Indulge in a slice of this decadent Chocolate Sheet Cake! This moist cake has a rich cocoa flavor and the best ever creamy chocolate frosting. It’s easy enough to make any day of the year, but tastes special enough for a birthday or celebration. Sprinkle with nuts and serve with a big glass of milk for chocolate lover’s heaven.
Reasons We Love This Cake!
- Ultra moist. Every bite of this chocolatey cake is better than the last.
- Best chocolate flavor. With cocoa powder in the cake batter AND the frosting, you can’t go wrong.
- Creamy frosting is easy to spread onto the finished cake without frosting bags.
- Bakes in a single pan. No layers to assemble!
- Versatile and delicious. Add nuts or other toppings—or just serve as is!
Chocolate Sheet Cake Recipe
Who doesn’t love chocolate cake? It’s the one dessert that almost no one will turn down. Especially when it’s covered in a thick layer of rich chocolate frosting! Today’s cake recipe is positively swoon-worthy. Extra chocolatey and unbelievably rich, this sheet cake is the stuff dreams are made of.
Easy Homemade Chocolate Cake
I love baking sheet cakes. When you don’t have the time to spend fussing with layers and frosting bags, sheet cake recipes are a life saver. Mix the batter together, pour it into a pan and bake! It’s that easy.
Learn how to make homemade sheet cake and you’ll be set for any occasion. This recipe is perfect for a crowd and makes a wonderful birthday cake too.
This chocolate sheet cake recipe features pure cocoa flavor at its finest. Without a ton of mix-ins or toppings, the chocolate taste shines through beautifully!
How To Make A Chocolate Sheet Cake
Ingredients
Ingredients at a glance, full printable recipe is found below.
Cake
- Flour – All purpose is perfect for this cake.
- Sugar
- Salt
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder – For this recipe use all natural cocoa powder, not Dutch processed.
- Butter – Unsalted preferred, but if salted is all you have on hand, it will be fine.
- Water
- Milk
- Eggs – Make sure they are large eggs
- Baking soda
- Vanilla Extract – Pure vanilla extract is always preferred.
Frosting
- Milk
- Cocoa Powder
- Butter
- Powdered Sugar
- Vanilla Extract
Supplies
- Mixing Bowls
- Saucepan
- Sheet pan – 11.5″ x 17.25″ was used to make this recipe
Steps To Take
Steps to take at a glance, full printable recipe is found below.
- Combine flour, sugar and salt, then set aside.
- In a saucepan, melt butter along with cocoa powder and bring to just beginning to boil.
- Combine melted mixture with flour mixture. Allow mixture to cool slightly.
- Add milk, eggs, baking soda and vanilla and stir to combine.
- Pour into a sheet pan, then bake.
The Best Chocolate Frosting
This frosting is made by warming melted butter and milk with cocoa powder. The warmth helps the cocoa powder fully incorporate and dissolve. After mixing with powdered sugar and vanilla, you get a velvety smooth icing.
It’s easy to pour on to the baked chocolate cake and spread evenly with a spatula. NO fancy cake decorating skills needed to make this chocolate sheet cake look as good as it tastes!
Questions and Answers
What kind of pan do I need for chocolate sheet cake? My sheet pan is 11.5 x 17.25 inches. If using a smaller pan, you will need to add a bit more baking time.
What kind of nuts do you put on sheet cake? Both chopped walnuts and pecans are delicious on this cake! Or go ahead and serve it without nuts. It’ll taste great either way.
How do you store chocolate sheet cake? Store leftovers tightly covered at room temperature. Enjoy within 3 days for best taste.
Can you freeze sheet cake? Yes, but I would freeze the cake unfrosted. You can wrap the cake in the (freezer safe) sheet pan in plastic wrap, then foil. Store in the freezer for up to 2 months. When ready to eat, let the cake thaw and add frosting before serving.
More Recipes You’ll Love
Can’t get enough chocolate? These other easy desserts are sure to win you over too!
- Chocolate Lover’s Mississippi Mud Cake
- Hershey’s Chocolate Cake
- Dark Chocolate Cake
- Molten Chocolate Cake
- Easter Chocolate Malt Ball Cake
Chocolate Sheet Cake
Ingredients
For the cake
- 2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder not Dutch process cocoa powder
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter
- 2/3 cup water
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
For the Frosting
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts optional for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt, set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter with the unsweetened cocoa powder, and water. Stir over medium heat until the mixture begins to boil.Remove the saucepan from the stove top, and pour into the large bowl with the flour mixture.Stir together until all of the ingredients are well combined and it resembles chocolate dough.
- Allow the mixture to sit for 1-2 minutes to cool. Stir in the milk, eggs, baking soda and vanilla, combining all ingredients together in the one bowl.
- Pour the batter into a lightly sprayed sheet pan. Use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to evenly distribute the batter into the pan. Lightly tap the pan once or twice on the counter to eliminate any bubbles in the batter.
- Place in the preheated oven, center rack and bake for about 15-18 minutes, until cake springs back to the touch. Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool. While it is cooling, prepare the frosting.
Frosting Instructions
- In a small or medium saucepan, melt the butter with the milk and cocoa powder, stirring until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Remove from the stove top and transfer to a large mixing bowl, or stand mixer. Add in the powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat the ingredients together until it is smooth and creamy. Frost the entire top of the cake. Optional: Add nuts by sprinkling on top of the cake after it is frosted.
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