Chocolate Sheet Cake

Our answer

Nigella's Chocolate Sheet Cake (on the Nigella website) has a thin layer of chocolate sponge that is topped with a chocolate icing while the cake is still warm. The cake abssorbs some of the icing so you end up with a moist cake with fudge-like frosting. The cake should keep in a cool place for 5 to 7 days if the pan is tightly wrapped with clingfilm.

Normally we would prefer to freeze the cake without the icing but in this particular cake the step of adding the icing to the warm cake is important to the texture of the final cake. Although you could freeze the iced cake you may find that as the cake thaws the icing becomes soft and possibly slightly runny due to the condensation caused by the freezing and thawing process. If freezing individual portions then you would need to cut the cake into slices, open freeze the slices on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment (parchment paper) and then wrap each slice in clingfilm and store in an airtight contaier in the freezer. You would need to unwrap the slices before thawing them and they may be a bit too sticky for a lunchbox.

For individual lunchbox treats that freeze well you may like to try Nigella's Chocolate Banana Muffins (from Kitchen and on the Nigella website) or the Chocolate Cupcakes from Domestic Goddess (a variation on the Dense Chocolate Cake recipe).