One-bowl hot chocolate traybake cake recipe

Name: One-bowl hot chocolate traybake cake recipe
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 16 serving(s)
Ingredients: 200 g unsalted butter, melted, plus extra to grease; 100 g hot chocolate powder, plus extra to dust, we used Twinings Swiss Hot Chocolate Drink; 100 mL whole milk; 300 g light brown soft sugar; 3 medium eggs; 300 g self-raising flour; 150 g white chocolate, finely chopped; 2 tbsp. whole milk

An easy ‘whisk and bake’ cake that tastes exactly like a coffee shop hot chocolate

By Alice ShieldsPublished: 22 September 2025

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Good Housekeeping

Use a good-quality hot chocolate powder in this easy cake recipe. Mini marshmallows would also be a fun addition to the decoration if you have any to hand.

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Yields:

16 serving(s)

Prep Time:

30 mins

Cook Time:

40 mins

Total Time:

1 hr 10 mins

Ingredients

200 g
unsalted butter, melted, plus extra to grease
100 g
hot chocolate powder, plus extra to dust, we used Twinings Swiss Hot Chocolate Drink
100 ml
whole milk
300 g
light brown soft sugar
3
medium eggs
300 g
self-raising flour

FOR THE GANACHE FROSTING

150 g
white chocolate, finely chopped
2 Tbsp.
whole milk

Directions

1. Step 1Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan) mark 4. Grease a 20cm square tin (that’s at least 5cm deep) and line with baking parchment.
2. Step 2In a large bowl whisk the butter, hot chocolate powder, milk, sugar and 100ml just-boiled water from a kettle until smooth. Whisk in the eggs one at a time, until combined. Whisk in the flour.
3. Step 3Scrape the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 40min, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool completely in the tin.
4. Step 4For the frosting, melt chocolate and milk in a bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Scrape into a clean bowl (this will help it to cool quicker and stop it from splitting) and leave to cool and firm up to a spreadable consistency.
5. Step 5Remove the cooled cake from the tin onto a board and spread over the ganache. Serve in slices.

GH TIPS

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days.

If you like this recipe you’ll love our hot chocolate cupcakes.

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Alice Shields

Senior Cookery Writer

Alice Shields is Senior Cookery Writer for Good Housekeeping. A trained pastry chef, you’ll find her food styling on photo shoots, developing delicious recipes and writing about all things food. She loves to bake and her favourite pudding will always be a chocolate fondant. Originally hailing from Lancashire, she finally achieved her goal of getting a butter pie recipe into the magazine.

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