1 1/2 cups flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup cold water or coffee
2 tsp vanilla
2 T cider vinegar
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Sift together the flour, cocoa, soda, salt, and sugar directly into the cake pan. In a measuring cup, measure and mix together the oil, cold water or coffee, and vanilla. Pour the liquid ingredients into the baking pan and mix the batter with a fork or small whisk. When the batter is smooth, add the vinegar and stir quickly. There will be pale swirls in the batter as the baking soda and vinegar react. Stir just until the vinegar is evenly distributed throughout the batter.
Bake for 25-30 minutes and set aside to cool.
I use a Chocolate Ganache frosting on top:
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
9 oz semi-sweet chocolate
In a saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer. Whisk the chocolate chips/pieces into the simmering cream and continue to heat gently, if necessary, to fully melt the chocolate. Pour the mixture into a bowl and chill about an hour, stirring every 10-15 minutes until it has thickened enough to spread. Store in the refrigerator until needed.