Chocolate Sheet Cake
By America's Test KitchenPublished on October 1, 2012
Yield
Makes one 13 by 9-inch cake
Ingredients
13 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 ¼ cups (6¼ ounces/177 grams) all-purpose flour ¾ cup (2¼ ounces/64 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder ½ teaspoon baking soda ¼ teaspoon salt 8 ounces (227 grams) semisweet chocolate, chopped1 ½ cups (10½ ounces/298 grams) sugar 1 cup buttermilk 4 large eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Before You Begin
Melting the chocolate and butter in the microwave is quick and neat, but it can also be done in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan containing 2 inches of simmering water.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease bottom and sides of 13 by 9-inch baking pan with 1 tablespoon butter.
- Sift flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt together in bowl. Microwave chocolate and remaining 12 tablespoons butter in separate bowl at 50 percent power until melted, 2 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Whisk sugar, buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla together in separate medium bowl.
- Whisk chocolate mixture into sugar mixture until combined. Whisk in flour mixture until smooth. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, about 40 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Let cake cool completely in pan on wire rack, at least 1 hour. Serve.
- To Make AheadAfter the cake(s) has cooled, it can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and kept at room temperature for up to 1 day. Or, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, then foil, the cake(s) can be frozen for up to 1 month. Defrost at room temperature before unwrapping and frosting.
Yield
Makes one 13 by 9-inch cakeIngredients
13 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 ¼ cups (6¼ ounces/177 grams) all-purpose flour
¾ cup (2¼ ounces/64 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
8 ounces (227 grams) semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 ½ cups (10½ ounces/298 grams) sugar
1 cup buttermilk
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Ingredients
13 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 ¼ cups (6¼ ounces/177 grams) all-purpose flour
¾ cup (2¼ ounces/64 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
8 ounces (227 grams) semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 ½ cups (10½ ounces/298 grams) sugar
1 cup buttermilk
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Ingredients
13 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 ¼ cups (6¼ ounces/177 grams) all-purpose flour
¾ cup (2¼ ounces/64 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
8 ounces (227 grams) semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 ½ cups (10½ ounces/298 grams) sugar
1 cup buttermilk
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Why This Recipe Works
Everybody loves a rich-tasting chocolate sheet cake. For an easy, foolproof, last-minute chocolate cake recipe, we just whisked together a few ingredients and baked. A low oven temperature and a long baking time produced a chocolate cake with a perfectly flat top, ready to be frosted.
Before You Begin
Melting the chocolate and butter in the microwave is quick and neat, but it can also be done in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan containing 2 inches of simmering water.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease bottom and sides of 13 by 9-inch baking pan with 1 tablespoon butter.
- Sift flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt together in bowl. Microwave chocolate and remaining 12 tablespoons butter in separate bowl at 50 percent power until melted, 2 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Whisk sugar, buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla together in separate medium bowl.
- Whisk chocolate mixture into sugar mixture until combined. Whisk in flour mixture until smooth. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, about 40 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Let cake cool completely in pan on wire rack, at least 1 hour. Serve.
- To Make AheadAfter the cake(s) has cooled, it can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and kept at room temperature for up to 1 day. Or, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, then foil, the cake(s) can be frozen for up to 1 month. Defrost at room temperature before unwrapping and frosting.
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