Easy & Moist Chocolate Sheet Cake (video)
This incredible chocolate sheet cake is just as easy to make as a boxed cake mix. It’s crazy moist and super delicious. The luscious chocolate frosting is silky-smooth and creamy. It’s the ultimate chocolate lover’s dream!
Why this recipe is so great:
- Super easy to make – All you have to do is toss together your dry ingredient, then mix in your wet ingredients, and you’ve got this thin luscious cake batter just like a cake mix (but without all the preservatives!)
- Very adaptable – You can use this recipe to make chocolate cupcakes, a layer cake, or even a bundt cake. A quarter sheet cake is my go-to because it’s so easy. All you have to do is pour the whole batter into one baking pan and then slather some frosting on it. There’s no need to evenly divide the batter or get fancy with piping the frosting and it feeds a crowd which is great for the holiday season coming up.
- Simple to serve – Because you can easily cut them into any size piece of cake you want. They’re great for kid parties, office parties, potlucks, or any occasion where there are lots of guests and you want an uncomplicated yet delicious dessert to serve.
- Here are some reviews:
“This recipe is so easy and taste amazing!!!! So moist! Probably one of the best sheet cakes I’ve ever had! Definitely a crowd pleaser!!” – Hollie
“I made this cake last weekend – it is everything you say AND MORE! I will definitely be making it again. Thank you!” – Gina
How to make chocolate sheet cake:
(the ingredient amounts are listed in the printable recipe card further below)
- You start by tossing together all your dry ingredients in a large bowl (a.k.a. cake mix).
- In a separate bowl, whisk together your wet ingredients.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula until combined.
- Whisk in one cup of hot water.
- Pour the batter into your baking pan and bake for 30 minutes at 350F.
- For the frosting: you start by beating the butter for about a minute until light and creamy.
- Mix in the powdered sugar and milk/cream.
- Lastly, mix in the unsweetened cocoa powder and vanilla until smooth.
FAQ:
How do you store chocolate sheet cake?
Tightly cover or place in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature or for up to a week in the fridge.
Can you freeze chocolate sheet cake?
Yes, but it’s best to freeze the cake unfrosted. Once the cake is completely cooled, tightly cover in a double layer of saran wrap and a layer of foil. Date and freeze for up to 1 month. When preparing to serve, thaw the cake at room temperature for about 4 hours or overnight in the fridge, and prepare the frosting as instructed.
What is the purpose of the hot water?
The hot water is added at the very end because the flour is effectively coated with fat (the oil and eggs), thereby reducing the amount of gluten that can form (flour + liquid). The reason the water is hot is because hot liquid helps bloom the cocoa powder, creating a deeper, more rich chocolate flavor. (source: Reddit)
You might also like:
- German Chocolate Cake
- Chocolate Fudge Cake
- Homemade Black Forest Cake
- Chocolate Lava Cakes
- Triple Chocolate Cake
Did you make this recipe? Please kindly leave a comment with your star rating below.
PrintEasy & Moist Chocolate Sheet Cake
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Cook Time: 30 min
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 12-24
- Category: dessert
- Method: bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
This incredible chocolate cake recipe is just as easy to make as a boxed cake mix. It’s crazy moist and super delicious. The luscious chocolate frosting is silky-smooth and creamy.
Ingredients
Chocolate cake
- 1 3/4 cups (228g) all purpose flour
- 2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup (85g) natural unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
- 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 buttercream
- 1 cup (227g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 4 cups (500g) powdered sugar
- 4–6 tbsp milk or cream
- 1/2 cup (57g) natural unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- sprinkles (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and grease a 9×13″ baking pan with non-stick baking spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, vegetable oil, vanilla and eggs.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until combined with a rubber spatula.
- Add in the hot water and whisk until smooth.
- Pour into the prepared baking pan and bake for 30-32 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Let cool completely before frosting.
To prepare the buttercream:
- Using a handheld or stand mixer, beat the butter for 1 minute until creamy. Mix in 1 cup of powder sugar and with 1 tbsp of milk/cream at a time, mixing well in between.
