Chocolate Sheet Cake

This recipe has been floating around for years.   Chocolate Sheet Cake.  Texas Sheet Cake, etc.  

Call it what you will, it is all the same cake.  Like they say, there is nothing new under the sun, just new ways of doing things.

 

This particular recipe was adapted from a book I have entitled "The Best of Cooking Light."  

I don't always eat hedonistically and from time to time I like to shave calories off if I can, or try a lighter version of a recipe.

This recipe differed a bit from the usual chocolate sheet cake I make .  .  . first it has buttermilk in the batter, which usually makes for a really moist cake . . .  

Second it is put together rather differently.  You boil milk, cocoa and butter together and then beat that into the dry ingredients . . .  then beat in the buttermilk and eggs.

The icing is also a tiny bit different.  I found it all to be very sweet, which is not entirely a bad thing . . .  it means you can't eat as large a piece, which is probably a good thing! 

It's also very dense . . .  I don't remember my regular recipe ending up quite as dense as this one is . . .  but it was quite pleasant to eat nonetheless.  

For a cake that is lower in fat and calories, it was not half bad at all.  Mind you it does say that it makes 20 servings.  Hmmm . . .

Probably not in my house  . . .  haha. 

  

 

*Chocolate Sheet Cake*

Makes 20 servings

Printable Recipe 

Dense and chocolatey.   I have adapted this recipe from one I found in a Cooking Light Book entitled"The Best Of Cooking Light." 

For the cake:

2 tsp plain flour

280g of plain flour (2 cups)

383g of granulated sugar (2 cups)

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda_

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

180ml of water (3/4 cup)

125g of butter (1/2 cup)

30g of cocoa powder, sifted (1/4 cup)

120ml of low fat buttermilk (1/2 cup)

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 large free range eggs 

For the icing:

6 TBS butter

78ml of skim milk (1/3 cup)
30g of cocoa powder, sifted (1/4 cup)

390g of icing sugar, sifted ( confectioners sugar, 3 cups)

2 tsp vanilla extract

30g of chopped pecans, toasted (1/4 cup)

Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5.  Spray a 15 by 10 inch baking tray with sides with some cooking spray.  (cake release spray)  Dust with the 2 tsp flour.   Set aside.

Sift the flour into a bowl along with the cinnamon and soda.   Whisk in the salt and sugar.   Bring the water, butter and cocoa powder to the boil, stirring constantly.  Remove from the heat and pout into the flour mixture.  Beat with an electric whisk until smooth.   Beat in the eggs, buttermilk and vanilla.  Pour this batter into the prepared pan.  Bake for about 17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean and the top springs back when lightly touched. 

 

To make the icing, combine the butter, milk and cocoa powder in a saucepan.  Bring to the boil stirring constantly.   Remove from the heat and beat in the icing sugar, vanilla and pecans.   Spread over the hot cake.  Cool completely before cutting into squares to serve.

Note - You may also bake this in a 12 by 9 inch baking pan  In crease the baking time to 22 minutes.

This is really good, lovely and moist, and its nice to know that it is also a bit lighter than the regular version.  Bon Appetit!