A grocery store chocolate sheet cake is the first cake I ever remember eating. I was in first grade and it was my birthday cake, finished with a decorative Little Mermaid theme on top. After my birthday party, we still had half the cake left and my sister and I ate our way through it for the next week. It was GLORIOUS. I’m pretty sure that’s what kicked off my love of chocolate sheet cakes!
Our recipe today is so easy and there’s no need for a hand mixer or stand mixer, which is always my favorite kind of cake to make (or any baked good, for that matter). Our cake has a rich chocolatey flavor and a velvety texture. We topped our cake with an ultra creamy peanut butter frosting, but it also tastes amazing topped with a cream cheese frosting or even whipped chocolate ganache.
How to Make Our Chocolate Sheet Cake Recipe
Process
- Preheat oven to 350˚F. In a large mixing bowl whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- In a large measuring cup or another mixing bowl, combine eggs, buttermilk, coffee (or water), oil, and extract (or paste) and whisk together.
- Pour buttermilk mixture into flour mixture and whisk together until you have a smooth batter.
- Line a 9”x 13” baking pan with parchment paper, with a 2 inch overhang on each long side of the pan. Pour batter into prepared baking pan.
- Bake for 28 to 32 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean (or with just a couple crumbs) when inserted into the center of cake. Allow cake to cool completely (either in the pan or on a cooling rack).
- Turn cake over onto a large platter or cutting board. Peel away the parchment.
- Evenly spread frosting over cooled cake. Finish chocolate sheet cake with a sprinkle of chocolate shavings. Slice and serve.
Substitutions for Buttermilk
I love using buttermilk for this recipe, but don’t always have it on hand. Whenever that’s the case I do one of two things:
- Use buttermilk powder! Each brand is a little different, but for this recipe I generally use 3 tbsp + 1 tsp of buttermilk powder mixed with 1 2/3 cups water.
- Combine 1 2/3 cups whole milk with 1 tbsp + 2 tsp of lemon juice or white vinegar. Stir together. Let mixture sit for 5 minutes, stir once more and use.
Tips and Tricks for Success
- If you don’t have buttermilk use buttermilk powder and water or whole milk with some lemon juice (or vinegar), using the measurements from above.
- If you don’t want to use coffee, hot water will work just fine.
- Properly measure out your flour (so you’re not adding too much!). Scoop spoonfuls of flour into the measuring cup, then use a knife to level it out.
Freezing Instructions
Chocolate Sheet Cake
To freeze: Place cake on a parchment lined baking sheet and freeze until completely frozen. Once cake is frozen, tightly wrap in several layers of plastic wrap. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To thaw: Transfer wrapped cake to refrigerator and thaw overnight. Alternatively, unwrap frozen cake and transfer to a clean platter or cutting board. Leave cake at room temperature until completely thawed.
Peanut Butter Frosting
To freeze: Transfer frosting to an airtight (and freezer-proof) container and freeze for up to 3 months.
To Thaw: Transfer container of frosting to the refrigerator and thaw completely overnight. Once frosting has thawed. Scoop frosting into a mixing bowl and whip with a hand mixer for about 1 minute.
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Chocolate Sheet Cake
EQUIPMENT
INGREDIENTS
chocolate cake
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs
- 1 2/3 cups buttermilk
- 1/2 cup hot coffee
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or paste
creamy peanut butter frosring
- 1 recipe creamy peanut butter frosting
garnish
- 3 tablespoons dark chocolate shavings for garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line a 9”x 13” baking pan with parchment paper, with a 2 inch overhang on each long side of the pan, and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- In a large measuring cup or another mixing bowl, combine eggs, buttermilk, coffee (or water), oil, and extract (or paste) and whisk together.
- Pour buttermilk mixture into flour mixture and whisk together until you have a smooth batter.
- Pour batter into prepared baking pan and bake for 28 to 32 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean (or with just a couple crumbs) when inserted into the center of cake.
- Allow cake to cool completely (either in the pan or on a cooling rack) before turning it over onto a large platter or cutting board.
- Peel away the parchment and evenly spread frosting over cooled cake.
- Finish cake with a sprinkle of chocolate shavings. Slice and serve.
NOTES
- Use buttermilk powder! Each brand is a little different, but for this recipe I generally use 3 tbsp + 1 tsp of buttermilk powder mixed with 1 2/3 cups water.
- Combine 1 2/3 cups whole milk with 1 tbsp + 2 tsp of lemon juice or white vinegar. Stir together. Let mixture sit for 5 minutes, stir once more and use.
- If you don’t have buttermilk use buttermilk powder and water or whole milk with some lemon juice (or vinegar), using the measurements from above.
- If you don’t want to use coffee, hot water will work just fine.
- Properly measure out your flour (so you’re not adding too much!). Scoop spoonfuls of flour into the measuring cup, then use a knife to level it out.
Did you make this recipe? We want to see!
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Hi – I just recently made this cake and it was amazing! I went to make it again and it appears that the recipe has changed. Members of our family don’t like coffee and it is now in the recipe. Also, I believe there was hot water involved. Unfortunately, I did not print out that particular recipe that also include the icing recipe on the same page. Would you be able to provide the old recipe? I’m sure this recipe is delicious but we really did love the previous version!
Thanks!
Hi! The recipe is the same except coffee has replaced the hot water (although you can still totally use water) and the dry ingredients and wet ingredients are mixed separately before they are mixed together. The frosting is also the same! We just dedicated a post to the frosting itself bc we love it so much!
Made it, tastes great, icing recipe makes a lot!!!
I split this in half and made cupcakes out of it (it made just about 12 cupcakes). It didn’t rise as much as I would have hoped, but it was delicious and the frosting was amazing. The cake was a nice deep, dark chocolate flavor. It was a tad crumbly, so definitely needed cupcake liners. Per America’s Test Kitchen, I actually used the hot water to bloom the cocoa, then added it with the wet ingredients. Overall, I’ll definitely make again. Might tweak it for a bit more fat or something so it’s not so crumbly.
This cake is gorgeous. Chocolate and peanut butter is heaven.
Per directions, water goes in with eggs, buttermilk , etc.
I’m a little confused. In your ingredients you list a cup of hot water. In your directions you do not mention the hot water. When do you put in the hot water?