Recipe: Fabulous Chocolate Sheet Cake

chocolate cake

This recipe is perfect for sharing with friends. It is extremely easy to make and quite quick. The best part? This recipe offers a break while it bakes, allowing you to clean up some of your mess before it’s time to start in on the icing! This recipe can be made ahead and frozen. Perfect for a birthday party or potluck.

Book: Of Tide & Thyme | Serves 20

Cooking Time: 40 minutes | Prep Time: 25 minutes

chocolate cake

Cake Ingredients:

  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 cups unsifted all purpose flour
  • 1 stick margarine
  • 3 1/2 tablespoons cocoa
  • 1/2 cup shortening (I used Crisco)
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda

Cake Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  • Mix the flour and sugar in one large bowl.
  • Place 1 stick of margarine, cocoa, shortening and water in saucepan and bring to a boil.
  • Remove heat and pour over sugar and flour mixture and stir.
  • Add eggs, vanilla, buttermilk and baking soda. ( I combined all of these ingredients in a separate bowl from the start. It made it very easy to add to the flour/sugar and hot mixture)
  • Mix well and pour into an ungreased sheet pan 11 x 18 inch or two smaller pans. Bake for 20 minutes.

chocolate cake

Icing Ingredients:

  • 1 stick margarine
  • 3 1/2 tablespoons cocoa
  • 1/3 cup milk ( I used buttermilk again)
  • 1 box powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
  • 1 teaspoon extract

Icing Directions: 

  • Start cooking 5 minutes before the cake is done.
  • Bring 1 stick of margarine, cocoa and milk to a boil. Stir frequently.
  • Remove from heat and add powdered sugar, nuts and vanilla.
  • Pour over hot cake you have removed from the oven. When cool, cut into squares. Make sure you save yourself a piece because it will go fast!

The hardest part of this recipe is not licking the bowls at the end!