Chocolate Sheet Cake With Peanut Butter Frosting
So my oldest turned 9 last week.
It was rough.
Some of his birthdays are fun, some of them are exciting, some of them kind of come and go. And some of them kind of wring my heart a little. See, it seems like yesterday that we did this
and now were doing this
and, in the same amount of time that hes been alive, hes going to be getting ready to move away from home. And it kind of kills me a little.
So Im not going to think about that, and instead, Im going to eat my feelings in the form of the Jones Family Birthday Cake .
I got the Hersheys Best-Loved Recipes, which Im pretty sure is out of print but not impossible to find, right after my husband and I got married almost 13 years ago. And when I put it on its spine, this is where it opens up:
Its clearly gotten a lot of love. Everyone in our whole family loves this cake, and its super easy, so, by default, its kind of become the family birthday cake.
Youre going to need butter, unsweetened cocoa, sugar, flour, baking soda, salt, eggs, and buttermilk or sour cream.
Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9×13 pan and set it aside.
In a medium saucepan, combine the water, butter, and cocoa powder.
Over medium heat, stir the mixture frequently until it comes to a boil. Boil for 1 minute, then remove from heat.
In a large bowl , add the flour,
sugar,
and whisk together to combine.
Add the eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk
and beat until blended. Add the cocoa mixture and beat until just combined. Pour into the prepared pan.
Make The Creamy Peanut Butter Frosting
Best Cake Making Technique Tips
- For even cake layers, I like to actually weigh out the layers with a digital kitchen scale to make sure theyre even. The easiest way to do this is to set a prepared cake pan on a digital scale and tare it to 0. Pour batter into the pan until the scale registers the weight listed in the recipe . Repeat with the second and third cake pans.
- Use a large, fine-mesh sieve to sift ingredients for the frosting. Its the fastest and easiest way to sift ingredients! All you need to do is place the fine-mesh sieve over a bowl. Then, dump the ingredients that need to be sifted into the sieve. Use a whisk to stir the ingredients until they pass through the bottom of the sieve and into the bowl below.
You May Like: Gluten Free Bundt Cake Nothing Bundt Cakes
How Do You Make A Homemade Chocolate Cake
Here are some hints:
- Mix the dry ingredients first, then set aside.
- Mix the wet ingredients together. We like to use a stand or hand mixer to make sure everything gets combined well.
- Use buttermilk. We recommend buying buttermilk from the store, but if you cant get to the store, make your own buttermilk by adding 1 teaspoon of white vinegar to a cup of milk. Allow it to sit for 5 minutes, then use the homemade buttermilk in the recipe.
- Mix the dry into the wet.
- Add the coffee.
**Pro Tip: Do I have to add coffee? If you are 100% against coffee, you can use hot water instead. But coffee makes chocolate cake have a more intense flavor so we highly recommend using coffee.**
My Version Of The Hersheys Perfectly Chocolate Cake Recipe Instructs You To Freeze The Cakes Overnight

Although I was impressed with the original Hersheys Perfectly Chocolate Cake recipe, I agreed with the criticism that the cake is hard to frost. Why? The cakes crumb is REALLY soft and moist. It can be hard to frost the cake without indenting it and/or loosening crumbs into the frosting.
Freezing the cakes overnight solves this issue. A cake thats been frozen solid is much easier to frost than a room temperature one. Crumbs are less likely to shake loose, and the cake will hold its shape under a generous amount of frosting.
In general, I always recommend making the cakes for a layer cake ahead of when youre planning on assembling and frosting everything. Doing so gives you more control over your schedule. Why? Typically, cakes need to be cooled completely before frosting. However, cooling a cake completely can take HOURS. It turns a simple layer cake recipe into a full day of waiting and working in the kitchen.
But if you freeze the cakes overnight , you can pick up the project any time that works best for you. Pro-tip: if youre into this kind of recipe time management, I highly encourage you to check out my cookbook, Weeknight Baking. All cake recipes are broken down in this way!
