Description
Hostess Sheet Cake is a luscious layered devil’s food cake paired with a creamy marshmallow filling and topped with a rich dark chocolate ganache and delicate vanilla icing swirls. This sheet cake combines moistness from coffee-infused batter with a fluffy marshmallow center and velvety chocolate topping, making it a perfect dessert for celebrations or gatherings.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
For the Cake:
- 15.25 ounces Devil’s Food Cake Mix
- 3 Large Eggs
- 1/2 cup Whole Milk
- 1/2 cup Coffee
- 1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
For the Marshmallow Filling:
- 2 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar
- 13 ounces Marshmallow Creme
- 6 tablespoons Salted Butter, room temperature
- 4 tablespoons Heavy Cream
- 1/2 tablespoon Clear Vanilla Extract
For the Ganache Topping:
- 5 ounces Dark Chocolate Chips (at least 60% cacao)
- 5 ounces Heavy Cream
For the Vanilla Icing Swirls:
- 1 cup Powdered Sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Whole Milk
- 1 teaspoon Clear Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 12×18 inch sheet pan with parchment paper, leaving some overhang on the sides for easy cake removal later, and spray the parchment with nonstick cooking spray.
- Mix Cake Batter: In a large bowl, combine devil’s food cake mix, vegetable oil, coffee, whole milk, and eggs. Mix thoroughly, preferably with a hand mixer, until smooth and well blended.
- Bake the Cake: Pour the batter into the prepared sheet pan, spreading evenly. Bake for 13 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow the cake to cool in the pan for about 1 hour.
- Slice Cake: Once cooled, cut the cake horizontally in half, creating two thin sheets about 12×9 inches each.
- Prepare Filling: In a medium bowl, mix powdered sugar, marshmallow creme, softened salted butter, heavy cream, and clear vanilla extract until smooth and lump-free. If the filling is too runny, add a little more powdered sugar until it thickens and holds shape.
- Assemble Cake Layers: Line a smaller sheet pan with parchment and place one cake layer top side down. Spread the marshmallow filling evenly over this layer, covering to the edges. Carefully place the second cake layer on top, right side up, aligning edges. Use a butter knife to remove any filling squeezed out from the sides.
- Make Ganache: Heat 5 ounces of heavy cream in a microwave-safe cup on high for 2 minutes and 30 seconds, stirring every 15 seconds to avoid boiling. Pour the hot cream over 5 ounces of dark chocolate chips in a bowl, stirring until smooth and glossy. Let rest for 5 minutes until thickened but still pourable.
- Apply Ganache: Pour half the ganache onto the center of the assembled cake and spread to the edges. Add remaining ganache and smooth out to fully cover the top. Let the cake rest for 1 hour for the ganache to set.
- Prepare Vanilla Icing: Mix powdered sugar, whole milk, and clear vanilla extract in a small bowl until fully combined and smooth.
- Decorate with Icing: Using a piping bag with a small opening, mark the cake top into 4 rows by 3 columns and pipe continuous looping icing lines along each row for a total of 4 icing swirls across the cake.
- Slice and Serve: Cut the cake into 12 slices following your marked sections, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
- Using coffee in the cake batter enhances the chocolate flavor but can be substituted with hot water or milk if preferred.
- This recipe requires a broad 12×18 inch sheet pan; if unavailable, a similar size pan or two smaller pans can be used adjusting baking time accordingly.
- Ensure the ganache does not boil during heating to maintain a smooth texture.
- For firmer filling, adding extra powdered sugar helps prevent it from running off when assembling the cake.
- The cake is best served at room temperature after chilling the ganache, but can be refrigerated covered for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (1/12 of cake)
- Calories: 520
- Sugar: 38g
- Sodium: 220mg
- Fat: 28g
- Saturated Fat: 14g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12g
- Trans Fat: 0.5g
- Carbohydrates: 62g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 5g
- Cholesterol: 70mg
