Cake
A Chocolate Snacking Cake for Any & Every Occasion
Baker Jessie Sheehan on the versatility and unbridled joy of snacking cakes.
A snacking cake is, for the unfamiliar, a one-layer cake, typically baked in an 8-inch round or square cake pan (I’m partial to square). It's the sheet cake’s little sister. But where a sheet cake can be a big production, often baked for a special occasion (be it a birthday party, a potluck, or the school bake sale), a snacking cake is for any day and everyday.
I have been loving on snacking cakes for as far back as I can remember (not just since Melissa Clark memorialized them in The New York Times earlier this year). In fact—and yes, I am dating myself here—my earliest snacking cake memory is Betty Crocker’s now defunct Stir 'n' Frost boxed cake mix (RIP), the one that came with its own 5x7-inch disposable pan and squeeze packet of frosting. My favorite was the chocolate cake with vanilla frosting—what all of my snacking cake dreams are made of, and the inspiration for this one:
The snacking cake’s attributes are many, beginning with its name: Who doesn’t want to eat a cake with the word “snack” in its title? But it's also the ultimate user-friendly baked good: Snacking cakes are easy to make, even for the novice baker, as they call for only one pan, a handful of ingredients, and are often not even frosted.
Moreover, the fact that you can decide you want a slice of cake, and within an hour or two find that you’re eating one, is nothing short of remarkable. This is particularly true if your snacking cake is oil-based (my favorite kind—sorry, haters), as assembling it does not require bringing butter to room temperature or pulling out the stand mixer.
Such cakes are as good on Saturday nights when you're feeling all festive as they are on Wednesday nights when you're binge-watching Dead to Me solo. They're consumed as quickly as they are assembled—except when they're not! (Then, they're the perfect breakfast with a cup of coffee.)
Finally, though frosting can elevate a simple snacking cake—as the billowy, tangy cream cheese icing does for the chocolate-carrot number featured here—no cake travels as well as a naked snacking cake. A mere unfrosted slice, usually square-shaped and tall with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar, wrapped in wax paper and brought to the office, transforms even the saddest desk lunch into something special.
Cake for lunch? I mean, come on.
Why You Should Add Carrots to Your Snacking Cake
If there ever were a good snacking cake for breaking up the workday, chocolate-carrot with cream cheese frosting might top the list, and for a variety of reasons:
Adding finely grated carrots to chocolate cake makes for the moistest of cakes, with the softest of crumbs. (The texture is best if the carrots are grated with a Microplane, as they easily incorporate into the batter when processed so fine and practically disappear once baked.) The carrots impart no true flavor of their own, but combined with the Dutch-process cocoa powder (for its deep color and taste, I’m fond of the brand Valrhona) and a smidge of espresso, make for a deliciously dense and fudgy cake, one that tastes intensely of chocolate.
I use cream cheese here as a tribute to a carrot cake’s traditional frosting, and because I love it combined with chocolate. Its tanginess cuts the sweetness of the cake nicely. And although I am a big fan of sweet, I know many who feel differently—and anyway, the beauty of the snacking cake lies in its versatility, both in flavor and in occasion. To each snacking cake their own.
| 1 | cup granulated sugar |
| 3/4 | cup light brown sugar |
| 3/4 | cup neutral oil, preferably a mild olive oil, not extra-virgin |
| 1 1/2 | teaspoons pure vanilla extract |
| 2 | large eggs, plus 1 egg yolk, room temperature |
| 1/4 | cup buttermilk, room temperature |
| 1 1/2 | teaspoons espresso powder |
| 2 | tablespoons boiling water |
| 1 | cup all-purpose flour |
| 1/2 | cup Dutch process cocoa powder |
| 1 1/2 | teaspoons baking powder |
| rounded 1/4 | teaspoons baking soda |
| 3/4 | teaspoon table salt |
| 2 1/2 | cups finely grated carrots (about 3 1/2 regular-sized carrots), lightly packed |
| 1 | cup granulated sugar |
| 3/4 | cup light brown sugar |
| 3/4 | cup neutral oil, preferably a mild olive oil, not extra-virgin |
| 1 1/2 | teaspoons pure vanilla extract |
| 2 | large eggs, plus 1 egg yolk, room temperature |
| 1/4 | cup buttermilk, room temperature |
| 1 1/2 | teaspoons espresso powder |
| 2 | tablespoons boiling water |
| 1 | cup all-purpose flour |
| 1/2 | cup Dutch process cocoa powder |
| 1 1/2 | teaspoons baking powder |
| rounded 1/4 | teaspoons baking soda |
| 3/4 | teaspoon table salt |
| 2 1/2 | cups finely grated carrots (about 3 1/2 regular-sized carrots), lightly packed |
| 1 | stick unsalted butter, room temperature |
| 1 | (8-ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature |
| 1 | tablespoon pure vanilla extract |
| 1/4 | teaspoon table salt |
| 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 | cups confectioners' sugar, sifted if lumpy |
| 1 | stick unsalted butter, room temperature |
| 1 | (8-ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature |
| 1 | tablespoon pure vanilla extract |
| 1/4 | teaspoon table salt |
| 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 | cups confectioners' sugar, sifted if lumpy |
Written by: Jessie Sheehan
Popular on Food52
23 Comments
even mix it in the baking dish.
Join The Conversation