This Chocolate Sheet Cake with Milk Chocolate Ganache Frosting is rich, dense, and chocolatey. Made with Dutch-process cocoa and melted chocolate chips, it bakes up deep, dark, and intensely flavorful. It's cake, so not as fudgy as brownies, but it is a fudgier style cake. And then there's the frosting! It's a silky milk chocolate ganache that whips up with a fluffy, spreadable texture.

Why This Chocolate Sheet Cake is Different

Unlike many sheet cakes that rely solely on cocoa powder, this one uses Dutch-process cocoa for richness, 8 ounces of melted chocolate chips for body and depth, and a simple, stir-by-hand method. The result is a sturdy, moist sheet cake with a tight crumb and a deep chocolate flavor that holds up well under the ganache style frosting.

Easy Mixing Method

My favorite thing about the cake is the mixing method. The batter is stirred by hand in a large saucepan. You mix the dry ingredients separately, but most of the action happens in the saucepan. No stand mixer. No complicated steps, but rather relaxing stirring. There's something very satisfying about how smoothly the process flows, so it's definitely it's good baking therapy.

Milk Chocolate Ganache Frosting

But let's talk about the frosting. My calming baking therapy sometimes goes awry when it's time to make frosting, but not in this case. This easy frosting calls for milk chocolate chips, heavy cream and butter. Melt them together to make a glossy ganache, cool, chill, and beat. It's smooth, creamy, and just sweet enough to balance the dark chocolate base.

milk chocolate ganache being spread over a chocolate cake in a disposable pan.

Milk Chocolate vs. Chips in Frosting

I tested the frosting two ways: Melted milk chocolate chips (as written) and with Lindt milk chocolate. Surprisingly, the chocolate chip version had slightly better structure and flavor balance. The added stabilizers in chocolate chips actually help the frosting set up beautifully. It's a good reminder that sometimes there's a reason behind ingredient choices, especially in well-tested recipes. This one is definitely well-tested given the source.

ATK Kids

Chocolate Sheet Cake with Milk Chocolate Ganache Frosting is from The Complete Cookbook for Young Chefs, 100+ Recipes That You'll Love to Cook And Eat from America's Test Kitchen. It's part of their America's Test Kitchen www.ATKkids.com. They designed it for kids, but between you and me I know a few adults who are benefiting from it as well.

ATK Kids is designed for cooks ages 8 through 13, and while I'm a wee bit older than the target market, I perused the new site and immediately found 3 recipes I want to make for the family -- Avocado Crema, DIY Hot Cocoa Mix and Sweet and Tangy Glazed Salmon. Update: The book has a lot of other great tips and recipes. I liked it so much I ordered a copy for all my kid relatives. Hopefully they are enjoying it.

Recipe

Milk Chocolate Sheet Cake

Anna

Milk Chocolate Frosted Sheet Cake Makes about 16 servings From "Complete Cookbook for Young Chefs" by America's Test Kitchen.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 30

Cooling Time 30

Total Time 1 20

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 12 slices

Ingredients

1 ½ cups sugar (290 grams)
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (175 grams)
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 ⅓ cups bittersweet chocolate chips (230 grams)
1 cup whole milk (240 grams)
¾ cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder (70 grams)
⅔ cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs (200 grams)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Milk Chocolate Frosting

1 ⅓ cups milk chocolate chips or 8 oz chopped milk chocolate (230 grams)
⅓ cup heavy cream (80 grams)
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces and softened (114 grams)

Instructions

To make cake: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease or spray a 13-by-9-inch metal baking pan with cooking spray.
In medium bowl, whisk together sugar, flour, baking soda and salt.
In large saucepan, combine chocolate chips, milk and cocoa. Place saucepan over low heat and cook, whisking often, until chocolate chips are melted and mixture is smooth, about 5 minutes.
Remove saucepan from heat and let mixture cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
Add oil, eggs and vanilla to saucepan with chocolate mixture and whisk until smooth, about 30 seconds.
Add flour mixture and whisk until smooth, making sure to scrape corners of saucepan.
Use rubber spatula to scrape batter into greased baking pan and smooth top.
Place baking pan in oven. Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out with few crumbs attached, 30 to 35 minutes.
Remove baking pan from oven and place on cooling rack. Allow cake to cool completely in pan, about 2 hours.
To make frosting: In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine chocolate and cream. Heat in microwave at 50 percent power for 1 minute. Take out and stir with rubber spatula. Heat in microwave at 50 percent power until melted, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove bowl from microwave.
Add softened butter to chocolate mixture and use whisk to stir and break up large butter pieces. Let sit until butter is fully melted, about 5 minutes. Whisk until completely smooth.
Refrigerate frosting until cooled and thickened, about 1 hour.
Use electric mixer to beat frosting on medium-high speed until frosting is light and fluffy, 30 seconds.
Use icing spatula to spread frosting evenly over cooled cake. Cut cake into pieces and serve.

Notes

Recipe adapted from America's Test Kitchen, the home of Cook's Illustrated and Cook's Country magazines, is also a cookbook publisher, a TV show, an online cooking school and a subscription website. Visit www.americastestkitchen.com.

Keyword Chocolate Sheet Cake

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