Chocolate Birthday Sheet Cake

Name: Chocolate Birthday Sheet Cake
Yield: 12 Servings
Ingredients: ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan; 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan; 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped; 1 cup brewed coffee; ⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process), plus more for dusting; 3 large eggs, room temperature; 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 1¾ teaspoons kosher salt; 1½ teaspoons baking powder; 1½ teaspoons baking soda; 2½ cups (packed) light brown sugar; ¼ cup vegetable oil; ¾ cup chilled heavy cream; Granulated sugar

By Claire SaffitzPhotography by Alex Lau

May 5, 2015

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Alex Lau

The genius part of this rich and moist sheet cake recipe is the “reverse creaming” method. Instead of creaming butter and sugar before adding the liquid ingredients and flour, you’ll gradually add the liquid ingredients into the flour. As a result, the cake bakes almost perfectly flat—no domed tops, no layers to trim.

Recipe notes

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