Chocolate traybake with chocolate frosting
Makes 24 squares · 1 hour 30 minutes · Baking tin and palette knife
A moist chocolate sponge baked in the 35x20.7 cm baking tin and covered in glossy chocolate frosting. The long palette knife smooths the top in a few strokes.
A chocolate traybake is a simple, moist cocoa sponge baked for 20–25 minutes at 175 °C. Let it cool completely, spread over a frosting of butter, icing sugar and cocoa with a long palette knife and cut it into squares.
Ingredients
Makes 24 squares
Sponge
- 150 g butter
- 150 ml milk
- 3 eggs
- 210 g caster sugar
- 210 g plain flour
- 20 g cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- A pinch of salt
Chocolate frosting
- 75 g soft butter
- 180 g icing sugar
- 3 tbsp cocoa powder
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2–3 tbsp strong coffee or milk
- 20 g desiccated coconut (optional)
Method
- Heat the oven to 175 °C. Line the 35x20.7 cm baking tin with baking paper, leaving it overhanging the long sides so you can lift the cake out.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan, take it off the heat and add the milk. Whisk the eggs and sugar in a bowl until pale and thick, about 3 minutes.
- Mix the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt and sift into the egg mixture. Fold in the butter mixture and vanilla to a smooth batter.
- Spread the batter in the tin and bake in the middle of the oven for 20–25 minutes, until a skewer comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
- Leave the sponge to cool completely in the tin, about 45 minutes. The frosting will melt if the cake is still warm.
- Beat the butter, icing sugar, cocoa and vanilla until smooth, then loosen with coffee or milk until spreadable. Spoon it onto the middle of the cake and spread it out with the palette knife in long, even strokes. Dip the knife in hot water and wipe it for a glossy finish.
- Scatter over the coconut, if using. Lift the cake out with the paper and cut into 24 squares.
Why it works
The black enamel tin heats evenly, so the sponge bakes flat right into the corners. The long, flexible blade of the palette knife spans the width of the cake, letting you smooth the frosting without dragging up crumbs.
FAQ
How do I know when a chocolate traybake is done?
Push a skewer into the centre: it should come out with a few moist crumbs but no raw batter. The edges will also start to come away from the paper.
Can you freeze a frosted chocolate traybake?
Yes. Freeze the squares in a container with baking paper between the layers. Defrost in the fridge, or at room temperature for about an hour.
Can I bake it in a bigger tin?
Yes, but double the recipe for a standard 30x40 cm traybake tin and allow roughly the same baking time. Check with a skewer.
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