Chocolate Sheet Cake
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This easy chocolate sheet cake is rich, moist, and perfect for feeding a crowd, no layering or fancy tools required. This cake is only one layer, baked in a rectangular pan, and topped with creamy chocolate buttercream (or your favorite frosting) making it a quick, reliable, no-fuss dessert for any occasion.
THIS Easy Chocolate Sheet Cake is A No-Fuss Crowd-PleasER
When you’ve been baking cakes for more than a decade and a half (hi, it’s me!), you get to know exactly which recipes are worth repeating. This chocolate cake base is the one– moist, flavorful, and basically foolproof. It’s the same dependable recipe I use in my beloved chocolate Bundt cake, but here, we’re skipping the decorative pan and going straight for ease.
Baking it in a 9″ x 13″ dish means no layering or stacking (though here’s my favorite chocolate layer cake) nor crossing your fingers for a clean Bundt pan release (so stressful!). It’s just easy mixing, straightforward baking, and slicing right from the pan. Whether you’re feeding a crowd, prepping ahead, or just want a casual but really good chocolate cake, this sheet cake delivers.
And no, this is not Texas sheet cake, which folks often conflate with chocolate sheet cake. Though put that one on your baking list, because it’s a whole different chocolate cake experience and if you’re a fan of nuts, that cake will be your jam.
The best news about this chocolate sheet cake is that you can dress it up however you’d like! While I’m partial to a thick layer of chocolate buttercream, this cake plays well with just about any frosting (you can find a list of my favs below). However you decide to top it, this cake’s rich flavor and soft crumb are what keep bakers (and tasters!) coming back to this reliable recipe.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE Moist Chocolate SHEET CakE
You don’t need any fancy ingredients here, except maybe the Dutch processed cocoa powder, which you’ll be happy to know is easy to find! You can find it in the baking aisle of your grocery store. And here are all of my recipes using Dutch processed cocoa powder in case you want another reason to use it (but you’ll use it in the chocolate buttercream, too).
For the cake batter, you will need:
• granulated sugar
• light brown sugar
• all-purpose flour
• Dutch processed cocoa powder
• baking powder
• baking soda
• salt
• eggs
• oil (vegetable, avocado, or melted coconut oil work here)
• vanilla extract
• coffee
DO I HAVE TO USE COFFEE?
No, you don’t have to use coffee, but I highly recommend it. No, your cake will not taste like coffee. Yes, you can use decaf. Yes, you can use another ingredient like water.
How to Make Chocolate SHEET Cake
This process is super simple. You’ll only need your mixer for the buttercream, so keep that stashed away until it’s time to get that going.
STEP #1: start by whisking together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, then set this mixture aside.
STEP #2: next, whisk together the eggs, oil, and vanilla extract until completely combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, add the hot coffee, and whisk or stir the batter until everything is combined.
STEP #3: bake the cake, then remove it from the oven and allow it to cool completely in the pan before adding the frosting.
TOP WITH MY FAVORITE CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
I won’t go into detail here about making the chocolate buttercream, because I have an entire post dedicated to making it. Lucky for you, you’ll use Dutch processed cocoa powder here, too, so you know that deep, smooth chocolate flavor will be in every single bite.
MORE FROSTING OPTIONS
Feel free to use any of my other classic frostings to top this chocolate sheet cake, keeping in mind to make HALF of what the recipe calls for.
Consider any of the following:
• classic vanilla buttercream
• peanut butter frosting
• cream cheese frosting
• strawberry buttercream
• cookie dough frosting
• mint chocolate chip buttercream
• orange cream cheese frosting
• marshmallow buttercream
• Swiss meringue buttercream (there’s a chocolate one, too!)
No matter which way you spread it, you’re going to love having this easy chocolate sheet cake recipe in your back pocket. Quick, easy, well-liked… What’s not to love?
MORE SHEET CAKES
Chocolate Sheet Cake with Chocolate Buttercream
Ingredients
CHOCOLATE CAKE
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (200g) firmly packed light brown sugar
- 2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour be sure to measure properly
- ¾ cup (72g) Dutch processed cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- ½ cup (113mL) vegetable oil1
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 and ¼ cup (300mL) hot coffee2
CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM
- 2 cups (240g) powdered sugar
- 6 Tablespoons (36g) Dutch processed cocoa powder
- ⅙ teasponn salt
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 1 and ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 to 3 Tablespoons (30-45mL) milk or cream
Instructions
CHOCOLATE CAKE
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (177ºC). Grease and flour (or use homemade cake release) a 9" x 13" cake pan. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.1 cup (200g) granulated sugar, 1 cup (200g) firmly packed light brown sugar, 2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour, ¾ cup (72g) Dutch processed cocoa powder, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt
- In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract until completely combined.4 large eggs, ½ cup (113mL) vegetable oil1, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, whisk until the batter starts to come together, then add the coffee, and whisk again until batter is smooth.1 and ¼ cup (300mL) hot coffee2
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out mostly clean. Remove from oven and allow cake to cool in the pan completely on a wire rack before adding the frosting.
CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM
- In a medium size bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. Set aside.2 cups (240g) powdered sugar, 6 Tablespoons (36g) Dutch processed cocoa powder
- In a large bowl with a handheld mixer or in the bowl of stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter on medium speed until smooth (about 2-3 minutes).⅙ teasponn salt, ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, 1 and ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- Decrease mixer speed to low, then add the vanilla extract and 2 Tablespoons of the milk or cream.2 to 3 Tablespoons (30-45mL) milk or cream
- Slowly add the powdered sugar/cocoa powder mixture and continue to mix on low until a cohesive frosting starts to form. Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and add more milk or cream as needed, 1 to 2 teaspoons at a time until desired consistency.
- Use an offset spatula to spread the frosting over the top of the cake, then slice and serve. Cake stays fresh covered at room temperature for up to 4 days. Cake may be covered and refrigerated for up to 7 days. Unfrosted cake may be frozen, wrapped tightly, up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before frosting. Frosted cake can be frozen, wrapped tightly, up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving.
Notes
- Oil: you can use vegetable oil, avocado oil, or any other oil you prefer in this recipe. Know that if you use olive or coconut oil, you may be able to detect those flavors.
- Coffee: you can use decaf coffee or no coffee at all. If you don’t want to use coffee, you can use water, just make sure it’s hot.
Nutrition Disclosure
All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.
A question – although this is called a sheet cake, the instructions call for 2 8 inch pans. I’m assuming the cooking time listed is for the two pans and if baked as a sheet cake, it will take a little longer?
Hi, MB! Thanks for catching that. That was a copy and paste fail since this recipe comes from my dark chocolate layer cake. The baking time was correct, actually, it was just the pan part that was incorrect. It’s now completely correct, so… Happy baking!