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Easy Sheet Cake With Chocolate-Cream Cheese Frosting

4.3

(111)

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Photo by Chelsie Craig

Meet your new favorite birthday cake recipe.

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What you’ll need

Recipe information

  • Yield

    12 servings

Ingredients

1¾

cups (3½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, divided, plus more for pan

3¼

cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan

2

cups granulated sugar

1

Tbsp. baking powder

1¾

tsp. kosher salt, divided

½

tsp. baking soda

2

large eggs plus 5 large egg yolks

1¼

cups buttermilk, room temperature

2

Tbsp. vegetable oil

1

Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. vanilla extract, divided

6

oz. cream cheese, room temperature

2

cups powdered sugar

¼

cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Sprinkles (for serving; optional)

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Place a rack in center of oven; preheat to 325°. Smear room-temperature butter all over bottom and sides of a 13x9" baking dish (metal or glass is okay) with your fingertips. Sprinkle a light dusting of flour into pan, then shake pan to coat all over; tap out excess flour.

    Step 2

    Whisk 2 cups granulated sugar, 1 Tbsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. salt, ½ tsp. baking soda, and remaining 3¼ cups flour in a large bowl.

    Step 3

    Whisk 2 eggs, 5 egg yolks, 1¼ cups buttermilk, 2 Tbsp. oil, and 1 Tbsp. vanilla in a medium bowl until smooth.

    Step 4

    Cut 2 sticks butter into 1" pieces and add to bowl with dry ingredients. (Now's a good time to make sure your butter is really at room temp—as in, you should be able to make an impression in the butter with your finger. If it's too firm, you won't be able to properly incorporate it into the flour.) Using an electric mixer on low speed, slowly increasing speed to medium, beat until butter is worked into dry ingredients and mixture looks like coarse meal, 4–5 minutes. There shouldn't be any dry flour or visible chunks of butter at this point.

    Step 5

    Make a well in center of flour mixture and pour in half of buttermilk mixture. Starting on low speed and slowly increasing to medium, beat until all of flour mixture is hydrated.

    Step 6

    Add remaining buttermilk mixture and beat on low speed until liquid is incorporated. Increase speed to high and beat until mixture is satiny smooth, light, and thick, about 1 minute.

    Step 7

    Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth into corners in an even layer.

    Step 8

    Bake cake until top is golden brown, firm to the touch, and a tester inserted into center comes out clean, 45–55 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

    Step 9

    Make icing while cake cools. Using electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat 6 oz. cream cheese and remaining 1½ sticks butter in a medium bowl until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

    Step 10

    Add 2 cups powdered sugar, ¼ cup cocoa powder, and remaining ¾ tsp. salt and beat again, scraping down sides of bowl, until completely smooth.

    Step 11

    Add remaining 1 tsp. vanilla and continue to beat until fluffy and lightened in color, another minute.

    Step 12

    Smooth icing over top of cooled cake (it should not be at all warm to the touch, or else the icing will melt).

    Step 13

    Top cake with sprinkles, if desired. Cut into pieces and serve.

    Step 14

    Do Ahead: Cake can be baked and frosted 2 days ahead. Chill until icing is solid, then cover with plastic wrap and keep chilled. Bring to room temperature before serving.

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Reviews (111)

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  • Yum!! Made it for my 3yo birthday and got several compliments and some requests for the recipe :) my partner told everyone I made it before I tried it and was worried it wouldn’t be very good but after got embarrassed because it was really that good! A few adults told me they loved it even tho they usually don’t eat cake ❤️ super good ! 👍

    • Anonymous

    • Detroit

    • 11/27/2022

  • This is an amazing recipe. Paul Hollywood eat your heart out, the crumb and flavor are fantastic. The frosting wasn’t bad but not my favorite, although the texture was great. Don’t change a thing!

    • Stephanie G

    • 7/18/2022

  • I made this cake a few days ago in a 9 x 12 glass Pyrex pan. It turned out great. I did have to bake it for longer, but it still turned out perfect. I think it took almost 30 minutes longer to bake. I followed the instructions and measurements perfectly. I used my kitchen aid mixer to fold the butter into the dry ingredients, and I stopped once I achieved the texture that was described in the directions. I did not overmix the batter. I stopped once I achieved the right consistency. The icing is not TOO sweet. It’s very balanced, and it is absolutely perfect for the sponge. I will definitely make this again. Thanks for the gorgeous recipe!

    • Michelle

    • Madison, AL

    • 5/29/2022

  • I loved this recipe and will definitely make it again. The texture and butteriness of the sponge was perfect - the flavour was biscuity and it reminded me of a classic, squidgy chocolate chip cookie. I had to convert it to UK measurements but it still turned out very well - even when I under-measured my baking tin and it overflowed into the oven (whoops). Somehow the cake was salvageable and the icing covered a multitude of sins. The frosting is one of the best I’ve tried and I’ll be using it in place of traditional buttercream icing in other baking recipes. Thanks Claire!

    • Nardwick

    • England, UK

    • 1/14/2022

  • Overall, the cake was ok; Not too sweet and the icing was a good compliment with it's slightly tangy sweetness (but not too sweet). I baked the cake in a glass 9x13 and had to cook it a bit more, which made it a touch dry. I also found it a bit dense. Not sure if I overworked the batter, but I was using a handheld mixture and I was finding it a bit thick to mix. It's a bit of a shame when mixing for just a minute more can change the texture. It would be nice to have a foolproof method for something like a birthday cake. I'm thinking of Chris Morrocco's chocolate cake recipe, but not sure how it would do in a 9x13. I might make it again, but with 25% more icing. I found the ratio was 95% cake 5% icing. I would also get a metal pan to make sure it cooks the same. In summary, not a bad cake, but not amazing. Lots of mixed feelings.

    • Adèle

    • Montréal, Canada

    • 11/22/2021

  • For those planning on making cupcakes- this makes at least 36 cupcakes. Make sure each cupcake tin is only 1/2 filled, and do NOT tempt fate and just 'top them off', or risk what I've done a few times already- a beautiful puffy sheet cake topping to my cupcake tray :/. 10/10 recipe, now if only I can get my cupcake game in order. (This time, I used a 1/4 c. Ice cream scooper, leveled off, to measure each cupcake. That was TOO MUCH.)

    • Cupcake fiend

    • New York

    • 7/4/2021

  • Delicious. I just made this for my nephew’s high school graduation. It was a big hit. Many many thanks to Nicole from Seattle for pointing out the ambiguous butter measurement, keeping me from making the same mistake. I think basically tries too hard to be different from the rest of the magazine, and as a result can produce sloppy recipes. Regardless, this cake was buttery, vanilla-y, super moist, and the frosting was sublime. Together they made an elevated version of a bakery classic. I made it gluten free by substituting rice flour for all purpose flour with no other additions/substitutions. Yum.

    • Eleni

    • Cleveland, OH

    • 6/2/2021