RECIPE: The Best Chocolate Sheet Cake In The Universe?

A cake to light up every summer BBQ and birthday party

Today I was going to write about carrots, but a chocolate cake has come into my life, and it demands attention. (Don’t worry, I’ll get to the carrots soon).

I thought I was done writing about chocolate cake. What more is left to be said after taking on the beast that is Cheryl Day’s iconic and undeniable Chocolate Church Cake? But it turns out there’s more ink to be spilled; so spill it I shall.

It all started in March. I was in Atwater Village, CA, roaming some cute hipster store when I came across a small, unassuming book called Everyday Cake by Polina Chesnakova. I’m drawn to cookbooks like a moth to a bonfire; so of course I began leafing through it. Did I need another baking book, let alone a cake book, let alone a snacking cake book?? Definitely not.

Naturally, I bought it.

What can I say? I’m weak. No, I rescind that. I’m not weak; I just happen to love making easy cakes! Alison Roman introduced me to the joys of a simple cake with her wonderful brown butter buttermilk cake, which is unjustly hidden away as the very last recipe of her 2017 book Dining In. If you haven’t made it, seek it out and add it to your repertoire.

This led me to Yossy Arefi’s breakout hit, Snacking Cakes. The book focuses entirely on no-fuss, single-tiered cakes that come together in a heartbeat and can be easily trotted out with afternoon coffee (or morning coffee or really anytime). I spent much of 2021 not just baking my way through Snacking Cakes, but recommending it to everyone I came into contact with. I was such a super fan that I dropped a note to Yossy on Instagram.

“I’ve been preaching about this book for the past eight weeks,” I wrote - adding a few “praise hands” emojis to sell my enthusiasm (as if it weren’t already apparent).

“Someone messaged me and asked if you were my publicist!” Yossy replied.

This all is to say that I clearly have loyalty to Snacking Cakes and can’t imagine needing any book that covers similar ground. And yet, there I was in March, the new owner of Everyday Cakes. It felt disloyal to let another book muscle in on Snacking Cake’s territory. The only way I could live with myself would be if the cakes justified the means.

Fast forward to this past July 4th weekend. My friends and I had arranged for an all-day marathon board game session because as we all know:

[long weekend] + [geekiness] = [pushing plastic spaceships across a table for 12 hours]

My other hobby outside of cooking is board games (I’m truly obsessed, but that’s for another time, place, and Substack).

Our group having an epic Saturday battling for the universe.

Anyway, the plan was to grill some steaks and play some Twilight Imperium: Fourth Edition (an epic and utterly thrilling space opera of a game). I felt it was my interstellar duty to provide cake because that’s what the galaxy needs, but more importantly it was the perfect excuse to dive into Everyday Cakes.

My criteria for the cake were simple: it needed to be simple, festive, and a crowd-pleaser. Nothing precious or delicate. Plus, I wanted something that felt at home at a cookout, hitting the same childhood nostalgic notes as hotdogs and hamburgers and summer vacation.

The answer: sheet cake!

Specifically, “Fudgy Devil’s Food Sheet Cake” - perfect for a July 4th bbq / day of planetary conquest!

Yes, we played this game for 12 hours. Loved every second.

I had mentally told myself there was no point in making any other chocolate cake now that I’d found the platonic ideal in Cheryl Day’s aforementioned Chocolate Church Cake. But Chesnakova’s recipe looked really good, and it was already 11 PM — I didn’t have time for hemming and hawing. I needed to bake.

The recipe is very similar to Arefi’s famous “Fudgy Chocolate Cake with Fluffy Chocolate Frosting.” There’s coffee, oil, and buttermilk in the batter, and the frosting is a buttercream made with cocoa. But there are some key differences.

Chesnakova uses brown sugar in the batter (in addition to granulated white sugar). She also adds espresso powder and boiling water to the frosting. But the biggest difference is that Chesnakova employs melted unsweetened chocolate in both the batter and the frosting - similar to Cheryl Day’s Church Cake.

Welp, the cake baked in my toaster oven for 35 swift minutes (it was ready exactly on time), and once it was cooled to room temp, I slathered it with the dark, shiny frosting. Naturally, I stuck a finger in the mixing bowl - as is my right - and nearly fainted in rhapsody when I tasted the deeply chocolately topping. It was, dare I say, perfect? I could only imagine how it would taste with the actual cake.

Lastly, as a nod to the galactic drama that awaited us all, I scattered a large handful of sprinkles atop the cake’s surface, hoping they would look like stars in deep space — but an alternate deep space where stars are the color of the rainbow. It could happen!

Well, the game was a blast and the BBQ a delight. The cake, however, was truly — brace yourselves — out of this world (I’m running out of space puns).

I’m not kidding. This cake was incredible. I could yammer away about how light and airy it was or how moist the crumb turned out, but the headline here is the flavor.

A good, nay, great chocolate cake has a tenuous blend of bitter, sweet, and acidic (yes, acidic - it’s there even if you don’t realize it). When the elements are in balance, the chocolate, with all its layers and complexity, shines. But when even one component is out of whack, the cake can be unlawfully sweet… or bitter or just… flavorless. It’s hard to imagine a chocolate cake being flavorless, but we’ve all been there, amiright?

