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.
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.
Notes
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!