Chocolate Traybake

This rich Chocolate Traybake is simple to make and an absolute winner on flavour. It’s light and fluffy texture and deeply chocolatey buttercream are an irresistible combination.

The perfect chocolate traybake

Not all cakes have to be a complicated affair to be delicious. This Chocolate Traybake is a great recipe for unexperienced bakers, or people that just don’t have hours to spend in the kitchen.

As well as the actual cake being easy to make, it is super simple to decorate too. There is no need to pipe the buttercream as it looks perfect however you decide to decorate it.

What makes this cake so great is that if you do have the time and skills you can go all out and decorate it as elaborately as you like. This really is a very versatile cake.

Should I use margarine or butter?

When I am baking cakes that require the fat and sugar to be creamed, I tend to use margarine. 

This is because you can use it straight from the fridge and don’t have to wait for it to come up to room temperature like you do with butter.

I have been using margarine in my cakes for years now and I have never had any complaints about their texture or flavour. You can absolutely use butter if you prefer but make sure it is unsalted butter. 

When it comes to buttercream, you have to use unsalted butter. Margarine would not work in this instance. 

Does this cake taste like coffee?

No, definitely not! I don’t like coffee but I always add it to my chocolate bakes.

Coffee acts as a flavour enhancer to chocolate and makes it taste even more rich and delicious. I particularly like to add it to bakes when it is mixed with boiling water so it dissolves and distributes evenly throughout the cake.

The salt in the recipe also enhances the chocolate flavour. But don’t worry you won’t taste this either!

Which cocoa powder is best to use?

Depending on where you live, there are different types of cocoa powder you can buy. The distinction is more obvious in the US where they have Dutch processed and natural cocoa powder.

When making Dutch processed cocoa powder, the cocoa beans are washed in an alkaline solution which reduces the acidity. This means that it doesn’t react when mixed with bicarbonate of soda (baking soda).

Natural cocoa powder as the name suggests, is natural. It is acidic and bitter with a more concentrated chocolate flavour. Natural cocoa powder is often used in recipes with bicarbonate of soda as it reacts and helps bakes to rise.

For this Chocolate Traybake I would use Dutch processed cocoa powder. Read more about Dutch processed vs Natural Cocoa Powder over at Sally’s Baking Addiction.

Here in the UK all of our cocoa powder is Dutch processed unless otherwise specifically stated. Natural cocoa powder only tends to be found in speciality and health food stores. So chances are, if you are buying cocoa powder it is Dutch processed.

Just make sure you don’t buy drinking chocolate and use cocoa powder found in the baking aisle.

what size tin to use

I use a 10×8″ (approx 25x20cm) traybake tin for this cake. This is a fairly standard traybake size tin to use. However this cake is quite forgiving and if your tin is slightly different you should be absolutely fine.

I’m not saying use a completely different sized tin, but if it it slightly smaller or bigger you will just need to adjust the baking time either way.

how to decorate this chocolate traybake

As I’ve already mentioned, it is up to you whether you keep this traybake simple or go all-out with the decorations.

More often than not, I just use a pallet knife to spread the buttercream over the cake. I leave it looking quite rustic as I think it looks charming and is also a look everyone can achieve.

You can keep it as it is or add some sprinkles for a bit of fun.

Alternatively you can get your piping bag out and create all sorts of patterns and writing over the cake. It is the perfect blank canvas to pipe lettering or create scenes – if you feel up to it.

how many people does this chocolate traybake serve?

I always find this a difficult question because everyone’s appetite for cake is different – just ask my father in law!

This traybake can serve 20 people but can easily be cut into smaller or larger pieces depending on how many people you are feeding.

20 pieces gives you a good sized portion in my opinion, but I know a lot of people would prefer it if you cut it into 12 larger pieces.

how long will this traybake keep for?

This cake will keep in an airtight container for 3-4 days. After this it might start to loose some of it’s light fluffiness.

If you want the cake to keep for longer, or you want to make it ahead of time I would recommend freezing it.

can you freeze this cake?

If you want to make the cake in advance to save time at a later date, you can freeze the cake.

Make sure it is completely cooled before wrapping it tightly in clingfilm (saran wrap). You want to make sure it has a couple of layers covering it to keep it fully protected.

Although you can freeze the cake with the buttercream (not the sprinkles), I prefer to freeze them separately. You can then defrost them and assemble as you usually would.

I wouldn’t recommend freezing the cake for longer than three months so it stays light and fluffy. When you are ready to eat the cake, let it defrost at room temperature for a few hours. You can then go ahead and decorate.

variations to this traybake

This is a fantastic cake to make small tweaks to so you can create unlimited options for all occasions.

You could add some orange zest to the cake and buttercream for a subtle chocolate orange flavoured cake.

Another easy way to switch up the cake would be to frost it with vanilla buttercream instead of the chocolate. You could also use chocolate cream cheese frosting, nutella buttercream or whipped cream. You could then add some sliced fruit like strawberries for a fresher flavour.

Other recipes you might like

• American Style Chocolate Fudge Cake
• Small Chocolate Layer Cake
• Small Batch Chocolate Cupcakes
• Chocolate Brownies with Cocoa
• Double Chocolate Muffins

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