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Layered Chocolate Sheet Cake

March 6, 2018 by Madalaine 13 Comments

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Yesterday was my birthday.  47 years old.  Holy crap.  How did that happen?  Well, thank God it did and I hope it keeps happening for another 47!  I love birthdays.  I think of birthdays as your own personal New Year.  They’re the perfect excuse to eat whatever you want, reflect on the past, eat a bunch of crap, look forward to the future, and eat cake for breakfast.  Resolutions are totally optional.  This year I made this Chocolate Sheet Cake and it was to die for!  Like I said, I love birthdays!

a 2 layer piece of chocolate cake in front of the whole cake on white plates

This year we visited our youngest daughter, Brianna, in Indy over the weekend and she treated us to lunch at The Garden Table.  Then our eldest daughter, Alexandria brought over 2 ice cream cakes (Oreo and Cookie Dough) for our family dinner on Sunday.  I love Oreo… anything!  Even though Alex brought over cake, I used my birthday as an excuse to make a Chocolate Sheet Cake.  It’s also known as a Texas Sheet Cake because everything melts and it all comes together warm.  There are no egg whites to keep cold and no butter to keep chilled.  No Sir!  If you live in a warm climate, this is your cake.

a 2 layer piece of chocolate cake in front of the whole cake on white plates

I wanted to make this particular chocolate sheet cake because 1) it’s easy 2) it’s chocolate 3) I wanted something sweet but not too sweet 4) I love this icing… your fork crunches into it like new snow and then it instantly melts in your mouth, swirls over… I better stop here if I’m going to keep this post PG.  Umm, yes, where was I?  I don’t know let’s pick up with the butter…  Melt the butter and chocolate on the stove, stir in the sugar, and pour the frosting over the cake as soon as it comes out of the oven.  So easy! Soooooo good!

a 2 layer piece of chocolate cake in front of the whole cake on white plates

Instead of keeping it in the baking sheet, like it’s really meant to be, I put it into cake pans and made a layer cake.  It worked just fine.  For me, layer cakes = birthday cake.  If you could stack Tiramisu into a double decker Tiramisu, stick a candle on it and sing Happy Birthday, in my book, that’d be a Tiramisu birthday cake.  It would also be a mess.

a 2 layer piece of chocolate cake in front of the whole cake on white plates

I made an easy cream cheese frosting for the center, stacked the cakes, and poured the room temperature frosting over the whole thing.  Oh yes, and topped it with toasted pecans!  We just cut into it this morning.  It had been in the fridge for 2 days and it was still fudgy and moist.  The icing was perfect.  This is one of the best icings.  It’s not too sweet, it pours beautifully, your forks cracks into it, and it melts sublimely in your mouth.  Good thing I’ve got extra!

a 2 layer piece of chocolate cake in front of the whole cake on white plates

Truth be told, I like this cake much better left in the baking sheet (you can make it in a 9×13 casserole dish too) with the chocolate butter icing smoothing over all the rich chocolatey goodness from corner to corner like the best kind of warm blanket.  Even though I made this chocolate sheet cake on a cold rainy day, it’s great for warm summer days, picnics, family reunions, ladies luncheons, and church socials.  It keeps well in the fridge but once it’s out on the table… it goes fast!

piece of chocolate cake in front of the whole cake on white plates

a 2 layer piece of chocolate cake in front of the whole cake on white plates
5 from 1 vote
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Chocolate Sheet Cake

This chocolate sheet cake is perfect for any time.  It's quick to whip together and easy to make.  | www.lakesidetable.com
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 15 servings

Ingredients

Chocolate Sheet Cake

  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/3 cup baking cocoa
  • 1 tablespoon instant coffee
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Easy Chocolate Icing

  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/3 cup baking cocoa
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1/2 tablespoon instant coffee
  • 1 cup toasted pecans

Instructions

  1. In a mixing bowl, sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda.  Stir in the sugar.
  2. In a small saucepan, simmer the butter, cocoa, instant coffee, and water.  When it's all melted, turn off the heat.
  3. Add this to the dry ingredients.  In a small mixing bowl, beat the eggs, sour cream and vanilla until completely combined.  Add this to the cocoa mixture.
  4. Pour into a buttered 15x10x1 baking sheet or casserole dish.
  5. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 375 degrees.
  6. For the ICING: Bring butter, cocoa, milk, and instant coffee to a boil.  Remove from heat, and add sugar, vanilla and salt.  Mix well and spread over the cake when it comes out of the oven.  Sprinkle with toasted pecans.

