OK, how does the name of this recipe not make you smile. Because seriously, who wouldn’t want to snack on chocolate cake?!?
This cake is ridiculously moist and tender, and also super light. While still unquestionably chocolate-y, this is not a dense cake with deep, rich flavor. Instead, it provides that sweet chocolate fix without feeling like you just overindulged.
Left to hang out in its baking pan, I guarantee you slice off a square as you walk by. But be forewarned, its lightness makes it a little too easy to enjoy. Often resulting in much more of the cake disappearing then you intended.
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Chocolate Snack Cake
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Makes thirty-five 1 ½" square cakes
A heads up: The glaze needs to cool for at least 4 hours before cutting the cake, so be sure to plan accordingly.
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 4 ounces unsalted butter (1 stick)
- 1 cup cold water (8 ounces)
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- ½ cup buttermilk, room temperature (4 ounces)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (280 g)
- 2 cups sugar (400 g)
- ¼ cup cocoa powder (25 g)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt (fine grain, like table or sea salt)
For the glaze:
- 3 ¾ cup powdered sugar (1 pound)
- ¼ cup cocoa powder (25 g)
- 6 TB milk
- 4 ounces unsalted butter (1 stick)
- 1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350F
Butter and flour a 10 x 15 x 1-inch jelly roll pan
For the cake:
- In a small saucepan, melt the 4 ounces of butter. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Then, add the water and oil.
- Break the eggs into a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Stir in the buttermilk and vanilla. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, sift in the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Add the butter and water mixture. Using the paddle attachment, blend on medium-low speed for about 30 - 45 seconds. Add the buttermilk mixture; resume the same speed and blend just until smooth (about 30 - 45 seconds more).
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Use a rubber or offset spatula to spread the batter into an even layer.
- Bake for 20 - 22 minutes, or until the cake springs back slightly when lightly touched in the center and the sides begin to contract from the pan.
For the glaze:
- While the cake is baking, make the glaze.
- Sift together the powdered sugar and cocoa powder into a 3-quart mixing bowl. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan, add the milk and butter and heat over low heat until the butter is melted.
- Pour the hot milk mixture into the powdered sugar mixture and stir to combine. Add the vanilla and blend.
- Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve and push it through with the aid of a rubber spatula.
Glazing the cake:
- When the cake has finished baking, remove it to a cooling rack. Immediately pour the glaze over the hot cake and spread the glaze with a spatula over the surface.
- Let the glaze cool, untouched, for a least 4 hours before cutting the cake.
Notes
- When making the glaze, the recipe calls for pushing it through a sieve (Step 5), which results in a super smooth glaze. But just to level set, I have skipped this step more than once. And while my glaze was a bit more speckled, it still turned out delicious!
- When spreading the hot glaze over the cake, do it as quickly as possible, touching it as little as possible. The more you fuss with the glaze, the duller its finish will appear.
- The glaze can crack easily (which doesn’t affect the cake at all; it’s purely aesthetic). If hoping to achieve that “perfect” look, when slicing the cake, use a small, sharp paring knife warmed in hot water (and then dried) between each slice. But before slicing individual slices, first release the glaze from the sides of the pan. Do so by running the knife around the perimeter of the cake.
- This recipe was adapted ever-so-slightly from The Simple Art of Perfect Baking by Flo Braker.
Keywords: Chocolate, Cake, Texas Sheet Cake, Flo Braker
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