A very old family favorite for a 9×13″ chocolate sheet pan cake. The secret ingredient is buttermilk, which produces a moist and delicious cake! This recipe includes a made-from-scratch cake, as well as homemade frosting to go on top!
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- 2 sticks butter or margarine 1 cup
- 4 tablespoons cocoa
- 1 cup water
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 eggs
- 1 stick butter or margarine 1/2 cup
- 4 tablespoons cocoa
- 6 tablespoons buttermilk or more if needed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 box confectioner's sugar 3 1/2-4 cups
Ingredients
Cake:
Frosting:
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- Bring to a boil the 2 sticks of butter, 4 T cocoa and the 1 cup of water; stir until smooth.
- In a large bowl, mix the sugar, flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Then add 1 teaspoon of baking soda to 1/2 cup buttermilk in another container, then add this to the dry mixture. Add 1 t. vanilla and 2 eggs to this mixture.
- Add the boiled mixture to the large mixing bowl mixture. Mix all together until smooth. Pour into a greased 9x13 sheet pan and bake at 325 for 35-50 minutes. (SEE NOTES: Original recipe called for 45 minutes, but with my oven at 325, mine only takes 35 minutes, set for that first). Test for doneness with toothpick; may be slightly moist but still done
- Cool cake completely and frost with frosting mixture.
- Melt the one stick of butter or margarine, the cocoa and buttermilk in a small saucepan. Add the vanilla. When melted, remove from heat and pour into a small mixing bowl. Add 1 box of confectioner's sugar and beat until smooth. (I start with 3 1/2 cups from a large bag). You may need to add more buttermilk, as needed, to get to the right spreading consistency. (I taste it as I go to see if it needs more sugar or buttermilk.)
Stacy's Notes : I make this every year for Tim's birthday! This cake is only suitable as a sheet cake. It is very moist and will not hold up to being baked in two round cake pans and then frosted as a two layer round cake. It will slip and fall apart. Also, don't use the Kitchenaid stand mixture to mix the flour/sugar mixture with the hot boiled mixture. Use a mixing bowl and handheld slow mixer. Don't ask me how I know that as soon as you pour the hot boiled mixture into the flour mixture and turn on the stand mixer, that it will spurt out hot liquid everywhere and make a mess. Don't do it (again). 🙂
Stacy's Oven Notes: The original recipe called for the cake to bake 45-50 minutes, but in my oven at 325, it has never taken more than 35 minutes. I always start checking at 30 or 35 minutes. If I've left it in for the full 45 minutes, it is always on the dry side. So with this cake, it's better to take out sooner rather than later!
Notes for using a thin, disposable aluminum pan (in order to take this cake to someone or an event): I baked at 320 for 35-37 minutes (in my oven; 37 minutes because I opened the door a couple of times to check on it and the oven likely cooled off a bit), cooled completely and then frosted.