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My very favorite little person has a birthday tomorrow.
And you obviously know what this means.
It’s cake time!!
Actually, it’s cake time, times like three. That is how many times I made this cake in less than seventy-two hours.
Ah huh, that is three giant sheet cakes over the course of just two days. No I am not feeding a wedding and yes, if you live in Colorado you should probably stop by for cake. Plus cold milk, muffins, croissants and homemade hot chocolate because I currently have massive amounts of all these things. Let’s just say it’s been a busy and interesting week, full of stress, excitement and lots of good stuff coming from my oven.
The muffins smell amazing, the croissants are just perfection, the hot chocolate is just so cozy, but this cake?? Oh this cake, it’s basically all kinds of wonderful. Yes, I do know how cheesy that sounds, but it’s true, it’s a cake that dreams are made of – it is, it is.
So while the muffins, croissants and hot chocolate all had other purposes, the cake had only one purpose – birthday celebrations!! Well, birthday celebrations on the blog at least.
See, my cake making is not even close to being over yet. Tomorrow, this simple chocolate birthday cake will be made because no Gerard family birthday is complete without THAT traditional cake. Then a week from tomorrow yet another cake will be made for Asher’s birthday party, which was pushed back a week because her best friend will be camping this weekend. She simply could not have a birthday party without her best friend. So basically in true Gerard fashion, little Asher’s birthday is being spread out over the week.
Princess?? Oh my gosh, totally. But I guess that is what you get being the youngest…. and the cutest little person ever. Can you tell I love this girl to death? Because I do.
Oh, and I just have to tell you what I got her. If you do not want to hear about this skip on to after the next picture, but if you want to hear all about the pretty Elsa dress I got her then read on.
So this dress, oh my gosh. It was way too much money to spend on a six-year old’s birthday present, but I could not resist. Like every little girl her age, she is mildly obsessed with the Disney movie Frozen and anything to do with Queen Elsa. Really, I cannot blame her. I love that movie and think it is the cutest movie ever, and I usually hate animated movies.
I found this dress on eBay and you guys, it is so cute. She is gonna freak. So excited to give it to her.
Ok so anyway, this Chocolate Meringue Texas Sheet Cake. I made it three times. It’s not hard or even time consuming in the least, I am just a perfectionist and it took me three tries to get it completely perfect and even then I was not one hundred percent happy. I mean, all three cakes tasted amazing. It’s not the taste I was trying to perfect, it was more the look. I wanted the cake to look just as good as it tastes.
I still do not feel like I completely achieved what I was going for, but all that really matters is the taste. You guys if you like moist and gooey chocolate cake than this is for you. It’s actually so gooey it’s intense… but in a very good way!
The base of the cake is a simple Texas Sheet Cake. This was actually my first Texas Sheet Cake, but not my last for sure. They are so easy and so good. Once you have the cake baked, you simply drizzle on the magic layer. Meaning the gooey chocolate. I call it the magic layer because I think anything containing sweetened condensed milk is magic. That stuff works wonders on anything and everything.
After the magic layer comes the chocolate meringue. This is an easy meringue because you do not have to worry about cooking it properly. This meringue stays soft and gooey and trust me, it is such a good thing. It’s even better eaten slightly warm. Oh my gosh, yes. Slightly warm with a heavy dusting of powdered sugar and a cold glass of milk. And for me, minus the raspberries you see on top there. Remember I do not mix my chocolate and my berries. Only for pictures, not for eating.
My only little note about this recipe is that you have to use a baking dish with high sides and not an actual sheet pan. A lasagna baker would work great, or something a little bigger than a 9×13 inch baking dish. I used a 10×15 inch Pyrex pan and it was the perfect fit. I do not recommend using a jelly roll pan as I tried that on trial number two. Basically my gooey magic layer went all over the oven, which clearly made me really sad. I mean, I had to clean the oven… and I lost my precious magic layer.
Bummer.
So please, use something with high sides!!
Other than that this cake is pretty simple and straight forward.
Bonus, it’s larger size makes it perfect for Labor Day too!
Magic Gooey Chocolate Meringue Texas Sheet Cake.
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 cup unsalted butter, 2 sticks
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup brewed coffee
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
Gooey Chocolate
- 2 1/4 cups sweetened condensed milk cans)
- 4 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
Meringue
- 6 egg whites
- 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons superfine sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar
- 3 teaspoons corn starch
- 1 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate, melted
- powdered sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 10x15 inch high sided baking dish. I used a 10x15 inch pyrex pan, but a lasagna baker would work too.
- To make the cake, place the butter, cocoa powder and coffee in a medium size sauce pot. Melt the butter over medium heat until the mixture is smooth and combined. Remove from the heat and add the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. Whisk until just combined, it is ok if some flour chunks remain. Whisk in the eggs, vanilla and greek yogurt until just combined and smooth. Again, it is ok if the batter is a little lumpy.
- Pour the batter into the greased baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes or until just set on top. Remove from the oven.
- While the cake is baking, make the gooey chocolate. Combine the sweetened condensed milk and chopped dark chocolate in a small sauce pan and slowly melt the chocolate into the sweetened condensed milk over low heat until melted and smooth. Keep warm.
