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Denver Chocolate
Sheet Cake
ALEX WITCHEL

YIELD 12 to 15 servings

TIME 45 minutes

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Craig Lee for The New York Times

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
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1,148 ratings

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INGREDIENTS

FOR THE CAKE:

16 tablespoons unsalted butter in 16

pieces (plus 1 tablespoon
softened butter for greasing pan)

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour (more for

pan)

2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ cup cocoa

½ cup buttermilk

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

FOR THE FROSTING:

8 tablespoons unsalted butter in 8

pieces

¼ cup cocoa

6 tablespoons buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon salt

1 pound confectioners' sugar

½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans

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Ingredient Substitution Guide

i Nutritional Information

PREPARATION

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 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.

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.

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COOKING NOTES

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All 187 Most Helpful 46

Private 0

Clare 2 years ago

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.
134 This is helpful

Suzanne 2 years ago

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.
98 This is helpful

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Adapted from "The Junior League at

Home," (G. P. Putnam's Sons)

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