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Quick Two-Servings One-Pan Cake

Prep 10 min Cook 20 min Difficulty 1/5

Simple two-serving cake baked in one pan, requires basic pantry ingredients and no mixer.

Why this recipe works

A quick, one-pan cake that makes about two servings. It’s simple, forgiving, and relies on pantry staples. Suitable for a casual dessert, a small celebration, or when you want cake fast without a mixer.

Search intent: Two-serving one-pan cake recipe
  • one pan cake
  • quick small-batch cake
  • easy vanilla cocoa cake
  • two-serving cake recipe
  • oven-baked cake
  • bake-and-share dessert
  • simple pantry cake
  • no-mixer cake

Key takeaways

Bake in a single pan for minimal cleanup
Two servings with scalable ingredients
Tiny batch, quick bake, great for kids or beginners

Recipe guide

A quick, one-pan cake that makes about two servings. It’s simple, forgiving, and relies on pantry staples. Suitable for a casual dessert, a small celebration, or when you want cake fast without a mixer.

This little pan cake comes together fast and bakes cleanly in one dish.

  • Bake in a single pan for minimal cleanup
  • Two servings with scalable ingredients
  • Tiny batch, quick bake, great for kids or beginners

Ingredients overview

This recipe uses a balanced dry mix (flour, sugar, baking powder, salt) with butter, egg, milk, vanilla. Optional cocoa powder adds chocolate flavor.

Method overview

Whisk dry ingredients, cut in melted butter, mix wet ingredients separately, combine until just smooth, bake in a small pan at 180°C for 18–22 minutes.

Serving and tips

Cool slightly before slicing. Top with simple frost, fruit, or dusting sugar. Scale ingredients for other small pan sizes if needed.

Ingredients

  • 100 g all-purpose flour
  • 100 g granulated sugar
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 50 g unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 large egg
  • 60 ml milk
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tbsp cocoa powder (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
  2. Grease a small ovenproof pan or line with parchment paper (about 12–15 cm/5–6 in).
  3. In a bowl whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder if using.
  4. Stir melted butter into the dry mix until crumbly.
  5. In a separate bowl beat the egg with milk and vanilla.
  6. Pour wet mixture into dry ingredients and stir until just combined; do not overmix.
  7. Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth the top.
  8. Bake 18–22 minutes until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
  9. Let cake cool in pan 10 minutes, then loosen edges and transfer to a rack to cool slightly before slicing and serving.

FAQs

Can I make this without cocoa powder? Yes. Omit the cocoa powder for a plain vanilla cake.
Can I use a muffin tin instead of a pan? Yes, fill muffin cups about 2/3 full and bake 14–18 minutes, checking with a toothpick.
How do I adjust for different pan sizes? Keep the same batter ratio; extend or reduce bake time slightly and ensure batter is about 1 cm thick in the pan.