- Mix in the cocoa powder and vanilla until smooth. Add more milk/cream if necessary for a spreadable consistency.
Notes
Leftovers can be stored tightly covered or placed in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature or for up to a week in the fridge.
Unfrosted cake can be stored in the freezer for up to a month. Once the cake is completely cooled, tightly cover in a double layer of saran wrap and a layer of foil. Date and place in freezer. When preparing to serve, thaw the cake at room temperature for about 4 hours or overnight in the fridge, and prepare the frosting as instructed.
For two 8″ round pans, bake for 30–35 minutes.
For two 9″ round pans, bake for 25–30 minutes.
For cupcakes (makes 24), bake for 15-20 minutes.
For a bundt pan, bake for 40-45 minutes.
Recipe adapted from Life, Love & Sugar
Hello again Lily,
I posted the following again since I wasn’t sure if you would see it or not. It ended up below my earliest comment from Sept. 5. Anyway, got around to making this chocolate cake after we talked about the possibility of my over-beating. This was definitely much better and it is delicious, light and very moist. My husband loves it too! Thank you for your lovely recipes! Blessings, Ruth
You’re very welcome, Ruth! Thank you for taking the time to give me your feedback and glad to hear your husband loves it too. Enjoy and have a great weekend!
This cake looks delish. i can’t wait to try it! I have to bake a cake for my grandson and I was wondering if you could tell me how to adjust this recipe to fit an 11×15 sheet pan?
Since the cake won’t be as thick in the center it will most likely take less time, so I would start checking at 20 minutes. And depending on the depth of your sheet pan, just remember not to overfill. I hope this helps and happy birthday to your grandson!
Thank you so much!
This looks so delicious! I would really like to try your recipe but I had a question I’m hoping you can help me with. I’ve made cake very similar recipes to yours, but both times I made them the cakes sank, didn’t rise much and had a rubbery-like texture. The directions called for in the other recipes I made called for “boiling water” rather than “hot” like you use. Also, in both previous cases after adding the liquid ingredients to the dry, I was supposed to beat with a mixer for 2 minutes, then add the boiling water. Could these 2 differences have been the problem in my poor results? Is over-beating a likely problem here?
Thanks so much for your help.
Ruth
There could be many reasons, but you are probably right. It does sound like an over-mixing issue creating too much gluten and a rubbery texture. I would beat until just combined and see if that fixes the problem. I hope this helps!
I just got around to making your chocolate cake after we talked about the possibility of my over-beating. This was definitely much better and it is delicious. My husband loves it too! Thank you for your lovely recipes.
I love making this cake, but often get very bitter bites when eating it. Could this be the baking soda? It happens every time I bake this cake.
It could be. Try reducing the baking soda to 2 tsp and see if that helps.
If you leave the Cocoa powder out, can you make this a vanilla sheet cake?
Not quite, but I do have a vanilla sheet cake recipe for you: https://www.littlesweetbaker.com/vanilla-sheet-cake-vanilla-buttercream/ I hope you like it!
Question: if I use this recipe to bake a 3 layer 8 inch cake, and use your whipped chocolate ganache as the frosting instead, will the whipped frosting be stable enough for this cake?
Hi Cristina,
Yes, the whipped frosting will be stable enough for the 3 layer cake. Store the cake in the fridge to keep it fresh. Enjoy and happy Easter!
Thank you for sharing this recipe. So easy to make and tastes amazing, loved by my husband and kids.
You’re very welcome, Tracey! I’m so happy your whole family enjoyed it:)
SO EASY! I was worried it was too wet going into the oven but it came out perfectly. I’ve made a number of times now (excellent quick and easy solution to any school cake bakes or the likes). My oven produces better results after 35mins. Strongly recommend giving this a go, just trust the recipe and you will be rewarded with rich, moist cake which is even better the next day.
Hi there! Can this batter stay at room temperature while the other cake is baking? As my oven is not big one.
Yes, as long as it does not sit out for more than an hour you should be fine. Now pls note that the second cake probably won’t rise as high as you will lose some leavening power as it sits.
