Fruit Salad
Ali Slagle
352 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
352
20 minutes
Denver Chocolate Sheet Cake
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:12 to 15 servings
- 16tablespoons unsalted butter in 16 pieces (plus 1 tablespoon softened butter for greasing pan)
- 2½cups all-purpose flour (more for pan)
- 2cups sugar
- 1teaspoon baking soda
- ¼teaspoon salt
- ¼cup cocoa
- ½cup buttermilk
- 2eggs, lightly beaten
- 1teaspoon vanilla
- 8tablespoons unsalted butter in 8 pieces
- ¼cup cocoa
- 6tablespoons buttermilk
- 1teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼teaspoon salt
- 1pound confectioners' sugar
- ½cup chopped walnuts or pecans
For the Cake
For the Frosting
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (14 servings)
543 calories; 24 grams fat; 13 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 81 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 61 grams sugars; 5 grams protein; 209 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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- Step 1
For cake: Place oven rack in middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9-by-13-inch sheet pan. Combine flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl, and whisk well.
- Step 2
Combine butter, cocoa and 1½ cups water in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat; whisk frequently until butter has melted and mixture is smooth, glossy and bubbling around edges. Remove from heat.
- Step 3
Fold cocoa mixture into dry ingredients until just combined. Stir in buttermilk, eggs and vanilla until combined. Turn batter into prepared pan and bake until cake has risen, shrunken slightly from edges, and tests clean with a toothpick, about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven, and cool completely on a rack.
- Step 4
For frosting: Combine butter, cocoa and buttermilk in a small saucepan over medium-low heat; whisk frequently until butter has melted and mixture is smooth and bubbling around edges. Remove from heat and transfer to a standing mixer bowl fitted with a paddle attachment.
- Step 5
With machine on low speed, add vanilla, salt, sugar and nuts, and mix until smooth. (Ingredients may also be whisked into cocoa mixture by hand; if so, sugar should be sifted first.) Pour warm frosting over top of cake, and smooth with a spatula. Allow frosting to become firm before slicing cake.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Clare
We grew up calling this Nebraska cake. Double (or triple) the cocoa in both the cake and frosting for a better result.
If you want a lower fat version, you can use 8 tablespoons of butter in the cake. Yes, you can definitely tell, but your waistline may thank you.
For an incredibly delicious variant, make raspberry sauce (frozen raspberries, sugar and cornstarch). Once the cake has cooled, frost with the raspberry sauce, then once the sauce is set, frost with the chocolate frosting.
Suzanne
I double the cocoa in both the cake and frosting and used 3/4 c. buttermilk in the cake. It was super flavorful and moist! Growing up, we called this cake Texas Sheet Cake and included a touch of cinnamon in the frosting, but here I kept it straight chocolate.
Sara
Great recipe. Combining some suggestions from comments here, I tripled the amount of cocoa in the cake and doubled it for the frosting (and yes, felt rather decadent as I did). I also used 3/4 cup buttermilk in the cake. The finished product was delicious - moist, chocolate-y, and a hit at the party at which it was served. Much obliged.
patricia
Our experience is, increasing the amount of cocoa requires an increase in amount of buttermilk. It wasn't mentioned in most of the comments, so we learned the hard way!
Michele
I have this exact recipe passed to me by my mother from a southern woman friend. She called it, "Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake". I'm making here in Oregon from the banks of the Columbia River. I see a new name in its future...
Jane
Why cut the fat? More fat makes for a more satisfying slice of cake, which means you will eat less of it. One is not meant to be eating multiple slices of this cake in one sitting.
Alice
Definitely needs extra cocoa in both cake and frosting. I dissolved 1 T instant expresso powder (you could use instant coffee - the flavor will be a little milder) in 1 T hot water and substituted it for 1 T of the buttermilk in the frosting for a mocha flavor. Or use mint extract in place of vanilla, or orange extract and add a bit of orange zest. Lots of ways to change up the frosting and/or the toppings.
Jamie
I took Clare's suggestion by using dark cocoa and doubling the quantity. Same for the frosting to which I added cinnamon. Raves from all.
Lindsay
Also from Texas and knew this cake by sight! I can't believe it; this is our special family cake that has been made at every birthday and holiday for three generations. It holds such a special place in my heart! And everytime I bring it to someone who's never had it, they demand the recipe. I, however, never knew the origin so thanks for finally solving the mystery! Like Suzanne, we also add cinnamon.
