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 you.
- 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 three 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.
- Slightly firmer texture. My layered chocolate cake recipe (mentioned above) is truly the most tender chocolate cake, but sometimes it’s a little too tender, depending on what you need or want. This chocolate cake has a little less liquid and uses both baking soda and baking powder to achieve a little bit firmer texture, while still being super tender and amazing.
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 – Make sure to measure the flour correctly. Otherwise, you won’t end up with the proper texture for your cake layers. You don’t want a dry cake.
- Sugar
- Natural unsweetened cocoa powder – You could use Dutch-processed cocoa powder instead for a richer chocolate flavor, but it may not rise quite as much.
- Baking soda and baking powder – I used both to get the perfect rise and texture.
- Salt – Salt adds flavor to food and that’s true in baked goods. Without it, your cake will be bland.
- Milk – I suggest using 2% or whole milk.
- Vegetable oil – I used vegetable oil instead of butter in this recipe. It makes the cake so wonderfully moist.
- Vanilla extract
- Eggs – Be sure to use large eggs, not medium or extra large.
- 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 to 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 volume to the buttercream and also control the consistency.
- Natural unsweetened cocoa powder – Dutch-processed cocoa powder will also work if you want a richer chocolate flavor.
- Vanilla extract
- Heavy cream – You could use milk, but it will thin out your frosting more quickly.
- Chocolate shavings – I decorated this cake with chocolate shavings by running a vegetable peeler along the side of a chocolate baking bar. Feel free to use sprinkles or something else, as well.
How to Make Chocolate Sheet Cake
Get ready for an awesome cake. Here’s a quick overview of how to make this easy chocolate cake. Don’t forget to scroll to the recipe card below for more detailed instructions.
Make the Cake
- Prepare your pan & preheat the oven. Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C) and prepare a 9×13 inch cake pan with non-stick baking spray.
- Mix the dry ingredients. Add all dry ingredients to a large bowl and whisk together.
- Mix the wet ingredients. Add the milk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract and eggs to a medium sized bowl and combine.
- Combine. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until well combined. Add the hot water and mix until combined.
- Bake. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool. Remove cake from oven and allow to cool completely.
Make the Chocolate Frosting
- Beat the butter in a large mixer bowl until smooth.
- Add the sugar. Slowly add 2 cups of powdered sugar and mix until smooth.
- Add vanilla and cream and mix until smooth.
- More sugar and cocoa powder. Add remaining powdered sugar and cocoa powder and mix until smooth.
- Add remaining cream until the frosting is the right consistency.
- Beat to add air. Beat frosting on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until it has lightened in color and gotten fluffy.
- Frost. Spread frosting evenly onto the cake. Top with chocolate shavings, if desired.
Getting Your Frosting Just Right
This is essentially my Chocolate Buttercream Frosting except with a little less sugar. 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
Watch How to Make It
Easy Moist Chocolate Cake
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 32 minutes
- Total Time: 52 minutes
- Yield: 12–15 Servings 1x
- Category: Cake
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
This chocolate cake recipe is super easy to put together, moist and delicious! It’s almost as easy as a box mix, but even tastier.
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 1 3/4 cups (228g) all purpose flour
- 2 cups (414g) sugar
- 3/4 cup (85g) natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup (240ml) milk
- 1/2 cup (120ml) vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup (240ml) hot water
Chocolate Frosting
- 1 cup (224g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3 cups (345g) powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup (57g) natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 4–5 tbsp (60-75ml) heavy cream
- Sprinkles, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C) and prepare a 9×13 inch cake pan with non-stick baking spray.
- Add the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt to a large mixer bowl and combine. Set aside.
- Add the milk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract and eggs to a medium sized bowl and combine.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and beat until well combined.
- Slowly add the hot water to the batter and mix on low speed until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to make sure everything is well combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Remove cake from oven and allow to cool.
- To make the frosting, beat the butter in a large mixer bowl until smooth.
- Add 2 cups of powdered sugar and mix until smooth.
- Add the vanilla extract and 3 tablespoons of cream and mix until smooth.
- Add remaining powdered sugar and cocoa and mix until smooth.
- Add remaining cream as needed and mix until smooth, keeping an eye on the consistency of the frosting so it doesn’t get too thin.
- Beat frosting on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until it has lightened in color and gotten fluffy.
- Spread frosting evenly onto the cake. Top with sprinkles, if desired.
Notes
For 8 inch pans: Divide the batter evenly between three 8-inch cake pans and bake for 22-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Slice
- Calories: 430
- Sugar: 47.2 g
- Sodium: 421.7 mg
- Fat: 19.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 63 g
- Protein: 5.5 g
- Cholesterol: 27.3 mg
How would I make this into an 11×17 sheet cake?
It depends a little on how tall you’re looking for it to be. If you make the same amount of batter as listed, you’d probably get about a 1 inch cake. You could double it for it to be about 2 inches tall.
5 stars! This recipe makes the lightest, most moist, and decadent chocolate cake ever! I added coffee extract to the hot water to add some extra depth of flavor and wow did it all come out amazing!! Thank you!
