Name: Chocolate Sheet Cake
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h 50 min
Yield: 24
Ingredients: ¼ cup (63 mL) milk; 80 g (3 oz / 1/3 cup) butter, chopped; ½ cup (120 g) caster / superfine sugar; 1 cup (180 g) dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips; 1 teaspoon (3 g) vanilla; 1 ½ cups (225 g) plain flour / all-purpose flour; 2 teaspoon (8 g) baking powder; ¾ cup (75 g) unsweetened cocoa powder; 1 cup (220 g) brown sugar, packed; 1 cup (240 g) caster / superfine sugar; ½ teaspoon (3 g) salt; 1 cup (250 mL) milk; 1 cup (250 mL) canola oil; 2 large eggs; 1 teaspoon (3 g) vanilla; ½ cup (125 mL) hot coffee or water

Jump to Recipe

If you're looking for the perfect chocolate birthday cake or a simple one bowl chocolate cake with no electric mixer, this chocolate sheet cake will tick all the boxes. With a moist, light texture and a chocolate fudge frosting, it's hard to stop at just one slice!

What is Chocolate Sheet Cake?

Chocolate sheet cake is just a chocolate cake that's baked in one layer in a large, flat baking pan. It makes it easy to slice up into squares for birthdays or for kids' parties. You can also use this sheet cake recipe for weddings!

Ingredients in Chocolate Sheet Cake

For this chocolate traybake cake, you'll need a few simple ingredients.

Plain / all-purpose flour
Baking powder: NOT baking soda. Make sure it is in-date.
Cocoa powder: NOT hot cocoa powder. I use unsweetened cocoa powder. Avoid cacao powder or dark dutch processed powder as it can be too bitter.
Salt
Caster / superfine sugar: this finer sugar dissolves more easily into the batter. You can also use regular white granulated sugar.
Brown sugar: makes the cake moist and fudgier. Substitute for more white sugar if needed (although your cake will be fluffier and less fudgy).
Canola oil: or any flavourless vegetable oil.
Milk: or any non-dairy milk alternative.
Eggs: I use large eggs.
Vanilla
Hot black coffee: this brings out the chocolate flavour in the cake. Make it strong! You can't taste it once baked! Substitute for boiling water, if required.

How is the Chocolate Cake Made?

This chocolate tray cake only needs one bowl and the frosting is surprisingly simple! This also makes it the perfect chocolate cake for kids to help out with cooking.

Sift and whisk together your dry ingredients.
Add your wet ingredients (except coffee).
Whisk together.
Add coffee and whisk well.
Pour into lined tin and bake.

For the frosting, you'll be using just a saucepan.

Melt together your butter, milk and sugar over medium heat.
Bring to a simmer for 1 minute.
Remove from heat and whisk in chocolate chips.
Whisk in salt and vanilla.
Spread over cake straight away.

Make sure you set aside the cake at room temperature for an hour or until the frosting is set. I find this cake goes a tad dry in the fridge - if you refrigerate it, leave it out on the counter for an hour so it returns to room temperature before serving. I love to top the whole thing off with sprinkles!

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the secret ingredient to a moist cake?

Cakes are moist when they have a good ratio of wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Cakes also need the right amount of fat, usually in the form of butter or oil. This cake uses canola oil to keep the cake moist and fluffy. Oil also keeps the cake moister for longer than butter!

We also use hot coffee to thin out the batter and keep the cake fluffy and moist. The boiling water helps break down any lumps and add moisture to the recipe.

Can I use a different frosting or no frosting on this cake?

Yes, this cake is perfect to eat by itself without frosting. I also like serving it with a dollop of cream or serve it warm with a scoop of ice cream.

Want to try a different type of frosting? I've got heaps of easy recipes to try.

Can I make this chocolate cake gluten free?

Yes, just substitute the flour for an equal amount of gluten free plain flour. You'll also need to make sure you use a gluten-free baking powder and cocoa powder.

Troubleshooting

Why is my chocolate cake dry?

This can be for a couple of reasons! If you bake your cake for too long or on too high of a temperature, it will be dry. Reduce the temperature if your oven runs hot and make sure to turn your cake around at the 20 minute mark. Only cook your cake until a skewer comes out clean with a few moist crumbs clinging.

Your cake could also be dry if your batter is over-whisked. This is a very forgiving batter, but take care not to whisk for longer than needed. A few lumps are okay.

Lastly, make sure you are measuring your dry ingredients accurately (keep in mind I use metric units). If you aren't weighing your flour, then follow this handy measuring guide by Love and Lemons.

Storage

You can keep the frosted cake unrefrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

To freeze the cake, remove from the baking tray and allow to cool completely. Wrap either the whole sheet cake or individual slices tightly in clingwrap and keep frozen for up to three months. Thaw overnight then frost and serve as normal.

Baking Envy Instagram pictured on a smartphone.

Have you made this recipe?

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