No, really....just one pan! {One pan fudge cake}

Anytime I can make a great dessert using only one pan and 4 utensils, I am all over it. I found this recipe for One pan fudge cake a while back and it has been a very easy, whip it up in 5 minutes, hardly any clean up kind of dessert. If you plan it correctly, you can make it using only 4 utensils (just a little nerdy...I know, but I'm ok with it). Here's how it's done: 

Start with an ungreased 9x13 baking dish 

Using a 1/2 cup measuring cup and a knife for leveling add your dry ingredients in this order 

1 1/2 cups sugar 

2 cups flour 

1/2 cup cocoa powder 

Using a 1/2 tsp measuring spoon add in the following 

1 1/2 tsp baking soda 

3/4 tsp **Salt**...sorry, apparently forgot to include this initially( I cheat and just fill it 1 1/2 times...it's close enough for me) Whisk all your dry ingredients together (I do this instead of sifting...much simpler) Now with your 1/2 tsp measuring spoon add the following 

1 1/2 tsp vanilla 

1 1/2 tsp vinegar (secret to the moistness of this cake....yummm!) 

Finally with your 1/2 cup measuring cup add the following 

1 1/2 cups water 

3/4 cup veg. oil (I cheat here again too, just filling my cup up 1 1/2 times) That's it! Whisk until completely mixed (it will have a few lumps, but that's ok). The best thing about this is that it has no eggs or butter so it's dairy free, cheap and you can eat the fudgey raw batter without fear of contracting some disease (ya know...if your into that sort of thing). See, just 4 utensils! This cake is so fudgey and moist and perfectly delicious with out any frosting, but if you want to kick it up a notch, here's an easy one. Of course this makes the mess factor higher....it just might be worth it for you though.

1/4 melted butter
3 Tbsp cocoa pwdr
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 Tbsp milk
2 cups powdered sugar

mix all until smooth adding more sugar or milk to get a desired consistency.  

For more great ideas check out Works for me Wednesday.