Chocolate Fudge Sheet Cake with Ganache Frosting

Soft and moist chocolate cake topped with silky ganache frosting, this Chocolate Fudge Sheet Cake is a real crowd pleaser recipe.

This chocolate fudge cake is delicious as it is, or try heating up a slice in the microwave for 10 seconds and serve with vanilla ice cream for a warm, melted chocolate dessert. Yum!

Reasons to love this Chocolate Fudge Sheet Cake

• It’s so quick and easy. I’ve got a newfound love for sheet cakes. Just pour the mixture into the tin, bake and then spread on the frosting. No layering or technical decorating skills needed for this recipe.
• The textures are perfect. There is only one word to describe the sponge texture..moist! The ganache frosting is silky smooth and melts-in-the-mouth. These textures really are a match made in heaven.
• The chocolate flavour is intense. Adding a smidge of coffee powder and boiling water (trust me it works!) to the sponge mixture intensifies the chocolate flavour. For ganache frosting, I suggest using dark chocolate with 50-60% cocoa solids so that the ganache is rich and decadent but not too bitter.

Recipe success tips

Here are my top tips for baking this Chocolate Fudge Sheet Cake:

• Use the correct sized baking tin. I used a Sainsbury’s traybake tin that was 32cm length, 22cm width and about 5cm deep. Changing the baking tin size will change the baking time, the smaller the tin the longer the baking time and vice versa.
• Don’t worry if the sponge cracks on top. This is to be expected and won’t change the taste or texture at all 🙂
• For the ganache, make sure the cream is piping hot. You need to make sure the cream is hot enough to melt the dark chocolate but not boiling otherwise it will burn. Keep the heat on low and stir continuously until the cream almost starts to bubble up.

Chocolate Fudge Sheet Cake with Ganache Frosting

Soft and moist chocolate cake topped with silky ganache frosting, this Chocolate Fudge Sheet Cake is a real crowd pleaser recipe!

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Prep Time 1 hr

Cook Time 30 mins

Total Time 1 hr 30 mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine Baking

Servings 15

Ingredients

  

Chocolate cake

• 250 g Self-raising flour 
• 300 g Caster sugar
• 80 g Cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons Espresso powder
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla extract
• 250 ml Whole milk
• 2 large Eggs at room temperature
• 100 ml Sunflower oil
• 250 ml Boiling water

Chocolate ganache frosting

• 350 g Dark chocolate 50-60% cocoa solids
• 350 g Double cream

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F / Gas mark 4.
• Line a 32cm legnth traybake tin with greaseproof paper. 
• In a large bowl stir together flour, sugar, cocoa and espresso powder. 
• Add the vanilla extract, milk, eggs and sunflower oil and beat together until smooth.
• Slowly pour in the boiling water bit by bit, mixing in-between, until the mixture is smooth and glossy.
• Pour into the baking tin and bake for 25-30 minutes until the cake has risen and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out almost clean with only a few crumbs.
• Leave to cool for 20 mins in the baking tin, then transfer to a cooling rack and leave to cool completely. 
• Meanwhile finely chop the dark chocolate into very small chunks and place in a bowl.
• Heat the double cream in a saucepan set over a low flame. Stir continuously until the cream is piping hot and has almost reached boiling point.
• Pour the cream over the chocolate and stir together until the chocolate has melted and the ganache is smooth and glossy. Cover and leave for 1 hour at room temperature to cool and thicken.
• Use a palette knife or spoon to spread the ganache over the top of the cake.

Notes

Store the cake at room temperature, in an airtight container, for up to 3 days. 

Keyword Cake, Chocolate, ganache

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