A CHOCOLATE LOVER'S DREAM CAKE: Shelter in Place Chocolate Cake Recipe #2

So I'm Sheltered in Place and posting easy Chocolate Cake recipes. Here's a Retro Ad & Recipe for A Chocolate Lover's Dream Sheet Cake. Chocolate: perfect for these uncertain times.

CHOCOLATE SHEET CAKE: Retro Ad & Recipe

I'm very partial to Chocolate Sheet Cakes because they're so easy to make and feed a large group. When I was younger and thinner, I worked at a school where Chocolate Sheet Cake was made fresh every day using real butter and high quality ingredients. That was my lunch, along with a small carton of milk. I was saving my pennies, and I didn't put on weight. Those were the days! The recipe below is very similar to the one the cook used at the school. I love this Retro Recipe and Ad from Eagle Brand. Definitely use butter, not margarine. FYI: A sheet cake is a cake baked in a large, flat rectangular pan such as a jellyroll pan or sheet pan. A sheet cake is a single layer cake that is usually frosted.

"A Chocolate Lover's Dream Cake-Only 15 Minutes to Bake!"

CHOCOLATE SHEET CAKE

Ingredients 
1-1/4 cups margarine or 1-1/4 cups butter
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 cup water 2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (14-ounce) can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk (Not evaporated milk)
2 eggs
1 cup coarsely chopped nuts
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup confectioners’ sugar

Directions 
Preheat oven to 350 F. In a small saucepan, melt 1 cup  butter or margarine; stir in 1/4 cup cocoa, then add water. Bring to a boil; remove from heat. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Add cocoa mixture; beat well. Stir in 1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk, eggs and vanilla. Pour into greased 15×10 inch jellyroll pan. Bake 15 minutes, or until cake springs back when lightly touched. In a small saucepan, melt remaining 1/4 cup butter or margarine; add remaining 1/4 cup cocoa and remaining Eagle Brand. Stir in confectioners’ sugar and nuts.
Spread on warm cake.

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Sheet Cake: Guest Post by Judy Clemens

My mystery and chocolate worlds collide again. Today I welcome back Judy Clemens aka JC Lane. J.C. Lane is the author of the thriller Tag, You’re Dead. Judy also writes mysteries as Judy Clemens, including the Stella Crown series and the Grim Reaper mysteries. 

JUDY CLEMENS:
CHOCOLATE-PEANUT BUTTER SHEET CAKE

Chocolate and peanut butter are a popular combination in my family, whether it’s chocolate ice cream with peanut butter cup pieces, chocolate cookies with peanut butter in the middle, or a chocolate peanut butter banana milkshake we’ve been making since the kids were little. I cut this recipe out of a magazine years ago and re-discovered it while doing some kitchen renovations this year. The cake tastes as amazing as it looks – moist and dense – and the frosting is heavenly. The chopped-up crunchiness of the peanuts tops it all off.

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Sheet Cake

Ingredients

Cake
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup water
1/2 cup butter, cubed
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup baking cocoa
3 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tsp vanilla

Frosting
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tesp vanilla
1/2 cup chopped peanuts

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13 x 9 baking pan.
In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
In a small bowl, combine water, butter, peanut butter, and cocoa; bring just to a boil, stirring occasionally. (I heated mine in the microwave. You could heat it on the stove if you prefer.) Add to flour mixture, stirring just until moistened.
In a small bowl, whisk eggs, sour cream, and vanilla until blended; add to flour mixture, whisking until smooth. Transfer to prepared pan.
Bake 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Prepare frosting while cake is baking.
In a large bowl, beat the confectioners’ sugar, peanut butter, milk, and vanilla until smooth. Add more milk, if necessary, to get it to spreading consistency.

Remove cake from oven; place on a wire rack. Immediately spread with frosting and sprinkle with peanuts. Enjoy!