Chocolate Sheet Cake
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This easy chocolate sheet cake is moist, fudgy, and way better than any box mix. Top it with chocolate buttercream, your favorite frosting or a scoop of ice cream. It’s made with simple, everyday ingredients and baked in a 9×13 inch pan. Perfect for birthdays, potlucks or whenever you need a simple chocolate cake!
**This post was updated August 20, 2024 with a slightly updated recipe, tips & photos**
Everyone needs a tried and true, easy chocolate cake recipe – and this chocolate sheet cake is exactly that. It has a delicious chocolate flavor that’s just chocolate-y enough without being too rich. It’s incredibly moist and fudgy and will stay moist for up to 4 days.
I like to slather on a thick layer of chocolate frosting for a double dose of chocolate. It’s also delicious with vanilla frosting, peanut butter frosting, or Oreo frosting.
What you’ll especially love about this recipe is that there’s no fancy ingredients or complicated steps. We’re just using pantry staples – like oil, cocoa powder and milk – so you likely won’t even need to run to the grocery store for.
Chocolate Sheet Cake Recipe
Making this recipe couldn’t be easier. You can make the cake batter in under 10 minutes then it goes in the oven to bake. So here’s the details.
- Start by preheating your oven to 350F (180C) and preparing your pan. For a chocolate cake, I always lightly grease and then dust with cocoa powder. If you want to invert the pan to slide the cake out after its baked, then I recommend lining with parchment paper so that there’s an overhang around the sides.
- In a large bowl, you’ll whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
- If your cocoa is lumpy, be sure to sift it first.
- Then in a second In a large bowl whisk together the oil, milk, sour cream, eggs and vanilla extract. If needed, you can substitute sour cream with plain Greek yogurt.
- Make a well in the dry ingredients, then pour the wet ingredients into the well. Carefully mix together. I always do a few stirs with a rubber spatula first, then use a whisk.
- Once the batter is about 75% combined, pour in the hot coffee. Whisk until the batter is smooth and you no longer see lumps or streaks of dry ingredients.
- The hot coffee helps the cocoa powder to bloom. This simply means that it helps to bring out the rich chocolate so that your cake has a better flavor.
- Pour the batter into your prepared pan – and you’re ready to bake. The cake will bake for about 35-40 minutes or until the top looks set and an inserted toothpickcomes out clean or with w few moist cake crumbs. It shouldn’t have any gooey cake batter attached.
For the Chocolate Frosting
The chocolate frosting is a simple buttercream made with butter, cocoa, powdered sugar and cream (or milk) plus a little vanilla extract and salt to round out the flavor. It’s fluffy, chocolate-y and everything you could want in a frosting.
The chocolate sheet cake itself is super delicious, so if you don’t have time to make frosting, (or if you’re just not much of a frosting person) top it with ice cream and chocolate sauce, or whipped cream and berries.
Freezing Instructions
Sheet cakes freeze beautifully. Once the cake has cooled fully:
- Carefully invert the pan so that the cake lands on a square of cardboard, cutting board or cookie sheet (just something flat). Note that if you plan to freeze the cake, I recommend lining the pan with parchment paper because it’s much easier to remove the cake from the pan.
- Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap so that they entire cake is covered. You may need to wrap it a few times to ensure that every inch is covered. You want it to be tight to avoid freezer burn.
- Then wrap in aluminum foil.
- Place it your freezer on a flat surface, and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Thaw in the fridge overnight. Then decorate.
Frosted cakes can be frozen, but I find the results much better with unfrosted cake.
How Many People Does a Sheet Cake Serve?
A 9×13 inch cake will serve 18 medium pieces (2×3 inch), or about 29 small (2×2 inch) pieces.
For more 9×13 inch sheet cake recipes, check out these other classics:
Chocolate Sheet Cake
Equipment
- 9×13 inch (23 x 33 cm) baking pan*
Ingredients
Chocolate Sheet Cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (250 grams)
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder (45 grams)
- 2 cups granulated sugar (400 grams), use 1 3/4 cup for a slightly less sweet cake
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil (120 ml)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup milk (120 ml), milk – whole milk is best, 2% works too
- 1/2 cup sour cream (120 ml), or plain Greek yogurt
- 3/4 cup freshly brewed coffee (180 ml), or boiling water
Chocolate Frosting
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter (168 grams)
- 3-4 cups powdered sugar (330-440 grams), sifted
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder (45 grams), sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4-5 tablespoons whipping cream (60-75 ml), or milk
Instructions
Chocolate Sheet Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.