Minnesota
Excellent recipe! A couple of comments; In Step 2, I cooled the mixture before adding dry ingredients. I also reduced the sugar amount in half in the cake recipe, and I used only a third of sugar amount for the frosting. I find that reducing sugar in recipes allows other ingredients to stand out, creating more depth of flavor.
Melanie
One of my favorite FAST cakes for a crowd. My husband and I once had a bet, because we were running very late for an evening event and I swore I could knock this cake out in 30 minutes and be out the door. In fact, I did it with minutes to spare, having made it so many times (thank you, grandma) that I didn't even need the recipe. Just make the frosting while the cake bakes and be ready to run.
I implore you to invest in a quality dark cocoa, like Valrhona. It makes a world of difference!
Barbara
Amen to calling it Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake. Growing up in Denison,Texas during 1940s, it was a family favorite. I use dark chocolate & 2% milk, & 1/2 cup sour cream, not buttermilk. It's my grandchildren's favorite.
Jeri
Double the chocolate in both cake and icing. You will also want to add a tsp or 2 of instant coffee or espresso when you add the chocolate to each part.
When removing the cake from the oven when baked, use a toothpick to poke several holes in it. Heat a couple of tablespoons of raspberry jam with several tablespoons of water to make a syrup. Brush the syrup on the cake, and then frost as normal with the warm frosting. YUM!!
Safta Sue
Double the cocoa; use 3/4C buttermilk
Camille
16 tablespoons of butter? Why not say 1/2 cup? Or 3/4 cup? Seems lot easier to measure.
Barbara
My two kids don't like many cakes - too dry, too much icing, too sweet... the list goes on! But they both LOVED this cake, as did my husband and I. We will be making this for years to come. A few tweaks based on notes below: - Doubled the cocoa in the cake and frosting - Used 3/4 cup buttermilk in the cake and one extra Tbsp in the icing (though that may not be necessary as my icing was a little runny!)
Juneau Kim
I’ve made the cake before according to the recipe and it was good but I thought it was too sweet. This time I tried some of the suggestions made in the comments. I used the Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa and doubled the amount. I reduced sugar by a third of a cup, and added a little more flour because I increased the buttermilk to 3/4 cup. I watched the baking time carefully because it over bakes quickly. I also used the Hershey’s Dark Cocoa in the icing. It was fabulous! Great recipe!
myles
Delicious. Made half the recipe in quantity. Cut the sugar in half for the cake. Only used two tbsp icing sugar for frosting. Still sweet.
Katie
Lulu 13th bday Amsterdam. See notes: double cocoa in both cake and frosting. Increase buttermilk as well. Add espresso powder or coffee. I found frosting way too sweet. Use half powdered sugar? Also way too much frosting. Could halve?
Chrissy
What type of cocoa powder do you recommend for this cake?
katherine
What depth sheet cake pan do I use for this?
Jill
My favorite chocolate cake, so easy to make, so consistently good. Double the cocoa for extra chocolate goodness. Otherwise don’t change a thing
Name RebeccaW
I made this following some of the comments. Doubled the cocoa in the cake with 3/4 C buttermilk. I made a glaze from about a dozen strawberries and 1/2 C sugar. I seriously considered skipping the frosting altogether but ended up making half the recipe using the full amount of cocoa and 5 T of buttermilk. Drizzled it on the strawberry glaze. Amazing. Wonderful easy recipe.
Enter your name
Yield12 to 15 servings? How big are they? I halved the batch and made 12 regular muffin-size cupcakes... so I'm guessing a full batch would make 24 of these delicious puppies?! But then again, feels like a good excuse to eat 2 cupcakes at a time!
Dorothy
I've made this several times - it's a real winner. Now I'm preparing a large double layer cake for an event that requires white frosting. Thinking a standard buttercream, just wondering if anyone has any thoughts / suggestions.
Liz
Love this cake. BUT, I didn't have confectioner's sugar so used regular sugar as noted in the substitution guide, with adjusted amount. However, xxsugar would soak up more of the liquid. Regular sugar just made the frosting very loose and watery, making a mess. Should have gone shopping!
J Stephen
I found this to be too much with the frosting, however a magical accident with the cover resulted in some pieces losing the frosting in transit. I drizzled some home made strawberry preserves on top and THAT was fantastic. Next time, I’ll do that for the whole cake. Served alongside fresh blueberries as well, it was lovely.
blakejbond
I might’ve forgotten to add the water in step 2?
blakejbond
Definitely forgot to add the water on 1st attempt — 2nd one turned out much better, no missing ingredients this time. Delicious.
KEL
Should I use dutch processed or natural cocoa powder?
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