooking, entertaining, gardening, weddings, and decorating. She is the host of The Martha Stewart Show, the Emmy-winning, daily national syndicated program, and founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, which publishes several magazines, including Martha Stewart Living; produces Martha Stewart Living Radio, channel 112 on SIRIUS Satellite Radio; and provides a wealth of ideas and information on www.marthastewart.com.