Chocolate Sprinkle Cake

This Chocolate Sprinkle Cake is so easy to make and is perfect for parties or taking along to family gatherings. With a deliciously moist chocolate sponge topped with smooth chocolate buttercream and decorated with a generous amount of sprinkles!

When developing this recipe my daughter who is my main baking assistant suggested we make a chocolate version of my gluten free traybake. We settled on making a old school chocolate tray bake.

This chocolate sprinkle cake is so easy to make it is perfect for getting the kids involved and having some fun in the kitchen. Although that means they usually get to lick the remains of the buttercream in the bowl!

Ingredients

• Gluten free all purpose flour  - Most gluten free all purpose flour blends or 1.1 baking flours will work well with this recipe. See baking tips below for the flour blend I used when making this chocolate cake with sprinkles.
• Sugar - Makes the cake light, gives moisture, and adds sweetness to the cake.
• Cocoa powder - Use a good quality cocoa powder as it will make all the difference in the outcome of the flavor of the chocolate tray bake.
• Baking powder & Baking soda - AKA bicarbonate of soda. Acts as a leavening and rising agent by reacting to heat. Make the cake light and rise well. Always use gluten free baking powder, see is baking powder gluten free for more information.
• Xanthan Gum - You can omit it if your flour blend already contains xanthan gum.
• Salt - Helps balance out the flavors of the chocolate.
• Butter - I find it easy to melt butter in the microwave.
• Eggs - Room temperature
• Whole milk - I like to take the milk out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before making the cake to allow the milk to come to room temperature.
• Hot water - Don't skip this step as adding hot water will add moisture to the chocolate cake and prevent it from becoming too dry.
• Heavy cream - AKA Double cream or whipping cream.
• Vanilla extract - Enhances the flavor of the buttercream.
• Sprinkles - We can't forget the sprinkles as it wouldn't be chocolate sprinkle cake without them! I used chocolate sprinkles but you can use your preferred colored sprinkles. Some Sprinkles may contain gluten so always read the labels to ensure that the sprinkles are gluten free.

See the recipe card for quantities.

Variations

• Rainbow sprinkle cake - To make a fun and bright cake, Use rainbow sprinkles to decorate.
• Layer cake - To make a round layer cake, Divide the cake batter into two 8 inch cake tins. The cake will take approximately 20-25 minutes to bake in the oven or you can make my chocolate crunch cake and replace the crunch decorations with sprinkles.
• Whipped chocolate ganache frosting - If you prefer ganache frosting on your chocolate traybake then you can easily replace the buttercream by using the chocolate ganache in my gluten free chocolate cupcakes recipe.

Instructions

1.In a large bowl mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder, xanthan gum, and salt.

2. In a separate bowl combine the eggs, milk, melted butter, and hot water. Mix well. Add the wet ingredients into the larger bowl that contains the dry ingredient mix and whisk until fully combined

3. Pour the chocolate cake batter into the prepared baking tin and spread evenly within the tin. Place in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes. 

4. Spread the buttercream using a palette knife or spatula evenly on top of the chocolate tray bake. Decorate with the sprinkles and slice the chocolate sprinkle cake into squares.

See the recipe card for more detailed instructions.

Equipment

For the gluten free chocolate tray bake I used 9x13 baking tin You could use a 9x9 baking tin but will take slightly longer to bake. See above in variations if you prefer a round sprinkle cake.

For the chocolate buttercream, I recommend using a hand-held electric beater or stand mixer. Don't worry if you don't have them as you can use a wooden spoon and hand whisk but this will require a little extra time and elbow grease.

Storage

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

If stored in the fridge then remove the chocolate sprinkle cake for at least 30 minutes to allow it to come to room temperature before serving for best results.