Moist Chocolate Sheet Cake
Print Pin VideoThis chocolate sheet cake is super rich & moist, yet simple and easy to make. Made up of a soft, decadent chocolate cake that is packed with chocolate flavor and topped with a ridiculously good (yet easy to make) chocolate fudge frosting, I guarantee this chocolate sheet cake will become a family favorite!
IMPORTANT: For accuracy, I would recommend using the gram measurements provided, as those are the exact quantities I use. Cup measurements are given as estimates (based on US cup measurements) to make it easier for those who do not have a scale.
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 1¾ cups (210 g) all purpose flour
- ¾ cup (75 g) cocoa powder - Dutch processed preferred (see note 1)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt - only use 1/2 tsp if using salted butter in this recipe
- 1 cup (200 g) soft light brown sugar
- 1 cup (200 g) white granulated sugar
- ¾ cup (180 g) milk - room temperature, whole milk
- ¼ cup (56 g) unsalted butter - melted
- ½ cup (105 g) unflavored vegetable oil - I use canola oil
- 2 large eggs - room temperature
- 2½ tsps vanilla extract/essence
- ¾ cup (180 g) strong hot coffee - I use 1 tbsp instant coffee powder in 180g (¾ cup) hot water, but you can use espresso as well.
Chocolate Fudge Frosting
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter
- ⅔ cup (66 g) cocoa powder - Dutch processed preferred (see note 1)
- 2½ cups (315 g) powdered sugar - also known as icing/confectioners sugar
- ⅓ cup (80 g) milk - room temperature, whole milk
- 1½ tsps vanilla
- ⅛ tsp salt - omit if using salted butter, though I do recommend using unsalted :)
Instructions
Chocolate Cake
- Preheat oven to 180 °C (350°F) conventional (see note 2 if using a convection oven with a fan) and lightly grease a 9x13 inch cake pan (I use my homemade cake release). Line the bottom long ways with parchment paper (this will make it easier to take the cake out when it's done).
- Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Using a whisk or fork, mix until well combined and set aside for now.
- In a large bowl add in brown sugar, white sugar, milk, melted butter, unflavored vegetable oil, eggs and vanilla. Using a whisk, mix until well combined.
- Add in presifted dry ingredients from earlier to the wet ingredients and mix with a whisk until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Add in hot coffee and mix with a whisk until well combined. The mixture should be smooth, but avoid overmixing.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan from earlier. Drop the cake pan lightly on the counter to remove any large air bubbles and bake for 27 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs on it.
- Allow the cake to cool in the cake pan for 20 minutes, before carefully turning it out onto a wire rack to completely cool. Once cooled, carefully invert onto a serving plate (see video for demonstration if unsure of the best way to do this) and frost with chocolate fudge frosting (recipe below).
Chocolate Fudge Frosting
- Place saucepan over a low-medium heat and add in butter. Allow it to melt, keeping a close eye on it to ensure it doesn't burn.
- Once it starts to gently bubble, add in cocoa powder and mix with a spatula until smooth. Once smooth, mix for a further 10 seconds (make sure the heat isn't too high otherwise the cocoa will burn - make it lower if it feels like the mixture is catching too quickly on the bottom of the pan) and then transfer the mixture to a large heatproof bowl.
- To the mixture add in powdered sugar, milk (make sure it's room temperature NOT cold), vanilla and salt. Using a hand or stand mixer, mix on a low speed until everything is combined and then turn up the speed to a medium-high and whip for anywhere between 2-5 minutes, until the frosting thickens up and is a smooth spreadable consistency (but still a little loose - see note 3). Mixing time will vary depending on how cold the temperature is :)
- Spread over the cake using an offset spatula or the back of a tablespoon. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Note 1. Dutch-processed cocoa powder has a smoother and less acidic taste compared to natural cocoa powder. It also has a darker/richer color so will give you that deep chocolate color (like my chocolate sheet cake). One way to check if a brand of cocoa powder is Dutch processed is to check the package and see if it has any acidity regulators in the ingredients list. The cocoa will also be darker and less of a bright brown color (compared to natural cocoa).
Note 2. If using a convection oven that has a fan function, bake at 160 °C (320°F) as the fan function bakes food faster.
Note 3. The frosting should be smooth and spreadable, but still slightly loose. If you give the frosting a mix, once you stop mixing it should move very slowly and after a few seconds it should stop moving and hold it's shape (see video for demonstration).
Nutrition
Calories: 337kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 40mg | Sodium: 250mg | Potassium: 162mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 38g | Vitamin A: 275IU | Calcium: 66mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutritional information are estimates only as they are automatically calculated by a third party application. Actual values may differ based on brands and types of products used.
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