Chocolate Sheet Cake
A beautifully moist dark chocolate cake with light and fluffy vanilla frosting. This is the most classic dessert in the world.
Servings: 24 pieces
Calories: 230kcal
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- ¾ cup Cocoa Powder (dutch process is best for this, but natural can work too)
- 1 cup Boiling Water
- 1¾ cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 cup Brown Sugar
- 1½ teaspoons Kosher Salt
- 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
- 1½ teaspoons Baking Soda
- 1 cup Whole Milk (buttermilk also works)
- ½ cup Unsalted Butter (melted)
- 2 Large Eggs
- 1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract
For the Frosting:
- ¾ cup Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
- 2½ cups Powdered Sugar
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1½ teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- 1-2 tablespoons Heavy Whipping Cream (whole milk will also work)
Instructions
For the Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350º F. Prepare a 9x13 inch pan with non-stick spray and flour. Set aside.
- In a medium sized bowl, add the cocoa powder and boiling water. Whisk to incorporate all of the cocoa powder. Set aside to allow the cocoa to bloom while you prepare the other ingredients.
- To a large clean bowl, add the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Whisk to combine. To these dry ingredients, add the milk, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla. Whisk together until just incorporated and a few streaks of flour remain. The mixture will be thick at this stage.
- Carefully, add the cocoa and boiling water mixture to the cake batter until well combined. It should still be hot/warm at this point. The cake batter will become significantly thinner at this stage.
- Pour the batter into your prepared pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Take out of the oven and allow to cool completely before frosting.
For the Frosting:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the butter until light and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar and salt and mix on low until it begins to incorporate. Add the vanilla. Once fully incorporated, beat on high for 2-3 minutes until it looks lighter in color and very fluffy. If the mixture is too thick add 1 tablespoon of heavy whipping cream and beat to combine. Continue adding 1 tablespoon of heavy whipping cream at a time until you reach your desired consistency.