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Easy Chocolate Traybake Recipe: Simple Crowd-Pleasing Dessert

This easy chocolate traybake is the perfect solution when you need to feed a crowd without spending hours in the kitchen. With its moist chocolate sponge and rich fudgy icing, this classic dessert brings back nostalgic school cake memories while being incredibly simple to prepare.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings: 20 servings
Calories: 285
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Ingredients
  • 250g self-raising flour
  • 50g cocoa powder
  • 225g caster sugar
  • 225g butter, softened
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 4 tbsp milk
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 100g butter
  • 200g icing sugar
  • 50g cocoa powder
  • 2-3 tbsp milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Method
 

Instructions
  1. Preheat your oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4. Grease and line a 9x13 inch rectangular baking tin with baking paper.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. This should take about 3-4 minutes with an electric mixer.
  3. Beat in the eggs one at a time, adding a tablespoon of flour with each egg to prevent curdling. Stir in the vanilla extract.
  4. Sift together the remaining flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder. Gradually fold this into the wet mixture until just combined.
  5. Add the milk to achieve a soft dropping consistency - the mixture should fall easily from a spoon.
  6. Pour the batter into your prepared tin and smooth the surface. Bake for 25-30 minutes until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
  7. Leave the cake to cool completely in the tin before icing.
  8. For the icing, beat the butter until soft, then gradually sift and beat in the icing sugar and cocoa powder. Add the milk gradually until you reach a spreadable consistency, then mix in the vanilla.
  9. Spread the icing evenly over the cooled cake and cut into squares or rectangles to serve.

Notes

For the perfect chocolate traybake every time, make sure your ingredients are at room temperature before starting. This helps everything combine more easily and creates a lighter texture. You can decorate with sprinkles, chocolate chips, or chopped nuts just after icing for added visual appeal.