An easy and relatively low-cost chocolate birthday cake recipe?

get a cake mix and follow the instructions! American cost should be around $1 to /$1.50 for the mix then you add oil, eggs and water. This is the lowest cost for just the cake. The frosting/icing is a bit more but there are low cost mixes for this too.

Make cupcakes instead.

I can't believe others are recommending a boxed cake mix "because it's your first time."

Um... cake is one of the easiest things to make. There is no reason you can't make it from scratch the first time.

Here is a really good recipe for sour cream chocolate cake with sour cream chocolate frosting. The instructions are in the recipe.

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/sour-cream-choc...

Yup any cake mix and frosting in a tub, follow the cake mix directions, bake, cool it then frost it. There ya go.

Buy a box of Betty Crocker chocolate cake mix. Follow the directions and bake it.

Buy a container of the Whipped chocolate frosting.

You could make all of this from scratch but for your first cake I strongly suggest that you stick with store bought. It's really very good

4 cup self raising flour

1 egg - 2

cup of milk - may need bit more or less

table spoon of cocoa

half cup of sugar - taste it - if you make ganache - don't make cake really sweet

cook in round pan - bout 160 give it half an hour check with skewer - if anything stick to skewer it not cooked

it cooked when starts to come away from side of pan

grease sides and bottom of pan before you cook so cake releases

you can put whipped cream in middle when cooled - just cut in half make sandwich - must be cold when you do this

you can also dust top with icing sugar - just put through sieve and tap sides

or you can make a ganache - http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-ganache-cooki...

that is cream and chocolate mixed together

Buy a cake mix and a can of frosting