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–+ servings

Hostess-Style Chocolate Sheet Cake

A homemade Hostess-inspired sandwich sheet cake with two rich coffee-enhanced chocolate cake layers based on Ina Garten's Beatty's Chocolate Cake, fluffy marshmallow filling, pourable brownie frosting, and the iconic white icing loops.
Print Recipe
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Status To Try
Servings 15 slices

Equipment

  • Two 9x13-inch baking pans
  • Mixing bowls
  • electric mixer
  • piping bag or zip-top bag

Ingredients
  

Chocolate Cake — Beatty's Chocolate Cake (2 batches)

  • 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 4 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups good cocoa powder
  • 4 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp kosher salt
  • 2 cups buttermilk shaken
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 4 extra-large eggs room temperature
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 2 cups freshly brewed hot coffee

Marshmallow Filling

  • 14 oz marshmallow fluff
  • 1 cup salted butter room temperature
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2-4 tbsp whole milk or heavy cream room temperature; add as needed for spreading consistency
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Chocolate Brownie Frosting

  • 8 tbsp unsalted butter 1 stick
  • 8 tbsp cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 tbsp milk plus more as needed
  • 2 cups powdered sugar

White Loop Icing

  • powdered sugar as needed
  • water as needed to make a thick, pipeable icing

Instructions
 

Bake the Chocolate Cake

  • Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease two 9x13-inch baking pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper; grease and flour the parchment.
  • Combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and kosher salt. Mix on low speed until evenly combined.
  • In a separate bowl, combine the buttermilk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla.
  • With the mixer on low, gradually add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients. Add the hot coffee and mix only until combined, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed. The batter will be thin.
  • Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared 9x13-inch pans. Bake until the cakes spring back lightly and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Begin checking around 30 minutes; the original round-cake recipe bakes 35 to 40 minutes.
  • Cool the cakes in their pans for about 30 minutes, then turn out onto racks and cool completely.
  • If the cake layers are too thick to stack comfortably, trim or level the tops before assembling.

Make the Marshmallow Filling

  • Beat the room-temperature butter and marshmallow fluff together until smooth, about 1 minute.
  • Add the vanilla, powdered sugar, salt, and 2 tablespoons milk or heavy cream. Beat until smooth and fluffy. Add additional milk or cream as needed until thick but easily spreadable.

Assemble

  • Place one completely cooled chocolate cake layer on a serving tray or suitable pan.
  • Spread the marshmallow filling evenly over the bottom layer.
  • Carefully place the second chocolate cake layer on top. Chill briefly if needed to firm the layers before frosting.

Make the Chocolate Brownie Frosting

  • Melt the butter, then stir in the cocoa powder until completely smooth.
  • Add the vanilla and 3 tablespoons milk and mix until smooth.
  • Mix in the powdered sugar. Add a little additional milk, if needed, until the frosting is smooth and pourable but thick enough to coat the cake.
  • Pour the frosting over the top of the assembled cake and spread evenly.

Add the Hostess Loops

  • Mix powdered sugar with a very small amount of water until you have a thick, pipeable white icing.
  • Transfer the icing to a piping bag or small zip-top bag with the corner snipped off and pipe the classic looping Hostess-style lines across the top.
  • Allow the frosting to set before slicing. For cleaner slices, chill the assembled cake before cutting.

Notes

The chocolate cake portion is adapted from Ina Garten's Beatty's Chocolate Cake, doubled to provide batter for two 9x13-inch layers. The original recipe is written for two 8-inch round pans, so the 9x13-inch baking time is an adaptation; begin checking around 30 minutes and bake until a tester comes out clean. The marshmallow filling is adapted from My Messy Kitchen's Hostess Sheet Cake. This version intentionally uses the preferred brownie frosting instead of the original chocolate buttercream/fudge-style topping. If the cake layers seem too thick for a sandwich-style sheet cake, level or trim the tops before assembling.
Keyword 9x13 cake, cake, sweetnesses-cakes-muffins
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