I love how easy this quick mix chocolate cake try bake is to make. And to make it even easier, you use part of the cake mixture for the topping!
Quick mix chocolate cake tray bake
I’ve been making this quick mix chocolate cake tray bake for years, and it never fails. What I love about it is that you don’t have to mix the frosting separately – you just set some of the cake batter aside (before you mix in the flour) and pour that over the chocolate cake while it is still warm. The frosting soaks into the top of the cake forming a deliciously moist, slightly gooey topping. All you need to do after that is drizzle with melted white chocolate and you have a cake that looks as though you spent hours on it.
It’s perfect for sharing with friends at the office, because you can just transport it still in the baking tray. And if you cover with coloured sprinkles instead of drizzling with white chocolate, it makes an ideal cake for childrens parties, because you can cut the cake into whatever sized slices you need.
I personally think there is enough chocolate flavour in the basic cake mix, but if you want to add even more chocolate you can mix in a handful of chocolate chips before baking.
This deliciously moist chocolate cake is made in only 4 steps. Read on to see how easy it is.
How to make a quick mix chocolate cake
As I mentioned, this cake is make in only 4 steps.
- Melt the butter with the milk, sugar and cocoa (and reserve some for the frosting)
- Beat in the egg yolks
- Mix in the flour and baking powder
- Fold in the beaten egg whites.
Step 1
Place the milk, sugar and cocoa powder in a saucepan and stir gently over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Do not allow to boil. Add the butter and allow to melt. Remove 1/2 cup of the mixture and set aside. This will be poured over the baked cake. Allow to cool, then transfer to a mixing bowl.
Step 2
Separate the eggs and add the yolks to the mixture. Beat gently to combine.
Step 3
Sift in the flour and baking powder into the egg and chocolate mixture and mix in.
Step 4
Whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form then carefully fold the egg whites into the cake batter. Add a spoonful at a time and mix in until just combined. Do not beat.
Bake
Grease a 9″ x 9″ baking tray with a little butter and pour the batter into the tray. You will need quite a deep tray to hold all the batter.
Bake in a pre-heated oven (180F / 350C) for 35 to 40 minutes. Test that the cake is cooked by inserting a wooden skewer or toothpick into the cake. If it comes out cleanly then cake is done.
Pour the reserved chocolate mixture over the cake while it is still hot and and then allow to cool.
Decorate
Remove the cake from the baking tray and drizzle with melted white chocolate.
To melt the chocolate, place squares of white chocolate in a plastic bag and heat gently in the microwave until softened. In my microwave I heated the chocolate on full power for 30 seconds and it wasn’t quite melted, so I heated again for another 30 seconds.
Once the chocolate has melted, squeeze it into the corner of the plastic bag and snip off the corner. Then use the plastic bag as a piping bag to drizzle the chocolate over the cake.
Cut into squares, and serve.
To store
This chocolate cake will stay fresh for up to 3 days if kept in an airtight container in the kitchen. There is no need to refrigerate.
Variations
Instead of drizzling the cake with white chocolate, why not try one of these toppings
- Coloured sprinkles (hundreds and thousands)
- Chocolate vermicilli
- Crushed nuts
You can also add a handful of chocolate chips after the flour has been mixed in, before folding in the egg whites.
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If you live at a high altitude you may find you need to adjust your baking recipes to compensate for this. You can read about how to do this in this post on baking at high altitudes.
Recipe – Quick Mix Chocolate Cake Tray Bake
Chocolate Cake Tray Bake
Equipment
- 9" x 9" cake pan
- Mixing bowl
- Saucepan
- Whisk
Ingredients
- ½ cup milk
- 2½ ounces cocoa powder
- 1½ cups sugar
- 8 ounces butter
- 4 large eggs
- 1½ cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 ounces white chocolate
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 180°F / 350°C
- Place the milk, sugar and cocoa powder in a saucepan and stir gently over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Do not allow to boil
- Add the butter and allow to melt. Stir well.
- Remove 1/2 cup of the mixture and set aside to reserve for the cake topping.
- Transfer the remaining mixture to a mixing bowl and allow to cool.
- Separate the eggs and mix the yolks into the mixture.
- Sift the flour and baking powder into the mixture and mix well to combine.
- Beat the egg whites to soft peaks and fold into the mixture one spoonful at a time. Do not beat.
- Grease a 9" x 9" baking dish with a little butter and pour the batter into the dish.
- Place the baking dish into a pre-heated oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a wooden skewer inserted into the cake comes out cleanly.
- Pour the reserved chocolate mixture over the cake while it is still hot and and then allow to cool.
- Drizzle the cooled cake with melted white chocolate to decorate.
Notes
- Coloured sprinkles (hundreds and thousands)
- Chocolate vermicilli
- Crushed nuts
I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.
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