Old School Chocolate Traybake Cake 🍫🎂
A nostalgic delight, this chocolate traybake is wonderfully moist, rich, and finished with a luscious chocolate icing. Just like the ones from school dinners — only better with a proper brew!
Ingredients:
🥚 Large eggs: 3
🍬 Caster sugar: 200g
🧈 Unsalted butter: 200g, softened
🥛 Whole milk: 100ml
🌾 Self-raising flour: 175g
🍫 Cocoa powder: 50g
🧂 Baking powder: 1 tsp
🧁 Vanilla extract: 1 tsp
🧈 Extra butter: for greasing
For the icing:
🍫 Dark chocolate: 150g, chopped
🧈 Unsalted butter: 50g
🥛 Whole milk: 2 tbsp
🍬 Icing sugar: 100g, sifted
🍫 Chocolate curls or sprinkles: for decoration
Method:
🔥 Heat oven to 170°C (fan) and grease and line a 20x30cm traybake tin.
🧁 Cream the butter and caster sugar together until pale and fluffy.
🥚 Beat in the eggs one at a time, adding a little flour with each to stop it splitting.
🌾 Sift in the remaining flour, cocoa, and baking powder.
🥛 Stir in the milk and vanilla until the batter is smooth.
📦 Pour into the prepared tin and level the surface.
🔥 Bake for 25–30 minutes until well risen and a skewer comes out clean. Cool completely in the tin.
For the icing:
🍫 Melt the chocolate, butter, and milk together over a bain-marie or gently in the microwave.
🧁 Mix in the sifted icing sugar until smooth and spreadable.
🧁 Spread the icing over the cooled cake and top with sprinkles or curls. Let it set before slicing.
Serving Information:
⏱ Prep Time: 20 minutes
🔥 Baking Time: 30 minutes
🕰 Total Time: 50 minutes
🍴 Servings: 12–16 squares
⚡ Calories: ~320 per square
Tips:
🧊 Keeps well in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
🍒 Add a swirl of cherry jam to the sponge for a hint of Black Forest.
🥜 Top with chopped hazelnuts for a nutty crunch.
☕ Best enjoyed with a cuppa or a cold glass of milk.
A traybake full of chocolatey cheer — just like the good old days!