I Tried Jennifer Garner’s Beloved Chocolate Cake

If you’re a fan of boxed cake mixes that are spread into a baking pan or on a baking sheet, you’ll probably love the chocolate sheet cake recipe that Jennifer Garner has proclaimed as one of her favorites.

On an episode of her “Pretend Cooking Show” — a series where she cooks up some of her favorite dishes, like her blueberry cake and fruit crumble — Garner shares her favorite chocolate cake recipe that she loves to make. The recipe actually comes from Pioneer Woman, aka Ree Drummond, who has a Texas chocolate cake recipe that Garner says “works all the time.”

“There’s never a day that isn’t chocolate cake,” she exclaims. Is it as good as Garner says it is? I decided to give this chocolate cake recipe a try and see for myself. Here’s what I thought.

Get the recipe: The Best Texas Puff Pastry Cake Ever

How to Make Jennifer Garner’s Favorite Chocolate Cake

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar and kosher salt. Set aside.

In a saucepan, melt the butter. Whisk it with the cocoa powder, then add the boiling water. Transfer the chocolate mixture to the dry ingredients and whisk until everything is incorporated.

In another small bowl, whisk together buttermilk, eggs, baking soda, and vanilla extract. Pour into cake mix and whisk until smooth.

Grease an 18×13-inch baking sheet with cooking spray or butter. Pour the cake batter onto the baking sheet, then bake at 350°F for 20 minutes.

In a saucepan, melt the butter for the frosting. Add the cocoa and stir, then remove from the heat and add the milk, vanilla and icing sugar. Whisk until smooth. Stir in the pecans, if desired. Pour over the cake and let the frosting set, then cut into squares and serve.

My honest opinion

I’m in love with this chocolate cake, and I’m not kidding. There’s a reason Garner loves it so much. Not only does it live up to its reputation as the “best chocolate cake ever,” as she puts it, but it’s also incredibly easy to make. It’s a simple, no-fuss way to bake a cake for a crowd without having to worry about taking the cakes out of the oven and frosting them beautifully. For someone like me who isn’t the best at baking, this cake was exactly what I look for when I’m in charge of making dessert.

Plus, the taste is exceptional. Not only is the texture of the cake moist and fluffy, but the frosting is the perfect blend of firm and soft. I’m not the biggest fan of thick buttercream on my desserts, so this frosting is definitely more my speed. It’s a thin enough layer that it doesn’t overpower the thin slice of cake, giving each bite the perfect frosting-to-cake ratio. The cake is sweet, but the touch of salt helps balance it out. Overall, this is my kind of cake, and I will absolutely make it again in the future. Especially when you can get 24 slices in one cake; talk about a crowd pleaser!

Tips for Making Jennifer Garner’s Favorite Chocolate Cake

• Using salted butter: Apparently, Ree Drummond says the trick to getting this cake to taste just right is to use salted butter, which helps cut through the sweetness of all that sugar. If you have unsalted butter on hand, be sure to add a pinch of salt with the frosting to balance out the flavor.

• Wait for the cake to cool completely: Although the recipe says to pour the frosting over a warm cake, I decided to wait until the cake had cooled. I didn’t want the frosting to seep into the warm cake and lose the goodness of the frosting, so I let the cake cool completely before making the frosting and then pouring it over it.

• Let the icing sit before cutting: Along the same lines, I would also give the frosting time to cool and harden before cutting the slices. The butter in the frosting will solidify and create a more solid frosting structure, which is much more appealing and allows for a clean cut when you serve this cake.

Get the recipe: The Best Texas Puff Pastry Cake Ever

Further reading

Why Are People Ditching Their Sparkling Water After A Disturbing Study?

10 New Themed Dinner Ideas Kids Will Love

Tuscan Chicken Is The ‘Most Delicious’ Dinner Ever, According To Everyone Who’s Tried It

Chicken Bruschetta

Sign up for The Kitchn’s daily newsletter to get our best recipes, articles and shopping tips delivered to your inbox.