 |
 Iced and decorated American sheet cake for a student graduation | |
| Alternative names | Slab cake |
|---|---|
| Type | Cake |
| Course | Dessert |
| Serving temperature | Cold |
A sheet cake or slab cake is a cake baked in a large, flat, rectangular cake pan. Sheet cakes can be grouped into two broad categories.
American sheet cakes are usually 2 inches (5 cm) deep, although they are sometimes 3 inches (8 cm) deep. These single-layer cakes are frequently frosted, with decorations and ornamental frosting along the borders and the flat top surface. [1]
They are commonly sold as boxed cake mixes, which can then be baked in the home. They come in a variety of flavors, with chocolate and vanilla being the two most common. [2] They also often include batter mix-ins, such as sprinkles and chocolate chips. By definition, American sheet cakes they are made from a single continuous piece of cake. Nuts, chocolate chips, coconut flakes, or other toppings can be sprinkled over the top.
To create a layer cake, one can slice through a sheet cake to create layers, then divide each layer with jam or icing, then frost the top.
In the United States, these cakes are commonly available in supermarkets and bakeries and tend to be inexpensive due to their simple manufacturing process. [3] [4] There are many brands that sell boxed sheet cake, including Betty Crocker, King Arthur Flour, and Duncan Hines. [5]
Cake sizes are named after the size of pan that the cake is baked in. A full-size commercial sheet cake pan is 18 by 24 inches (46 cm × 61 cm) or 18 by 26 inches (46 cm × 66 cm) in size. [6] A half-sheet is half that size, and a quarter-sheet or 9-by-13-inch (23 cm × 33 cm) pan, which usually results in 16 to 24 servings of cake, is one-quarter the size. Sheet cakes, in general, are usually 2 to 3 inches (5 to 8 cm) deep.
Several kinds of sheet cake are also part of traditional German cuisine. They are typically not iced or decorated for a specific celebration as American sheet cakes are, and may use any kind of dough such as yeast-leavened or sponge.
Examples of German-style sheet cakes (Blechkuchen, pronounced [ˈblɛçˌkuːxn̩] ) include Bienenstich, Donauwelle, Butterkuchen and Schmandkuchen .
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