An easy , brilliant and effortless recipe to satisfy your chocolate cake craving anytime. ( This recipe is an update of the chocolate espresso cake published in January 2018)
Imagine with me : it is the end of a long day , you are in desperate need of energy and something to lift up your mood. Then your brains starts thinking about a sweet piece of chocolate cake and that thought wont settle until you fulfill the chocolate cake craving. Trust me i have been through these stubborn craving more than once and they do not GO AWAY! until you eat that piece of cake.
Therefore this recipe saw light , an effortless moist chocolate cheet cake covered with a silky deeply satisfiying dark chocolate ganache with a hint of espresso to lift up your mood and energy all at once .
This a go to recipe that will save your last minute dinner gathering plan , chocolate cake cravings or simply weekday dessert.
Chocolate sheet cake recipes are the easiest option for versatile use, while it is extremely easy to make often chocolate sheet cake rhymes with a dry and heavy piece of cake topped with an over sweetened glaze. It shouldn't be the case if you know few tricks and tips about keeping your chocolate sheet cake moist and fluffy and when you have a good glaze recipe.
And I have a couple of great advice for you.
Here are 3 tips to make a moist chocolate sheet cake:
1. Add Buttermilk!
Buttermilk is the secret ingredient to any fluffy and moist cake so why not use it in your chocolate sheet cake as well? actually, buttermilk has two effects. The first: it helps to raise the chocolate cake making it more airy and fluffy by adding enough sourness to activate the baking powder. The Second: it adds fat into your cake mixture which makes it imprison the moist in the cake crumb for a longer time and keeps it perfectly moist.
2. Use enough fat !
In addition to buttermilk using an appropriate fat to your dry ingredients is a key factor to achieving the moistest sheet cake ever. It is simply science that says that. baking is a series of chemical interactions between ingredients and if you know the theoretical bases you have the keys to creating amazing recipes and of course the best chocolate sheet cake on the planet even.
3. Do not overbake your chocolate sheet cake!
Let's admit that baking chocolate sheet cakes is the trickiest part about this recipe. You can not know from its color when it is done and it is spread thinly on a baking sheet therefor bakes faster which makes it more challenging to find that sweet spot where you can have a thoroughly baked cake that still is not dry and crumbly. My advice is: KNOW YOUR OVEN ! the heat management is different from an oven to another some are better than others but at the end of the day if you know the week point of your oven you can find the appropriate solution
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If your oven doesn't have an even heat distribution move the baking sheet around halfway through the baking time.
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If your oven leaks the steam coming out of your chocolate sheet cake when baking, add a small ramequin with hot water in the oven to get some more steam and keep the chocolate cake as moist as possible.
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If your oven has a higher temperature than what displayed, test it with a thermometer and adjust the temperatures accordingly.
Now let's move on to the glaze. I am an unconditional faithful chocolate ganache lover and it is honestly easy and convenient to make for many different chocolate cake recipes. Whether it is used as a glaze, a filling cream or a covering whipped cream it is heavenly delicious without being oversweet.
And here are my secrets to a successful chocolate ganache:
Secret 1: Balance the heavy cream and melted chocolate ratio depending on the use of your ganache
Chocolate glazing:
Chocolate glazing = 1/3 Heavy cream + 2/3 Melted Chocolate
Whipped ganache
Whipped ganache = 3/5 Heavy cream + 2/5 Melted chocolate
Spreading or filling cream
Spreading or filling cream = 1/2 Heavy cream + 1/2 Melted chocolate
Secret 2: Preheat your cream before mixing it in with the melted chocolate
to prevent the chocolate and cream from separating from each other and getting a weird grainy texture.
Secret 3: Mix it just enough
undermixing your ganache will leave chocolate chunks in it and over mixing your ganache will separate the cream from the chocolate and give you a grainy ganache.
Secret 4: let it cool down
depending on how firm you want your ganache and the cream chocolate ratio you also need to let it cool enough time before using it in any form.
Well i think you got everything covered now let's move on to the best chocolate sheet cake recipe ever:
The best Chocolate sheet cake recipe!
INGREDIENTS
- 260 gr flour
- 50 gr vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
- 120 gr buttermilk
- 80 gr espresso ( or hot water if you do not like the coffee flavor )
- 100 gr sugar
- 10 gr baking powder
- 40 gr unsweetened cacao powder
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- Optional( for the ganche ) : 150 gr 60% Dark chocolate + 100 gr heavy cream
INSTRUCTIONS
- Start by sifting and mixing all of the dry ingredients and add a pinch of salt of course .
- Now add the eggs , buttermilk , oil and whisk it to have a homogenous and thick batter .
- Prepare a fresh espresso ( i like mine strong ) and add it to loosen up the texture of your batter .
- Bake the cake in a 20 x 20 cm baking sheet for 30~35 min , in a 180 C preheated oven .
- Meanwhile prepare a simple chocolate ganache : Melt the chocolate on a bain Marie ; set a side and add the cream while stirring to get a silky shiny mixture and reserve in the fridge until it gets creamy and firm .
- Decorate your cold cake with the ganache .
Optional : i like to sparkle some "fleur de sel" on the top to add an extra depth to the chocolate ganache taste and look .
Amal Nasri
A full time sweet tooth foodie , foodphotographer and recipe developer who is always on the hunt of new flavor combinations and food discoveries to re-create sweet delicacies and fresh dessert recipes .