Chocolate Sheet Cake

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This easy chocolate sheet cake is sure to become a staple in your recipe collection. The batter comes together in minutes, the cake itself is super moist and flavorful, and the chocolate buttercream is light, fluffy, and totally to die for.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Fabulous texture. Although my recipe for the Best Chocolate Cake is undeniably the moistest ever, this one is a close runner-up. It’s moist and wonderfully tender. You won’t be able to keep your fork out of it.
• Fluffy frosting. The frosting for this cake is so light and fluffy. It’s the perfect complement to the tender cake beneath it. Learn more about what makes this frosting so special in the section below titled “What Makes This Cake Different?”.
• Easy to make. This is such a simple chocolate cake recipe. The mixing method for the batter is straightforward (no fancy creaming or anything like that) and comes together in minutes. Plus, it’s a sheet cake. So, you won’t need to worry about stacking, filling, and frosting any layers.

What Makes This Cake Different?

I have a library of chocolate cake recipes on my site. You might be asking yourself, “What sets this one apart?”. I’ll tell ya.

• One layer. This is a sheet cake which means that all of the batter goes into one baking pan. No fancy layers to stack. Just bake the cake, let it cool, and spread frosting over the top.
• Fast baking. Most of my chocolate layer cake recipes bake at 300°F and need about 30 minutes in the oven when the batter is divided between 3 8-inch cake pans. This one bakes at 350°F in about the same amount of time but all of the batter is in one larger baking pan. Much more efficient.
• A fluffier frosting. This is my usual chocolate frosting, but I beat it for a few minutes for this cake. This incorporates more air into the frosting, making it super light and fluffy.
• Oil to milk ratio. Many of my chocolate cakes use equal parts oil and milk (or buttermilk). For this one, I went with 1/2 cup vegetable oil and 1 cup milk. Oil adds great moisture to the cake, but too much makes it a bit of a firmer cake. Reducing it a touch and leaving more milk makes it a little lighter and softer.

Looking for more chocolate cake recipes? I have been obsessed with this German Chocolate Cake lately, but feel free to peruse all of my chocolate cake recipes. Let me know which is your favorite.

Ingredient Notes

Here’s what you’ll need to make this chocolate sheet cake recipe. Don’t forget to scroll to the recipe card below for precise measurements.

For the cake

• All-purpose flour – A quality 1:1 gluten-free flour will also do the trick.
• Sugar
• Natural unsweetened cocoa powder – You could use Dutch-processed cocoa powder instead for a richer chocolate flavor.
• Baking soda and baking powder – I used both to get the perfect rise.
• Salt – The salt balances out the sweetness of the cake and adds depth to the flavor profile.
• Milk – I suggest using whole milk. 2% will work in a pinch. So will a neutral plant-based milk if you are avoiding dairy.
• Vegetable oil – I used vegetable oil instead of butter in this recipe. It makes the cake so wonderfully moist.
• Vanilla extract
• Eggs
• Hot water – The hot water helps the cocoa powder bloom, bringing out its full chocolaty flavor potential.

To make the frosting

• Unsalted butter – The butter should be softened at room temperature before using. If it is too cold, your frosting will turn out lumpy. If it is melted, the frosting will be runny.
• Powdered sugar – To add sweetness to the buttercream and also to stabilize it.
• Natural unsweetened cocoa powder – Dutch-processed cocoa powder will also work if you want a richer chocolate flavor.
• Vanilla extract
• Heavy cream – You can use milk here. Your frosting just won’t be quite as rich.
• Sprinkles – I decorated this cake with rainbow sprinkles. You can use any kind of sprinkles you’d like or leave them out entirely.

Getting Your Frosting Just Right

This is essentially my Chocolate Buttercream Frosting except with a little less sugar and a little less vanilla. I also beat the frosting for an extra couple of minutes to incorporate more air. The result? The lightest, fluffiest chocolate buttercream ever. So don’t skimp on that 2-3 minutes of whipping the buttery, sugary, chocolate frosting into a frenzy.

As always, remember to start with room-temperature butter. If it is too cold, you’ll find yourself with lumpy frosting.

More Tips for Success

Want to get this homemade chocolate cake right the first time around? Pay attention to these pro tips and tricks.

• Don’t over-mix. When combining the wet and dry ingredients, do not over-mix. This can cause the glutens in the flour to overdevelop, resulting in a tough, overly dense cake.
• Make sure the water is hot. You want the water to be piping hot. The heat helps the cocoa powder bloom, leaving you with a much more satisfying chocolate flavor.
• Room temperature butter. Allow the butter for the frosting to soften at room temperature before using. If it is too cold, your frosting will turn out lumpy. If the butter is too melted, the frosting will turn out runny.
• Let it cool. Allow the cake to cool completely before frosting it. If it is too warm, the frosting will melt and slide right off.

How to Store This Cake

Cover any leftover chocolate sheet cake with a double layer of plastic wrap or arrange slices in a single layer in an airtight container. You can store it in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

More Recipes to Try

• Best New York Style Cheesecake
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
• Guinness Brownies
• Carrot Cake Cupcakes
• Peanut Butter Fudge
• Boston Cream Pie

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