Awesome! I’m so glad to hear that!
Just to be sure: the recipe takes 2 1/4 teaspoons baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon baking powder?
Yes, that’s correct.
Read the comments before trying…I had to agree with one lady whom said she made it with her granddaughter I think…anywho, she said it was runny, didn’t bake well etc… it happened to me…runny, spilt over into my stove and didn’t bake well at all. Ive tried yo make many MANY recipes for different foods from asian to Argentinian…trial and error. It took me bags and bags of rice to finally learn to make it fluffy EVERY TIME. Cooking takes reading, prepping, cooking/baking. Plus, the error gives anyone a chance to teach the young ones how things don’t always turn out right. So I re-tried this recipe and WHOLLY CRAP ON A CRACKER!!! SO MOIST, FLUFFY, it is way sticky!!! You have to get the powdered sugar out and literally douse the cake its sooooooooooo moist!!! Spme of it stuck to the parchment i had with powdered sugar. All in all: MAKE THIS FOR BIRTHDAYS, KIDS ANYTHING…EVEN PERIOD GOTTA HAVE CHOCOLATE MOMENTS!!! YUMMMMMYYYYYYY
I have made this cake for years and have never had trouble with it, but the last few times the cake is sinking in the middle. Do you know what could be causing this? The only thing I can think of is I got a new cake pan. It is the correct size though.
I’m not sure what would cause it to happen all of a sudden. Maybe you need new baking soda/powder? Cake pan could affect it, but seems kind of unlikely. Are you using a new oven? Maybe opening the oven too soon?
I made this cake today for my husband’s birthday and made red velvet icing to top it. It turned out great! Will be making it again.
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Easily made. Used a 9by13 inch pan.Took longer cooking than the instructions but turned out perfectly
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
sorry, lindsay, but the recipe just doesn’t work. l followed the exact steps you made, but l had to bake the cake for over 70 minutes and it’s still a little bit raw. so, where did l failed?
I’m sorry you had trouble with it, but I promise it does work. I’m always happy to help troubleshoot though. 🙂 Did you use a different pan size? If it was a smaller pan, it would take longer to bake. For it to bake that long as a 9×13, I might double check that you didn’t add to much of a liquid ingredient. This seems most likely. And then did the cake bake properly? Even with the extended time? If so, maybe it’s your oven?
Quite possibly the worst choclate cake recipe! I can’t belive the reviews. I only added 1/4 cup of the hot water and this thing was soup. What an awful experience for my first ever baking experience with my grandaughter. Followed the recipe excactly UNITL it said to add 1 cup of hot water the batter was already soupy I added a 1/4 cup and had to bake it an addtional 20 minutes just to get it set. AND it was awful spongy goo. I am so upset that his was such a FAIL. I am never getting a reicpe off the internet again
Hi there, would this recipe work in a 9 inch round cake pan?
You’d want to use two pans, probably. Or cut the recipe in half.
About how tall is the finished cake? And how deep is the batter uncooked? I am trying to make a creeper cake for my son and am dividing this into some odd sized rectangular pans and don’t want to overfill or underfill them.
I believe it’s 2 to 2.5 inches. I’m not really sure how deep it is uncooked, sorry!
Thanks!
How mush firmer is this cake compared to your layered cake recipies? I’ve made the layer cakes several times and each time my frosting is a disaster. Even with multiple crumbs layers (put in the fridge for an hr plus between layers) i always get cake crumbs everywhere.
Gosh, it’s hard to describe it. It is more firm, but I wouldn’t say it’s like a lot more firm. As far as the frosting, I know the other one is very tender, but you should be able to frost it. Could it be that your frosting is too thick? What frosting are you using? When it’s too thick and doesn’t stick properly to the cake, it can pull crumbs off of the cake. And what tool are you using for spreading the frosting?
I have a 12×12 square pan I want to use. Do you think this recipe would work as-is or should I increase the recipe by 50%?
I’m not sure. I haven’t tried that size. I’d like you’d want to at least increase it by 50%, if not double it.
This cake is the easiest to whip up and is incredible. Moist, dense, and doesn’t even need frosting. I’ve never made the frosting that is listed in the recipe but I can tell you the cake is 100. My sister hates cake and she love this. Plain or a little sprinkle of powdered sugar and you’ll think you’re having one of those delish chocolate muffins from the coffee house
I’m so glad you enjoy it!
I have used this recipe for years. I know you recently updated the frosting recipe, removing the shortening. Can you please post the original recipe??
The recipe is the same, except for the shortening. There were no other changes. I’m glad you enjoy the recipe!
I want to try this recipe can i double the ingredients for a bigger cake? I have a sheet pan 9×13
This cake is made in a 9×13 already. If you double it, it would be too much.
Very moist and tasty but there is a distinct bitter aftertaste, perhaps from too much baking soda in the recipe. Maybe adjust the baking soda and powder ratio.
Will you get same results with self-rising flour
Since it has leavening built into it, it would alter the results.