Read Also: Nothing Bundt Cakes Seasonal Flavors List
Can You Freeze Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake
You can make this cake completely and freeze it for about an hour, then take it out of the freezer and wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and tinfoil and place it back in the freezer. This method prevents the peanut butter buttercream from getting dented, so it will still look freshly-made when you pull it out. This will keep for 6-8 months frozen.
Can I Sub A Different Kind Of Flour I Have An Allergy/dont Have Almond Flour On Hand
No. Unfortunately, if you have a tree nut allergy, you will have to skip this one. The almond flour is necessary to achieve the perfect texture of this cake!
So, if you dont have almond flour in the pantry, but arent allergic, it is definitely worth the wait. Put it on the shopping list and get some ASAP!
Also Check: Turtle Ice Cream Cake Baskin Robbins
Tips For Making An Awesome Cake
This is an easy cake to whip up, but there are a few things youll want to keep in mind when purchasing ingredients and while mixing up your cake. Below are a few of our best tips and tricks to get you the best possible results every step of the way!
1. CREAMY PEANUT BUTTER ONLY
This is not the time for healthy peanut butter substitutes. Just use good, ol fashioned creamy peanut butter for the best results when making the frosting.
2. DONT MIX UP THE LEAVENERS
Baking soda and baking powder not the same. While these two ingredients have many similarities, they are not the same and should not be mixed up. Take care to use the correct amounts of each when adding these leaveners to the dry ingredient mix!
3. THE BEST WAY TO MEASURE
The best way to measure both flour and powdered sugar is to spoon each out of its bag into a measuring cup, rather than dipping the cup directly into the bag. This keeps you from accidentally compacting the ingredient and throwing off your measurements. Also, be sure to use the back of a knife to level off the measuring cup.
4. ROOM TEMPERATURE MATTERS
More times than not, room temperature ingredients provide you with the best results when it comes to baking. This applies to butter, eggs, milk, etc To be perfectly honest, Ive skated by on cold eggs plenty of times. But the one time you absolutely cannot get by with cold ingredients is in the case of buttercream frosting.
5. DONT OVERMIX
6. HOW TO KNOW WHEN THE CAKE IS DONE
Faq: Hersheys Perfectly Chocolate Cake Recipe Techniques
Why do I need to add boiling water to the cake batter?
Great question! Ive been doing a lot of research to answer this question for some time now. I believe its a trick gleaned from old-fashioned chocolate cake recipes. According to my research, the hot water helps get rid of any stubborn lumps in the cocoa powder. Most old-fashioned chocolate cake recipes instruct you to make the batter by hand with a whisk. And if youre a seasoned baker, you know how hard it can be to whisk lumps out of batter.
Furthermore, the hot water blooms the cocoa powder, deepening the cocoa powders chocolate flavor. Its similar to how coffee and tea become more flavorful when steeped in hot water.
And finally, all that extra water makes the cake super moist.
Why do you recommend freezing the cakes overnight?
Why do I recommend freezing the cakes overnight? Well, I already mentioned how doing so gives me more control of my time. Typically, you need to wait for cakes to cool completely before frosting them. Otherwise, the frosting will melt! And it can take a while to bring cakes down to room temperature. So making the cakes a day ahead means I dont have to sit around for hours waiting. Instead, I can just frost and assemble the cakes any time I want on the next day!
Okay, but I dont have room in my freezer. Can I refrigerate the cakes instead?
Do I really need a crumb coat for the Hersheys Perfectly Chocolate Cake?
You May Like: Nothing Bundt Cakes German Chocolate
How To Assemble A Layer Cake
These are my top three tips, but if you need a more in depth explanation or some more helpful photos, Ive got a great tutorial for how to make a layer cake.
- Be sure to level and torte each cake layer. Starting with a flat surface is key for stability.
- Use a piping tip to add the frosting between the layers. This again ensure a flat, even layer of frosting.
