DENVER CHOCOLATE SHEET CAKE

Denver Chocolate Sheet Cake image

Since the 1950s, when the Junior League first started publishing cookbooks to raise money for charity, it has sold hundred of millions of copies. This recipe came to The New York Times in 2003 from the Denver chapter: a basic chocolate sheet-cake of tremendous moistness that's very easy to make. It is meant to have a very mild, milk chocolate flavor, but if you prefer a bit more depth, double or even triple the cocoa in the cake and frosting.

Provided by Alex Witchel

Time 45m

Yield 12 to 15 servings

Number Of Ingredients 16

Ingredients

16 tablespoons unsalted butter in 16 pieces (plus 1 tablespoon softened butter for greasing pan)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (more for pan)
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 tablespoons unsalted butter in 8 pieces
1/4 cup cocoa
6 tablespoons buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 pound confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Steps:

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.
Combine butter, cocoa and 1 1/2 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.
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.
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.
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.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 543, UnsaturatedFat 9 grams, Carbohydrate 81 grams, Fat 24 grams, Fiber 2 grams, Protein 5 grams, SaturatedFat 13 grams, Sodium 216 milligrams, Sugar 61 grams, TransFat 1 gram