Recipe Notes

I made this into a layer cake by putting it into cake pans and made a quick cream cheese frosting for the middle.  If you want to do this whip together 1 (8 ounce) block of cream cheese with 1 cup powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 2 teaspoons vanilla.

Nutrition Facts
Chocolate Sheet Cake
Amount Per Serving
Calories 0
% Daily Value*
Monounsaturated Fat 0g
Potassium 0mg0%
Vitamin A 0IU0%
Vitamin C 0mg0%
Calcium 0mg0%
Iron 0mg0%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

a 2 layer piece of chocolate cake in front of the whole cake on white plates

 

Filed Under: Desserts Tagged With: dessert

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Nancy m.

    March 8, 2018 at 9:07 am

    Well, I haven’t made this in decades so the next time we have a dinner party, I’ll whip it up!

    I remember it being so delicious!

    Nancy

    Reply
  2. Nancy m.

    March 8, 2018 at 9:08 am

    Well, I haven’t made this in decades so the next time we have a dinner party, I’ll whip it up!
    This is the perfect dessert for chocolate lovers…..

    I remember it being so delicious!

    Nancy

    Reply
    • Madalaine

      March 8, 2018 at 7:17 pm

      It is! The icing is the best!

      Reply
  3. Katrina Smith

    March 13, 2018 at 11:45 pm

    Texas sheet cake was always Greg’s favorite and I haven’t fixed it for years, so happy you posted this recipe and I love the idea with Double layer and cheese icing in the middle can’t wait to fix it

    Reply
    • Madalaine

      March 14, 2018 at 7:26 am

      Fun! Let me know how he likes this one 🙂

      Reply
  4. Amanda

    October 12, 2018 at 2:30 pm

    5 stars
    This recipe is amazing! I’m not a huge coffee lover, however, this is perfect! Definitely a must for a crowd!

    Reply
  5. MaCee

    February 11, 2020 at 6:04 pm

    Are the baking instructions any different if you’re planning to layer it?

    Reply
    • Madalaine

      February 19, 2020 at 11:39 am

      Nope! Just keep an eye on the length of time it’s cooking. If you have an instant read thermometer, cakes are done when they read 210F. Let me know how it turns out! 😊

      Reply
  6. Surya

    June 28, 2020 at 9:29 pm

    5 stars
    This cake looks delicious!

    Reply
  7. Beth

    March 20, 2021 at 7:39 pm

    5 stars
    Made this today for hubby’s birthday – added a bit of cocoa to the cream cheese middle layer to make it more cocoa colored. This is a lovely tasting recipe!! Will be making it again!!

    Reply
    • Madalaine

      March 20, 2021 at 9:44 pm

      Hi Beth! I’m so happy you enjoyed it and HAPPY BIRTHDAY to your hubby! 🥳 I love that you added a bit more cocoa. You can never go wrong with more chocolate! Lol

      Reply
  8. Kay

    January 31, 2022 at 6:56 pm

    I don’t have a 10×15 cake pan. How else can I make this cake? Can the recipe be adjusted? I’ve had a request for it at an upcoming meeting.

    Reply
    • Madalaine

      February 2, 2022 at 1:13 pm

      Hi Kay, You can use a casserole dish. I wouldn’t use cake pans, unless they’re square, because the cake is so delicate it needs to stay in the pan. Yes, the recipe can be cut in half or doubled easily.

      Reply

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