This super moist chocolate sheet cake is made with layers of chocolate cake, ganache, and chocolate flakes. This recipe gives you a super soft and rich cake to satisfy all of your chocolate cravings.

This recipe was inspired by our chocolate crunch cake, loved by so many of you, and for a good reason. If you have been looking for an easy chocolate cake recipe to prepare to impress everyone, you have found it.

This chocolate cake is

Moist
Rich
Super soft, melt-in-your-mouth.

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Everything you will need to make a moist chocolate sheet cake, and why we are using it, or how. Most of the ingredients from this list you can easily find at stores or online. I recommend you use the specific chocolate and cacao powder mentioned in this recipe if possible.

Granulated sugar: it will sweeten the cake.
Cocoa powder: Use a high-quality cocoa powder; we are using Cacao Barry Rouge Ultime. Make sure the cocoa powder you use is 100 % cocoa powder without any sugar added.
All-purpose flour: gives structure to the cake.
Leavening agents: Use baking soda and baking powder to make this cake.
Salt: enhances the flavors of the dessert, making it more tasty.
Eggs: Use room-temperature eggs. I recommend you leave them on the counter for at least 1 hour before you start baking, or just leave them in a cup of warm water for 5 minutes to get to the right temperature.
Milk: Use whole milk; we will warm it up.
Fat: half sunflower oil or any other neutral oil and half melted butter.
Instant coffee: you can skip this ingredient if you don’t use coffee, but you won’t even taste the coffee flavor.
Dark chocolate: This will be used for the chocolate ganache we will prepare to decorate the cake. We are using Dark chocolate from Callebaut 811. One of our favorites for baking.
Heavy whipping cream: One with a minimum of 34% of fat content.
Chocolate flakes: we are using chocolate flakes from the brand Callebaut (Mona Lisa).

How to make the best chocolate cake

As a chocolate lover who loves baking, we have tested every possible option to have the best-tasting cake in the whole chocolate cake world. A cake that has a rich flavor, it’s not plain, is moist, and addictive. Here’s what we did in our recipe that can help you have all of that.

Cocoa powder: The cocoa powder, when mixed with hot milk, enhances the flavors and gives a richer taste to the cake. We melt the butter with the milk, and then we mix it with the cocoa powder and instant coffee to have that delicious, deep chocolate taste.

Why coffee? Adding just a tiny bit of coffee to a chocolate cake will make it superior. You won’t taste the coffee, but you will taste a better cake.

Half butter and half oil: Butter will make this sheet cake tastier, and oil will keep it moist for longer.

How to make a good chocolate ganache

With any other chocolate brand, I would recommend you use the same quantity of chocolate and heavy whipping cream. For this specific chocolate, we reduced the amount of dark chocolate a little bit to have a better consistency. We are doing 55% heavy whipping cream and 55% dark chocolate.

If you are using any other general supermarket chocolate, you can do equal parts of each to make a delicious chocolate ganache.

To prepare a ganache, have your heavy whipping cream in a large pan and warm it up until it starts just simmering. Once at that point, turn off the heat and pour in the chocolate. Let it sit for 5 minutes without touching, and then you can stir.

Cover the ganache in plastic wrap, making sure the plastic touches the chocolate to avoid any drying on the top layer. Let it cool at room temperature until you need to use it.

If you store it in the fridge, it will harden too much and will become very difficult to manage when you need to use it for decorating and assembling. We are using our delicious ganache in our recipe for Dark chocolate mousse cake and our chocolate cake recipe.

How to assemble a chocolate sheet cake

We have assembled many different cakes, like a hazelnut mousse cake, a Ferrero Rocher cheesecake cake, or even a cornflake cake. And I always get so nervous when it’s time to do it. What if it all falls apart? What if it melts and collapses? Those are questions that always come to my mind.

That’s why, when making this sheet cake, I wanted to make it very simple.

You will need: a long serrated knife and an offset spatula.

Slice the cale horizontally in half. Separate both parts of the cake.

Spread slightly under half of the chocolate ganache on top of a layer of cake, and smooth it out. Then add another layer of cake on top and the rest of the chocolate ganache. Cover the top and sides in an even layer; it doesn’t need to be perfect, as you will cover everything in chocolate flakes to finish!

Grab the right tools!

What do we need to prepare a chocolate sheet cake? This list of essential tools you need is short.

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Removable bottom square pan

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offset spatula

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Mixing bowl, needed to combine and mix ingredients. We are using only one bowl for this recipe!
Pan: to warm up the milk and butter, and to warm up the cream for the ganache.
Whisk, whisk the ingredients to blend.
Spatula, scrape the bottom of the bowl, and combine the ingredients.
Square pan, 8 x 8 inch (20 x 20 cm) square pan with a detachable bottom. If you don’t have one with a detachable bottom, you can line a normal square pan with parchment paper and then lift the cake up to remove it from the pan.
Offset spatula and serrated knife: slice and decorate the cake.

How to decorate a moist chocolate cake

Special ingredient we are using: chocolate flakes. I have been searching for this specific ingredient for years, and when I finally found it, I knew I had to use it for a special occasion.

You can use chocolate shavings or any other decorative chocolate.

I couldn’t find a specific link to buy in America, but the one we are using is from Callebaut (MoNA LISA)

Serve a chocolate cake

I believe a chocolate cake should always be served slightly warm; the dark chocolate ganache melts in your mouth with the cake, and it has the best flavor and texture.

Serve this chocolate cake with a dollop of whipped cream, fresh strawberries, or, if you are like me, a big cold glass of whole milk to enjoy the whole cake.

The cake is presented in a beautiful way and will easily impress your guests. If you are looking for easy chocolate recipes, make sure to try our fudgy chocolate brownies or our rich cheesecake.

How to store a sheet cake

I recommend you store this chocolate in the fridge. It’s good for 3-4 days. Keep it in a sealed food container. If you don’t think you can eat all of it, you can easily freeze it in portions. Read below to learn the best way of doing so.

Before eating a refrigerated cake, make sure to warm it up; if the cake is cold, it will have a denser texture and won’t be as delicious.

Don’t leave this cake on the counter; it has a chocolate ganache, and it can go bad easily at room temperature.

Freezing a chocolate cake

If you can’t eat all of the cake, want to save it for later, or you prepare it for a special occasion beforehand, this is for you.

You can freeze this cake whole and in portions. To freeze, you will need: a freezer-safe tray, parchment paper, and a freezer container or bag. Here’s how you can portion and freeze a cake.

Start by slicing the cake into 9 portions (recommended). Line a tray with parchment paper and freeze for 4 hours. After 4 hours, the cakes should become harder. This will help avoid sticking one to the other when you freeze them.

Place them in a container or freezer bag. Make sure to add the date of the day it was made and the name to easily identify.

You can keep it in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Thaw in the fridge overnight and then slightly microwave to have a tender texture.

We used the same method to freeze our Nutella brioche loaf and Nutella chocolate chip brioche! Let us know in the comments if you liked this recipe!

Q: Do you prefer vanilla or chocolate cake?