Ingredients

• Chocolate Sheet Cake
  • 6 eggs (separated)
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar 
  • Pinch of salt
• Filling
  • 1 ½ cups heavy cream
  • ⅓ cup powdered sugar 
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract (or to taste)
  • Pinch of salt
• Frosting
  • ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) softened butter
  • 2 ¼ cups powdered sugar (plus extra for decoration)
  • ½ cup cocoa powder
  • 1 ¾ tsp pure vanilla extract (or to taste)
  • 2 ½ tbsp heavy cream
  • Pinch of salt

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350°F and line a 15”x10” sheet cake pan with parchment paper and grease it with cooking spray
• In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, and salt
• In a large bowl, beat egg yolks until thick. Then, slowly add ½ cup granulated sugar, mixing continuously until pale
• Beat in the dry, flour mixture, mixing continuously 
• In a different large bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Incrementally add the remaining ¼ cup of sugar, beating continuously until stiff peaks form 
• One half at a time, gently fold the egg whites into the batter
• Pour batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until the cake springs back when lightly pressed with your finger
• Dust a clean kitchen towel with powdered sugar, turn out the warm cake onto it and peel off parchment paper 
• Using the towel, roll the cake tightly into a log starting from the short side. Let cool completely.
• Filling: In a large bowl, mix together heavy cream, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt until medium peaks form. Refrigerate until you’re ready to use. 
• Once the cake is cool, unroll it and spread the filling evenly across the entire cake. 
• Roll the cake back into a tight log. You can use the towel to roll or, as long as you’re gentle and keep it tight, you can do it by hand
• Place cake seam side down on platter and refrigerate for at least an hour 
• Frosting: In a large bowl, beat the butter until smooth. Then add cocoa powder and powdered sugar, mix until no lumps remain. Beat in vanilla extract, heavy cream, and salt.
• To Serve: Trim the ends of the cake and frost. Sprinkle powdered sugar on top for decoration. Other fun decorations include rosemary sprigs, cranberries, or chocolate curls, but that’s up to you!

Baker’s Notes

Be warned, this is a delicious but decadent cake so if you don’t have a sweet tooth this might not be the cake for you. Otherwise, this is a surprisingly simple and forgiving cake to bake and a great end to any Christmas meal. Enjoy!