Hi there, I was wondering once completely cool, can this be sliced into 2 layers and filled with the frosting in between the layers? I’m looking for a recipe to make a “1” shaped cake for my daughter’s birthday. Will this be an easy cake to handle when trying to create the shape?
I look forward to hearing from you!
Hi Sonja, TBH this cake would probably be too fragile because its texture is quite soft and tender.
This is a awesome recipe. The best icing recipe too..
Super easy and delicious!! I love that it didn’t require sour cream like most other sheet cake recipes (cuz we never have sour cream in our fridge 🙃). I used hot coffee instead of hot water and it turned out great. Thanks for the great recipe!!
You’re very welcome, Seo-Yeon! Enjoy the cake and have a great weekend!
It’s TOO good! I’m addicted. I’ve been making way too much cake! 😆 Thank you, thank you, thank you.
You’re very very very welcome, Kait! Lol. I’m so happy you like it that much and thank you for your kind words:)
A family favorite. Have made it and my husband has made it more often than me .Our kids have made it as well. Thank you for this fantastic recipe.
You’re very welcome, Donna! Thank you for your kind words. I’m so happy to hear that your whole family have made the cake:)
Great recipe and instructions!! The cake is so delicious I used coconut oil just cuz it was all I had and extra dark Cocoa and it was really great for my black forest cake. Thanks!
You’re welcome, Karina! Glad you liked it:)
Made this cake less than 4 hours ago and 80% of it is already done! I expect the other 20% to be consumed before dawn! My very particular neighbour just called to tell me that this was the best chocolate cake she’s ever had and her grandkids have approved it — even requesting that I bake them one ASAP!
This recipe is so damn easy to put together and yielding to variation. I’ve modified mine slightly and thought I’d share it. I decreased the sugar to 1.5 cups, and per your suggestion, I reduced the baking soda to 1.5 tsp. I also added 2 tbsp condensed milk to the wet ingredients and a pinch of cinnamon to the dry ingredients. I also added 1 tsp instant coffee to the hot water to intensify the chocolate flavour. I frosted mine with a thin layer of simple chocolate glaze.
Thank you for sharing your recipe! It’s an instant keeper for me and my neighbour. Will be making this for a long time! 😊
You’re very welcome, Amanda! I’m so happy to hear that you and your neighbour enjoyed the cake:) Thank you for your lovely feedback and for sharing your changes – much appreciated!
hiya – how long would you bake this in a 32 by 18cm tray? thank you
For a 12.5 x 7 inch pan because the cake will be deeper it might actually take longer to bake. I’m guessing 30-45 minutes. Keep a close eye on it after 30 minutes, checking periodically until a toothpick comes out clean. Enjoy!
Extremely light, and lovely. Perhaps it should be called Angel’s Food Dark. The cake This chocolate cake was super dark and moist. The icing was smooth, rich, and easy to put on. The pastel topping in the picture added a delicate and attractive touch. I could not find anything like it, however. Rainbow Sprinkles were a good substitute. I made this cake for the first time for a special event, something I have never done. Two cups of sugar may have been a tad excessive. I will try reducing it to 1 1/2 cups next time. I wondered whether there was a misprint/typo in calling for 2 1/4 teaspoons of baking soda. I will cut that down to 1 1/4 teaspoons, hoping it will not sacrifice the lightness of this fantastic dessert! I used Ghiradelli cocoa powder which may have cut down on the metallic odor people complained about. Thank you, Little Sweet Baker!
Hi, looks great. I’m wondering if I halved the recipe would it still turn out? Making cupcakes. Thank you.
Yes, you can half this recipe. Just make sure to accurately cut all the ingredients in half. Enjoy and have a great day!
Hi dear thanks for sharing this amazing recipe im just having one small problem with it first time it smelled a little bitter i though it was because of the cocoa powder so i made this for the second time today I reduced the chocolate powder a little bit still smells a little strange but tastes sooooo good do you know why is that?
I’m wondering if perhaps there is a little too much baking soda causing a mild metallic odor? Try reducing the baking soda to 1 3/4 tsp and increasing the baking powder to 1 1/2 tsp and see if that eliminates the bitter smell.