- Fill in the gaps and add the crumb coat. A crumb coat is a thin layer of frosting added prior to the final layer. The intention of the crumb coat is to pick up any loose crumbs so they dont get mixed into the final layer of frosting. Use your piping bag to fill in those gaps and continue to spread it around to create the crumb coat.
Once your cake is assembled and frosted, its time to decorate. I chose a simple chocolate ganache on the top to balance out the peanut butter frosting. Save a little frosting for the top to decorate with and then added some peanut butter cups as a garnish.
Ingredients To Make The Hersheys Perfectly Chocolate Cake Recipe More Chocolaty
So to make the Hersheys Perfectly Chocolate Cake recipe even MORE chocolaty, make the following changes to the cake recipe:
- add 1 ½ teaspoons espresso powder OR instant coffee crystals
- replace the 1 cup boiling water with 1 cup boiling coffee
Whats espresso powder and where can I find it?
Espresso powder is made from espresso grounds that have been roasted, ground, and brewed. The water is then removed from the espresso either by flash-heat drying or freeze-drying, leaving behind dehydrated crystals.
Historically, espresso powder was primarily used in baking as an ingredient. As a result, it was only available for purchase or in specialty stores like King Arthur Baking Company. However, these days, folks use espresso powder to make drinks! You can now buy espresso powder in most major grocery stores and Target. In the US, the most readily available instant espresso brand is Medaglia DOro.
Whats instant coffee? Is it different from ground coffee? And if so, can I use ground coffee instead?
Instant coffee is different from ground coffee. Ground coffee is made by grinding coffee beans into a coarse or fine powder. You can easily make ground coffee at home with a coffee grinder.
In a pinch, you can use ground coffee instead of instant coffee in this recipe. However, ground coffee doesnt dissolve as well as instant coffee during the baking process. You may end up with small flecks of ground coffee in your chocolate cake!
Don’t Miss: Turtle Ice Cream Cake Baskin Robbins
Can Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake Be Frozen
I dont usually freeze a finished, frosted cake. Instead Id recommend freezing the cake layers after theyve completely cooled. Double wrap in plastic wrap, lining the top and bottom with parchment paper. Thaw the layers prior to frosting. The frosting can be made up to 2 days in advance, but I recommend rewhipping prior to using.
Follow Beyond Frosting
- Cook Time:22 minutes
- Total Time:52 minutes
Chocolate Peanut Butter Frosting

This rich and creamy chocolate peanut butter frosting tastes like a peanut butter cup in frosting form. Its made from a few simple ingredients and youll find any excuse to whip up a batch. Pair with chocolate cake for the ultimate treat!
Adding to my growing list of frosting recipes!
Just when you thought chocolate buttercream couldnt get any better! This chocolate peanut butter frosting is a combination of my favorite chocolate buttercream and peanut butter frosting. Its completely over the top, decadent, and creamy the perfect cake and cupcake garnish when youre craving chocolate and peanut butter in one.
Don’t Miss: Strawberry Pound Cake Lotion
Hersheys Collectors Cocoa Cake Recipe
Hersheys Collectors Cocoa Cake
- 35 minutes to make
- Serves 8
this is a chocolate cake from the Hersheys Collectors collection of recipes… the recipe for the frosting are here with the recipe… the recipe and photo are courtesy of the Hersheys kitchen Recipes
- chocolate
-
- Feel free to use any of the below tags. Click one to add it.
- chocolate
- Add items to your shopping list
How to make it
People Who Like This Dish 10
How To Make Chocolate Cake
- Youre going to first put flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a bowl.
- In a stand mixer, mix the buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla. Then pour the dry ingredients in the mixer slowly with the wet ingredients. Add in the coffee last and mix well. Trust me on the coffeeit enhances the chocolate flavor.
- Pour the batter into two greased and floured pans. The batter will be thin, but thats fine!
- Bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Loosen the edges of the cake with a knife, then turn the cakes out on parchment paper or a wire rack to cool completely before you frost them.
Read Also: Wedding Cake Steps For A Pool