- Once the cake is out of the oven pour the gooey chocolate over the cake, spreading it out in an even layer.
- To make the meringue. Add the egg whites to a clean mixer bowl. Using a clean whisk attachment, beat on high speed until you have soft peaks. With mixer running, slowly add sugar. Once all the sugar has been added, add the vinegar. Continue beating until stiff peaks form, about 4 minutes. Gently fold in the corn starch and cocoa powder being careful not to deflate the whites. Drizzle the melted chocolate over the meringue. Do not stir the melted chocolate completely into the meringue as you want streaks of chocolate.
- Carefully spread the meringue over the cake. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the meringue is just set on top. Remove the cake and allow to cool 1 hour. Cut and dust with powdered sugar before serving. This can be served slightly warm, at room temp or straight from the fridge. We loved it slightly warm!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
But really, who can resist that. So fudgy.
wowwwww, I think you can now reach almost Paradise Pastry with a such cake, it gives me the mouth water !!
Thanks!
Looks delish! Also, where did you get those plates from? They’re so pretty 🙂
Thanks Sarah! The plates are from williams sonoma.
So cute! Plus the cake sounds amazing… Chocolate HEAVEN
Thanks Alexandra! Have a great long weekend and Labor day!
Great photos, Tieghan! I saw this on pinterest and hopped over to take a look. The cake sounds really tasty 🙂
Thanks so much, Jen! 🙂
Have a great long weekend!
Happy Birthday Asher! You have an amazing big sister:)
Beautiful cake & dress!…enjoying each & every moment, that is what makes life special.
Thank you so much, Sarah! I am trying to do just that! 🙂
It shows! My oldest son & youngest son have that special bond even thou there is 8yrs (& 1 day)
between them. I made this cake & it is Amazing! Thanks for your inspiring, delicious recipes.
Tiegan, you are so funny, you are giving coffee cake to a little girl. I knew that girls are much calmer, but if i give sugar+coffee+chocolate cake to my 2 boys, they will take off for the moon 🙂 So i would have to eat it all by myself..making it tomorrow! 🙂
The dress is magical!! She will look so good in it! Take a picture 🙂
Haha! I never even thought about that. Oops!
Thanks Nikki!
OH MY GOSH. I have been craving something chocolate all day and I think THIS IS IT. Happy birthday to Asher!
Haha! Thanks Dorothy! I will tell her you said happy birthday! 🙂
Yay for cake and a big happy birthday to Asher! 🙂 This is just gorgeous!
Thanks Laura! Have a great long weekend! 🙂 I will tell Asher you said Happy Birthday!
Your sister is one lucky girl! I wish it was my birthday 😉 This recipe is all kinds of gorgeous, and you can just tell from all of these lovely photos that the texture of this chocolate cake is amaaaaazing. Oh, and with the raspberries- one of my favorites together! Enjoy the celebrations Tieghan!
Awe, thank you so much! Hope you are having a great long weekend!
Will a standard quarter sheet pan work? Looks like what you’re using in pic. Thanks.
Hey Anita, I would recommend using something with high sides, as in that trial I had some of the gooey mixture spill over the sides. Sorry, I know it is such pan. Do you have a large lasagna pan?
Thanks – I meant a 1/2 sheet. All my pans are larger or smaller, but it should would work in a slightly smaller pan, just not use all the batter.
Yes, that will work and maybe reduce the meringue as well. Hope you love this! 🙂
Found a sturdy 10″ X 15″ aluminum pan at the grocery store. The cake came out perfect – gorgeous AND delicious. Thanks for a great recipe. It was worth getting the pan. With the meringue, it almost came to the top of the pan when I first took it out of the oven.
SO HAPPY you loved this cake! Thanks for making it and have a great weekend!
Happy Birthday Asher…she is so stinking cute and that dress is adorable she is going to love it…now that cake…I would like some right now with raspberries please!!! and I adore those dishes…I have a problem with dishes I can’t resist them and these are gorgeous..I love the color and shape.
Thanks Lisa! I love the little girl to death! 🙂
I got the dishes at williams sonoma. I tried to find them in the site, but I can’t. maybe they are out? So sorry!
Yummm! All that chocolate!!
All the chocolate! 🙂
Thanks Laura! Hope you are having a great long weekend!
Ohhh this is the cutest post ever! You’re such a fantastic sister! I’m sure little Asher will adore that lovely dress and this gorgeous cake. It looks absolutely fantastic and I’m certain that the flavor is out of this world incredible. Also, your shots? Oh my god, I’m so jealous right now – they’re gorgeous!
Have a great weekend! xx
THANK YOU! You are always so sweet! 🙂
Hi Tieghan! You had me at Texas! And you know Texans are serious about their sheet cakes… this looks quite impressive. Love the meringue layer and I appreciate your notes regarding the pan, too. Fabulous gifs! It’s on my TO MAKE list! Thank you for the inspiration!
Thanks so much, Traci! Hope you are having a great weekend!
Happy Birthday to your little girl! This cake looks amazing – those are some seriously stunning photos. I just wish I had the right kind of pan to make it!
Haha!! She is actually my sister, but thank you!! I will tell her you said so! 🙂