PIECE OF CAKE
Got a sweet tooth but no time to spare? Chrissy Teigen shares her “lazy” (and tasty!) — dessert recipe with Us!
Mom of two Chrissy Teigen recommends busy parents swap out time-consuming celebratory confections in favor of this simple treat. “You throw batter in a sheet pan and boom: cake,” the Cravings: All Together author says. Using milk chocolate and cream cheese in the frosting avoids “bitterness” and adds “tang,” she explains, resulting in a desirable “chocolaty chilliness.” Adds Chrissy: “It’s weird, but it speaks to me.”
INGREDIENTS CAKE
2 sticks (½ lb) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for the baking pan
2 cups flour
1½ tsp baking powder
1½ tsp fine sea salt
2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs, plus 1 egg yolk
3/4 cup sour cream
1½ tbsp vanilla extract
FROSTING
11/4 cups milk chocolate chips
½ (8-oz) package cream cheese, cold
3 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp fine sea salt, or more if you’re a salt hound
23/4 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar Sprinkles of your choice
INSTRUCTIONS MAKE THE CAKE
1 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously butter a 9×13-inch baking pan.
2 Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Beat the 2 sticks of butter and the sugar in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment over medium-high speed until the color lightens and the mix is fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the eggs and egg yolk and beat, scraping down the sides of the bowl if necessary, until just combined. Reduce the speed to medium-low and add half the flour mixture, then half the sour cream, then the remaining flour and then the remaining sour cream. Add the vanilla at the end, mixing only until all is just combined.
3 Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Spread into an even layer and bake until the top is lightly browned, the cake is just completely set and a toothpick inserted comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack, about 1 hour.
MAKE THE FROSTING
4 Place the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl and heat on high until just fully melted, stopping every 30 seconds to stir, 60 to 90 seconds total (the more you melt the chocolate, the longer you’re going to have to let it cool). Let the chocolate cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes (the outside of the bowl should feel just slightly warm or not warm at all).
5 Scrape the melted chocolate into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, then add the cream cheese, butter, vanilla and salt and beat at high speed until incorporated and slightly fluffy, stopping and scraping down the sides of the bowl if necessary, 1 minute. Reduce the speed to low, then slowly add the confectioners’ sugar. Beat until it’s no longer dusty and powdery. Raise the speed to high and beat until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
6 Spread the frosting across the cooled cake, top with the sprinkles and cut into squares to serve.