Old School Chocolate Tray Bake - Quick and Easy Recipes

Updated at: Tue, 27 Feb 2024 15:41:37 GMT

Step 1

Grease the baking dish with a little baking margarine or butter.

Step 2

Put the cake – using 3 tbsp milk at this point) into the food processor or mixer and blitz until smooth. (In mine, this takes about 20 seconds.) If it needs 1 more tablespoon of milk, add that then mix again briefly.

Step 3

If you’re not sure about thickness of the cake mix, try my mother and grandmother’s ‘dropping consistency’ test. Spoon up some mix and drop it off again; it should fall slowly but steadily. If it seems too runny, add 1 tbsp flour at a time and mix quickly before trying again. If it’s too thick, add 1 tbsp milk and do the same until it seems just right. (A lot of this comes with baking experience!)

Step 4

Transfer the cake mixture to the greased baking dish and use the spatula to smooth the surface.

Step 5

Bake at 160 degrees fan (or equivalent) for around 20 – 30 minutes, until risen and springy to the touch. The time does vary according to each oven and the baking dish used. Use a metal skewer to check the centre of the cake is baked before turning the oven off. If if there is any uncooked cake mix on the skewer, give it five more minutes more before checking again.

Step 6

Leave the cake to cool to room temperature in the dish. As I made mine in a ceramic dish, I left it there for an hour before icing. If you’ve used a metal dish and want to remove it, do so once it’s cool enough to handle before transferring to a wire rack.

Step 7

Here’s how to make chocolate glacé icing. Sift the icing sugar and cocoa powder together into a bowl. Mix in 2 tbsp milk to begin with, adding more as required to create the smooth, glossy brown icing. Once you’re approaching the desired consistency, add just a teaspoon at a time until it’s perfect. (I used 3 tbsp last time I made it.)

Step 8

Pour the icing over the cooled sponge tray bake. Use the back of the spoon or a spatula to gently spread it out, creating a smooth, even layer. Add the sprinkles of your choice. Once the icing has set, it’s ready to cut into squares.

Step 9

Follow me on Pinterest!

1 liked

0 disliked

Delicious

Easy

Go-to

Kid-friendly

One-dish