- Grease a 9×13 inch pan and dust with cocoa powder. Alternatively, line the pan with parchment paper so that there's an overhang around the edges (I recommend lining if you plan not to serve the cake in the pan or freezing the unfrosted cake).
- In a large bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. If the cocoa is lumpy, be sure to sift it first.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together the oil, vanilla, eggs, milk and sour cream.
- Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into the well. Carefully mix together. I always do a few stirs by hand, then start whisking with a wire whisk.
- When the ingredients look about 75% combined, pour in the hot coffee. Whisk together vigorously with a wire whisk until you no longer see any lumps or streaks of dry ingredients and the mixture is even (ie the hot coffee isn't sitting on the top of the bowl) – about 1 minute.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake for about 35 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean or with a few cake crumbs. I recommend first checking around 30 minutes, although it may take up to 40 minutes.
Chocolate Frosting
- In a large bowl, beat the butter until softened.
- Sift in 2 cups powdered sugar, along with the sifted cocoa powder, vanilla and salt. Start with the mixer on a low speed and gradually increase to medium speed until combined.
- Beat in the rest of the powdered sugar about 1/2 cup at a time, alternating with 1-2 tablespoons of cream (or milk) until the desired consistency and sweetness is reached.
- Ensure that the cake has fully cooled, then frost with a flat edge knife. Optionally, decorate with sprinkles.
Notes
- Cocoa: Use Dutch processed cocoa (sometimes called Dark or Specialty Dark) for best results.
- Room Temperature Ingredients: The eggs, milk and sour cream should be at room temperature before getting started.
- Sour Cream: Can be replaced with plain, Greek yogurt. Do not use vanilla yogurt.
- Hot Coffee: This can be replaced with boiling water.
- Storage: Unfrosted cake can be covered and stored at room temperature overnight. Frosted cake can be stored at room temperature for up to 8 hours, then stored covered in the fridge for up to 4 days. After being in the fridge, let the cake sit on the counter at room temperature for about 30 minutes before enjoying.
- Nutrition: Details provided are an estimate only and based on 1 slice of cake with frosting, assuming the recipe yields 18 uniform pieces.
Nutrition
It took me more then 30 minutes, at least 45, did I do something wrong?
Not necessarily – oven times can vary. As well, using a glass or ceramic pan instead of a metal pan can increase the bake time.
Do I leave this cake in the pan or can I invert and frost the sides and top?
You could do either. I typically just leave it in the pan just in case.
Just made this for a third time during quarantine. My family can’t get enough of it!
So glad you’re finding a chocolate-y way to pass the time!
I just whipped this up as a rainy day treat for the family. This was a perfect base recipe for our turtle cheesecake poke cake! Thank you for sharing!
Can this be made as a layer cake? If so, what size pans, how many and how long to bake?
Just made this because the little kids are coming over!
I hope they like it…Oh! Who am I kidding? Of course they will LOVE it – it’s chocolate and it’s 9×13!!!!!
All that’s left is to make the icing!
Thank you.
-Monika
Thanks so much for your sweet comment Monika! I hope you love the recipe 🙂
Feedback:
H’s reaction: Shaking upon seeing it. Good sign. “I don’t like frosting” after which he LICKED it clean….and then asked for a second piece!
F’s reaction: stuffing pieces so big into his mouth that pieces fell out all over the place. LICKED it clean.
The boys’ reaction doesn’t surprise me…
But my parents! They LOVED it too! (And they don’t like things that are too sweet or too “American”.
*I did use a bit less sugar in the batter, I used closer to 3 cups of powdered sugar in the frosting, added salt, and used kefir, of all things, to thin it out.*
I will be making this again! Thanks again <3
This is so much better than any box mix, homemade, easy to make and loaded with flavor….this is on my weekend to bake list!
This looks like the perfect cake and frosting combo! So much chocolate!
Looks amazing! I’m sure it will be a hit in my house!
What a lovely and classic cake. It’s just pure happiness!