Sheet Cakes

Chocolate cakes made with oil instead of butter generally have a lighter, softer texture. Always use the best quality cocoa powder for the best flavour. A one-layer sheet cake gives you a lot of room for writing celebratory messages and is easy to cut into squares for serving. 

Some of these recipes do not require eggs, then vinegar is used. Use unflavored plain white vinegar in these recipes.

Mocha Cake & Frosting

Quick and simple, this recipe from "The Best of Mennonite Fellowship Meals" doesn't use eggs.

Makes 15-20 servings.

Cake:

• 2-1/2 cups flour
• 2 cups brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 6 Tbsp cocoa powder
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. instant dry coffee
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2 Tbsp white vinegar
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups water

1. Mix all dry ingredients with a whisk until blended.
2. Mix cooking oil, vinegar and vanilla in a measuring cup. Pour on top of dry ingredients.
3. Measure 2 cups water, stir into other ingredients.
4. Pour into greased and floured 9 x 13" pan.
5. Bake at 325 degrees for 40  minutes or until centre springs back when lightly touched.
6. While the cake cools on a cooling rack, make frosting.

Frosting:

• 3 Tbsp butter or margarine
• 1-1/2 cups icing sugar
• 2 Tbsp. cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 tsp. instant dry coffee
• 1 Tbsp milk

1. Mix all frosting ingredients, beating until smooth.
2. Add more milk if necessary.
3. Frost the cake right in the pan when it is completely cool.
4. Cut into squares to serve from the pan.

Nova Scotia One-Bowl Chocolate Cake with Frosting

From the Silver Jubilee Cookbook of the Catholic Women's League of St. Bonaventure's Parish in Don Mills, Ontario.

• 1-1/2 cups white granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1-3/4 cups sifted all purpose flour
• 1-1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1-1/2 cups buttermilk
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla

1. Blend all ingredients in the order listed.
2. Beat 3 minutes on medium speed with an electric mixer, scraping the bowl often.
3. Pour into a greased and floured 9 x 13 inch cake pan or 2 smaller cake pans if making a layer cake.
4. Bake in a 350 degree oven 30-35 minutes.
5. Cool before frosting.

Chocolate Frosting

• 1/2 cup soft butter
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 3 cups icing sugar
• 4 tbsp. warm milk or cream
• 1-1/2 tsp. vanilla

1. Add cocoa and sugar to butter alternately with 4 tbsp. warm milk or cream.
2. Add vanilla and whip till thick.

One-Bowl Chocolate Sheet Cake (No Eggs)

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups white granulated sugar
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 2/3 cup sifted cocoa powder
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp white vinegar
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 cups warm water

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Grease and flour a 9x13 inch sheet pan and set aside.
3. Mix together all dry ingredients.
4. Measure oil in a measuring cup and stir in vanilla and white vinegar. Pour over dry ingredients and then pour the warm water in as well. Mix until moistened.
5. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
6. Bake 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
7. Cool the pan on a wire cooling rack 5-10 minutes.
8. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and invert the cake from the pan onto the baking sheet. Put another sheet of parchment paper on top, then another baking sheet. Flip the cake carefully so it doesn't break and so top of cake is up. Remove top baking sheet and parchment paper and use the bottom sheet of parchment to lift the cake onto a wire rack to continue cooling.
9. If serving at a birthday party, trace the bottom of the cake pan onto a piece of clean cardboard to use as a "cake board" if desired, tape the extra piece of parchment paper to it with tape on the bottom of the board. When cake is cool, it can be iced, cut and served from this board if desired.
10. Ice the cake when cool with the frosting below. Add sprinkles for decoration if desired. Stored in an airtight container, the cake freezes well.
11. Put the cake in the fridge 15 minutes before serving so that it cuts cleanly.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting for 9 x 13 inch cake

This icing firms up quickly, so make it just before icing the cooled cake.

If you have to make it ahead of time and the icing hardens, put the bowl of icing in another bowl of warm water to gently soften it before mixing again.

• 1 cup softened butter
• 2 cups icing sugar
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted
• 1 Tbsp vanilla
• 2-4 Tbsp cream

1. In medium bowl, mix room temperature butter and icing sugar until smooth and fluffy.
2. Mix in melted chocolate, vanilla, and 2 tablespoons of cream.
3. Beat at medium speed until smooth, light and spreadable. If needed, add up to 2 more Tbsp cream.

Crunchy Top Banana Cake

Grease a 9 x 13 inch pan.

Cake:

• 2 cups flour
• 1-1/2 ts. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1-1/2 cup white granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup softened butter or shortening
• 1/2 cup sour milk or buttermilk divided
• 1 cup mashed bananas
• 2 large beaten eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla

Topping:

• 1/3 cup butter or shortening, melted
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 3 Tbsp cream or milk
• 1 cup coconut
• 3/4 cups chopped nuts (optional)

1. In stand mixer bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt.
2. Add sugar, softened butter, 1/4 cup of the soured milk or buttermilk, mashed bananas.
3. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed.
4. Add eggs, vanilla and the rest of the buttermilk.
5. Beat 1 minute at medium speed.
6. Spread batter in greased 9 x 13" pan.
7. Bake in preheated 350 degree F oven 30-40 minutes.
8. Meanwhile, mix topping ingredients together.
9. Remove cake from oven.
10. Immediately spread topping on cake.
11. Move oven rack to 6" below broiler element, turn on broiler.
12. Return cake to oven and broil 2-3 minutes or until topping is bubbly.
13. Take cake out of oven and let cool in pan on rack.
14. Serve cake from the pan.
15. Serves 10-12.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 1/2 cup cooking oil
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 cups grated raw zucchini
• 2-1/2 cups flour
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 4 Tbsp cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 to 1 cup chocolate chips

1. Combine all ingredients except chocolate chips.
2. Pour into greased and floured 9 x 13 inch pan.
3. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top of batter before baking.
4. Bake in preheated 325 degree F oven for 45 minutes.
5. Grease and flour 9 x 13 inch cake pan.

Zucchini Cake

• 3 large eggs
• 2 cups white granulated sugar
• 1 cup cooking oil
• 3 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups shredded zucchini OR green tomatoes OR carrots OR pumpkin
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3 tsp cinnamon OR 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. nutmeg and 1/8 tsp cloves
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts OR raisins OR dates

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Beat the eggs.
3. Add sugar, oil and vanilla.
4. Stir in zucchini.
5. Sift together all dry ingredients then mix in.
6. Fold in nuts.
7. Bake in a greased and floured  9 x 13 inch pan at 350 degrees F for 1 hour.