Suffice it to say, this cake has the balance, and then some. The sponge and the frosting combine for a wholly addictive experience in a way that actually trumps the Church Cake. I’m not saying this is a better cake - the Church Cake is still the apex predator here. But unlike any other chocolate cake I’ve made, this sheet cake is nearly impossible to put down.

As a noteworthy space traveler once declared, resistance is futile.

I have been truly unable to eat a slice without going in for seconds or thirds or fourths. It’s the first sheet cake that I’ve honestly considered eating whole in one sitting.

And the craziest part? It’s not rich. I’m not halfway comatose by the time I’m done with a slice. Even if I were, the espresso would probably wake me up. Fair warning: my friend Paul entered a caffeine-induced manic state after eating this cake. I thought he was being dramatic until my eyes started darting left and right as if I’d just downed a tall glass of cold brew.

Those who abstain from caffeinated beverages will want to remove the espresso, but just remember one thing: Ina Garten always says that coffee makes chocolate taste more like chocolate. This adage is particularly effective here; so if caffeine is a concern, don’t simply eliminate the coffee; use a decaf substitute instead.

Ultimately, Polina Chesnakova doesn’t dethrone Cheryl Day’s Chocolate Church Cake, but she does something perhaps more useful: she delivers an outstanding anytime chocolate cake. The Chocolate Church Cake feels like a once a year, special occasion, afternoon Project (with a capital P) kind of thing. The Fudgy Devil’s Food Sheet Cake, however, comes together easily and without any real drama, making it that most special of cakes: the Anytime Cake.

I know this isn’t a referendum on either cake, but it’s Chesnakova’s that I see myself whipping up regularly. Is it good enough to be labeled “THE chocolate cake”? Too early to say. But for now, it’s clear that the Fudgy Devil’s Food Sheet cake is perfect for potlucks, cookouts, birthdays, and of course, a twelve-hour cosmic encounter.

Oh, and I’m keeping Everyday Cake.

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Here’s the recipe in all its glory. My only real notes: use a kitchen scale for accuracy, bake in a toaster oven for temp control, and use sprinkles! They’re not just fun but they actually provide really nice texture.

Fudgy Devil’s Food Sheet Cake

Adapted from Everyday Cake by Polina Chesnakova

“For a brief time in college, I had a small bake-to-order "business" where I took orders for cakes, cookies, brownies, you name it. It was short-lived (the numbers, I quickly realized, didn't quite add up), but even so, I managed to squeak out a best seller: this easy-to-make chocolate cake. I've since tinkered with it — adding buttermilk and using unsweetened chocolate, cocoa powder, and freshly brewed coffee to coax out a rich, deep chocolate flavor. The thick, fudgy frosting has all the nostalgic vibes and turns this cake into an instant crowd-pleaser that my college self would be proud to serve. In place of the brewed coffee in the batter, you can swap 1 cup (235 ml) very hot water and 1/2 teaspoons espresso powder (add the latter with the cocoa powder), or omit the espresso powder completely- the chocolate flavor will be just a little less pronounced.”

For the cake:

3⁄4 cup (75 g) Dutch-process cocoa powder

1 ounce (28 g) unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped

1 cup (235 ml) very hot freshly brewed coffee

2 cups (260 g) all-purpose flour

1 cup plus 2tablespoons (225 g) firmly packed dark brown sugar

1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar 11⁄2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 eggs, at room temperature

1 cup (235 ml) buttermilk, at room temperature

1⁄2 cup (120 ml) neutral oil, such as canola or safflower

1 1⁄2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the frosting:

2 2/3 cups (320 g) powdered sugar

1⁄2 cup (50 g) Dutch-process or other unsweetened cocoa powder

1⁄2 teaspoon instant espresso powder (optional)

Rounded 1⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt

1⁄2 cup (115 g) unsalted butter.at room temperature

1⁄2 cup (80 ml) boiling water

1 1/2 ounces (45 g) unsweetened chocolate, melted

1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Sprinkles or flaky sea salt, for sprinkling (optional)

MAKES 12 TO 16 SERVINGS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-by-13-inch pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.

2. In a medium bowl, stir together the cocoa powder and chopped chocolate. Pour the hot coffee (see author’s note above) over the top and stir until the cocoa has dissolved and the chocolate has completely melted. Set aside to cool.

3. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, both sugars, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Use your fingers to break up any lumps. Add the eggs, buttermilk, oil, vanilla, and cooled chocolate mixture and whisk to combine until smooth and glossy.

4. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake until the cake is matte and firm and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and allow the cake to cool completely.

5. To make the frosting, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whisk together the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, espresso powder, and salt. Add the butter and boiling water and mix on low speed to combine. Increase the speed to medium and mix for 1 minute, or until the frosting is glossy and smooth, scraping down the bowl as needed. Add the melted chocolate and vanilla and mix to combine. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to firm before using. The frosting can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days. Bring it to room temperature before using.

6. To assemble, scrape the frosting onto the cooled cake and use an offset spatula to smooth it out in an even layer. Top with sprinkles or sea salt. Cut into squares and serve. This cake keeps well wrapped at room temperature for 3 to 4 days.