Chocolate Sheet Cake

Who said a chocolate cake can’t be a snacking cake? It abso-freaking-lutely can and the chocolate sheet cake proves it. Baked with 70% dark chocolate, doused in luscious chocolate frosting spiked with coffee, and topped with sea salt for that pop of flavor, you can munch on the cake throughout the day or week (if it lasts that long).

The cake fulfills the “chocolate craving” we all have once in a while without sitting heavy. And that’s despite the chocolate in the cake and the ganache. All because it has a much lighter profile than these gluten-free brownies or Swedish chocolate cake: the sign of a perfect everyday cake.

What is a sheet cake?

Sheet cakes are popular in the US, particularly in Texas. The pan they are baked in lends them their name. It is a large, rectangular, shallow pan, sometimes called a jelly roll or half-sheet pan that bakes a single layer of cake fit to feed a crowd. 

The cake itself is mellow but buried under an avalanche of chocolate ganache. It’s popular because it’s ridiculously easy to make yet looks like a work of art and tastes out of this world. 

How to make chocolate sheet cake?

• Begin by melting chocolate and coconut oil in a double boiler (a glass or metal bowl fitted over a pot containing an inch or two of simmering water).
• When the chocolate is just about melted, Take it off the heat and mix it well. You’ll get a thick, glossy mixture. 
• While the mixture is still warm, whisk in coconut sugar. After the sugar is dissolved, stir in coconut milk and vanilla extract.
• Sift together all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl. (Sifting homogenizes the ingredients and makes sure there aren’t any lumps in the batter).
• Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and whisk till you have a dense batter with a soft dropping consistency. The batter is thicker than a regular cake but not as much as a brownie. (If the batter feels too thick, add some milk to correct the consistency.)

Baking the chocolate sheet cake

• Pour the glossy batter into a pan. I used an 8-inch square one. Bake for 25 minutes. 
• A skewer should come out with a few moist crumbs attached. A clean skewer means you’ve overbaked the cake. 
• Let it cool and then transfer to a cake platter. Or, for convenience, serve it right in the pan itself. 

Making the chocolate ganache

• While the cake bakes, get started on the frosting that tricks you into eating far more cake than you should. 
• On a double boiler, melt chocolate and coconut milk. Reach for the good stuff here. It will make a world of difference, giving the cake a solid body and rounded taste.
• I used 70% couverture by Callebaut both in the cake and the frosting.
• As the chocolate starts to melt, take it off the heat and stir in a teaspoon of instant coffee. The coffee takes the backstage but shines more light on the chocolate, adding depth to the flavor profile.
• Whisk till completely melted, let cool and then spoon on the baked cake. 

Ingredient substitutes for sheet cake

Sugar: Whenever possible, I like to incorporate unrefined sugar in my bakes. For this chocolate sheet cake, it was coconut sugar. But by all means, use any sugar you have from regular to cane. 

Flour: I am 100% certain that the recipe will be fantastic with buckwheat flour. You can even switch the all-purpose flour with wholewheat. Or you can do a mix of two: wholewheat and all-purpose, or mix in some other flour you fancy.

Ganache: Adding coffee to the chocolate ganache is entirely optional. Please feel free to leave it out. To make the frosting richer and more decadent, replace coconut milk with coconut cream. You can even use regular, full-fat milk or cream.

How to make vegan chocolate sheet cake?

Since all the ingredients I used for the recipe are plant-based, you can make the cake vegan by utilizing dairy-free chocolate. 

Serving the chocolate sheet cake

The cake needs no embellishments. The super scrumptious and luscious ganache does it all. However, I did top it with a few sea salt flakes to accentuate the flavor and wake up the subtle nuances of baking chocolate.  

And since I had a few stragglers from a batch of chocolate-covered coffee beans, I made use of them too. But these frills are completely discretionary. You and I may know that we haven’t slaved over it, but it appears a culinary masterpiece to everybody else even if you leave it as-is.

The cake is phenomenal no matter when you eat it. Slice it right from the pan and serve it warm with scoops of ice cream. Or let it chill in the refrigerator if you love a gooier and denser texture. And, no, the chocolate sheet cake doesn’t dry out when cold. The ganache becomes more fudge-like, tempting you to nibble on it again and again.

Half the joy of cooking is sharing it with others. That’s why I’m always eager to hear from you. So go right ahead & drop a comment or reach out on Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, or Facebook. I hope you love this chocolate sheet cake as much as we do!

📖 Recipe