Some pairs just work: Peanut butter and banana, chocolate and caramel, raspberry and white chocolate. We can’t deny it, we certainly love all these combinations! But then, of course, there are also combinations that aren’t baked as often but can be just as good. You know, those odd couples, where after the first bite, you ask: “Why did I never think of this?” One such example is chocolate and lemon. It’s super delicious, as our chocolate lemon sheet cake proves. Check out our recipe to get to know the magic of this unlikely duo.
Our Chocolate Lemon Sheet Cake Recipe
Are you baking for a lot of hungry mouths but still want to try something new? That works out well because our chocolate lemon sheet cake exactly meets those requirements. With its three layers, it not only looks great but is guaranteed to please everyone at the table, both young and old dessert lovers won’t be able to get enough.
Making our chocolate lemon sheet cake isn’t as complicated as it may appear. So let’s go layer by layer, quite literally. The base is a simple chocolate shortbread dough, which you knead together from flour, butter, sugar, cocoa, and some melted dark chocolate. Press this into a pan and let it chill it for a while. Meanwhile, you can start on the lemon batter. This is a simple batter that you will flavor with lemon juice and zest. It’s important that you use organic fruit here, as these are not sprayed with pesticides.
Spread the batter over the chocolate base and top everything with a wonderfully fresh cream cheese layer. This will melt during baking and fuse with the cake, making it just as creamy as it is chocolatey and lemony. Once the cake as fully cooked, take it out of the oven, let it cool, and spread grated chocolate on top. Doesn’t it look great? And even better: It tastes as good as it looks! With the first bite, you’ll already be looking forward to the next one. And the next. And the next.
If, against all expectations, there are any leftovers, our chocolate lemon sheet cake will easily stay fresh for two to three days. It even tastes, dare we say, better on the second day. If you want to freeze leftovers, cut the cake into pieces and wrap them individually. It will stay nice and moist even after thawing.
Want more delicious sheet cakes? Then bake our chocolate coconut sheet pan cake, sheet pan strawberry cake with vanilla pudding, and cherry sour cream sheet cake.
Chocolate Lemon Sheet Cake
Equipment
- 1 (13×18 in.) baking sheet
Ingredients
For the chocolate shortbread base:
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- ½ cup sugar
- ⅔ cup cold butter
- 1 egg yolk
- ⅔ cups dark chocolate melted
For the lemon batter:
- 1 cup butter softened
- ¾ cup sugar
- 4 eggs
- 2 organic lemons zested and juiced
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- ½ cup milk
For the cream cheese layer:
- 1½ cups cream cheese
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the decoration:
- 3 tbsp dark chocolate grated
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- For the chocolate shortbread base, knead together the flour, cocoa, sugar, butter, egg yolk, and melted chocolate. Once uniform, press it evenly into a lined baking. Refrigerate the sheet until needed.
- For the batter, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and keep mixing. Finally, stir in the lemon zest and juice.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour and baking powder, then alternately stir it into the batter with the milk.
- Pour the batter evenly over the chocolate base.
- Next, in a bowl, mix the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until smooth. Spoon it over the lemon batter and swirl it slightly with a fork to create a marbled effect.
- Bake the cake for about 35 minutes, then let it cool completely. Sprinkle with grated chocolate.