This Chocolate Sheet Cake Recipe is ridiculously easy to make, it is super moist and it is the perfect dessert to feed a crowd. Chocolate Buttercream Frosting tops it off perfectly, making a delicious cake for any type of gathering.
I used to order sheet cakes for my boys’ birthday celebrations from bakeries because it takes 2 minutes to fill out an online order form. I recently became sheet cake enlightened, friends, because guess what!? It doesn’t take much longer than that to make a sheet cake entirely from scratch AND it is WAY more affordable. No more choking and gasping for air after seeing a bakery receipt. I now make sheet cakes myself and everyone loves them! This chocolate sheet cake is moist, delicious, chocolatey and it bakes perfectly every single time. No droopy centers or burned edges. I’m talking total chocolate sheet cake perfection, my friends.
HOW TO MAKE THE PERFECT CHOCOLATE SHEET CAKE
One of the biggest selling points for making sheet cakes from scratch (as opposed to purchasing one from a bakery) is the affordability! Sheet cakes are also extremely easy to make, requiring no special techniques and just basic baking skills. Here are the simple steps to create a delicious chocolate sheet cake!
Preheat oven to 350°F and coat an 11×16 (or similar) pan with cooking spray. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer), combine the oil, sugars, eggs and vanilla and beat on medium speed until creamy.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix well. Gradually add to the butter mixture and beat on medium-low speed until just combined. Add the coffee and buttermilk and mix on medium speed until creamy, approximately 1 minute. Add Nutella and mix until just combined.
Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool and frost with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting.
TIPS FOR MAKING THIS THE BEST EVER CHOCOLATE SHEET CAKE
USE FRESH INGREDIENTS – It is so important when baking to make sure all of your ingredients are FRESH, which means within their expiration time frame but also moist and free of lumps. Leavening agents (baking powder and baking soda) should be used within 6 months of the container first being opened.
NUTELLA – Replace Nutella in the recipe with a milk chocolate spread, if desired. In a pinch, the Nutella can be omitted (it still turns out GREAT. I’ve made this recipe successfully with and without it), although I think it adds to the moist, fudgy texture.
COFFEE – The coffee adds a delicious depth to the flavor of the cake and I promise promise you won’t actually taste coffee when you take a bite. When you add the coffee, make sure it is somewhere on the warm to hot spectrum.
BUTTERMILK – You can use milk in place of the buttermilk in a pinch, but the end result will be a less fluffy cake. The buttermilk helps this cake to rise beautifully and perfectly, so I highly recommend using it. If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, make your own by combining 1 cup of milk with EITHER 1 tablespoon of lemon juice OR 1 tablespoon of white vinegar. Mix well and let sit for 5-10 minutes, or until small curdles stick to a spoon.
HOW MANY DOES A SHEET CAKE FEED?
How many people you’ll be able to feed depends on the size of pan used. When you use an 11×16 or 12×18 pan, you will be able to feed 24-35 people, depending on how big the pieces are cut.
THE BEST DESSERTS FOR PARTIES
Sheet cakes are IDEAL for parties of any kind. Literally any gathering no matter the theme will be better when a sheet cake is involved. Here are a handful of other great party dessert options:
Enjoy this delicious chocolate sheet cake! Leave a comment and let me know what type of gathering you made it for!
Chocolate Sheet Cake
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup light brown sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup brewed coffee hot or warm
- 3/4 cup buttermilk shaken, at room temp
- 1/2 cup Nutella
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and coat an 11×16 (or similar) pan with cooking spray. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer), combine the oil, sugars, eggs and vanilla and beat on medium speed until creamy.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix well. Gradually add to the butter mixture and beat on medium-low speed until just combined. Add the coffee and buttermilk and mix on medium speed until creamy, approximately 1 minute. Add Nutella and mix until just combined.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool and frost with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting.
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