This chocolate sheet cake is super rich & moist, yet simple and easy to make. Made up of a soft, decadent chocolate cake that is packed with chocolate flavor and topped with a ridiculously good (yet easy to make) chocolate fudge frosting, I guarantee this chocolate sheet cake will become a family favorite!
Why You’ll Love This Chocolate Sheet Cake
When it comes to chocolate cake, it needs to be rich and super chocolatey, moist in texture and paired with a delicious frosting. This chocolate sheet cake has all those elements (like my popular rich chocolate cake recipe – except this one is easier to make)! Let’s dive a little deeper into each element 🙂
Rich Chocolate Flavor
I wanted this sheet cake to be easy to make without compromising on flavor. I made sure to use heaps of cocoa powder to pack in the chocolate flavor, and balanced it out with both soft light brown sugar and regular granulated sugar. Brown sugar adds additional moisture and flavor to the cake which is why I love using it in this recipe.
To amplify the cocoa flavor, I also used hot coffee in this recipe. Coffee is used in chocolate flavored recipes to amp up the chocolate flavor (without it tasting like coffee). It really takes the rich flavor of this cake to another level!
Super Moist
This chocolate sheet cake is SUPER soft and moist due to a few key ingredients. Firstly, I opted to use a combination of oil and butter (oil for moisture, butter for additional flavor), and they both contribute to how moist the cake is. Some other notable ingredients are soft light brown sugar, eggs and milk.
Chocolate Fudge Frosting
Sticking to the theme of ‘easy’, I wanted to use a rich frosting that didn’t take too long to make. I originally tried a simple chocolate buttercream, but wanted something with more of rich and decadent feel to it.
I then thought of using my original chocolate fudge frosting recipe (which is probably one of my favorite frostings of all time!), but it requires a few hours to set. I then decided to try a more simple version of a chocolate fudge frosting where the frosting is whipped to cool it down quicker. It worked like a charm and was the perfect frosting for this cake. It really takes the cake to another level – a chocolate lovers dream dessert!
How to Make Chocolate Sheet Cake
Chocolate Cake
Preheat oven to 180 °C (350°F) conventional (see note 2 in recipe card below if using a convection oven with a fan) and lightly grease a 9×13 inch cake pan (I use my homemade cake release). Line the bottom long ways with parchment paper (this will make it easier to take the cake out when it’s done).
Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Using a whisk or fork, mix until well combined and set aside for now.
In a large bowl add in brown sugar, white sugar, milk, melted butter, unflavored vegetable oil, eggs and vanilla. Using a whisk, stir until well combined.
Add in the flour mixture from earlier to the wet ingredients and mix with a whisk until just combined. Do not overmix.
Add in hot coffee (make sure to boil the water used to make the coffee close to when it needs to go into the batter) and mix with a whisk until well combined. The mixture should be smooth, but avoid overmixing.
Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan from earlier. Drop the cake pan lightly on the counter to remove any large air bubbles and bake for 27 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs on it.
Allow the cake to cool in the cake pan for 20 minutes, before carefully turning it out onto a wire rack to completely cool. Once cooled, carefully invert onto a serving plate (see video for demonstration if unsure of the best way to do this) and frost with chocolate fudge frosting (recipe below).
Chocolate Fudge Frosting
Place saucepan over a low-medium heat and add in butter. Allow it to melt, keeping a close eye on it to ensure it doesn’t burn. Once it starts to gently bubble, add in cocoa powder and mix with a spatula until smooth. Once smooth, mix for a further 10 seconds (make sure the heat isn’t too high – make it lower if it feels like the mixture is catching too quickly on the bottom of the pan) and then transfer the mixture to a large heatproof bowl.
To the mixture add in powdered sugar, milk (make sure it’s room temperature NOT cold), vanilla and salt. Using a hand or stand mixer, mix on a low speed until everything is combined and then turn up the speed to a medium-high and whip for anywhere between 2-5 minutes, until the frosting thickens up and is a smooth spreadable consistency (but still a little loose – see note 3). Mixing time will vary depending on how cold the temperature is 🙂
Spread over the cake using an offset spatula or the back of a tablespoon. Enjoy!
How to Store Chocolate Sheet Cake
This chocolate sheet cake can be left at room temperature in an airtight container for two days, after which it’s best to store in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Moist Chocolate Sheet Cake
Print Pin VideoIMPORTANT: For accuracy, I would recommend using the gram measurements provided, as those are the exact quantities I use. Cup measurements are given as estimates (based on US cup measurements) to make it easier for those who do not have a scale.
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 1¾ cups (210 g) all purpose flour
- ¾ cup (75 g) cocoa powder - Dutch processed preferred (see note 1)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt - only use 1/2 tsp if using salted butter in this recipe
- 1 cup (200 g) soft light brown sugar
- 1 cup (200 g) white granulated sugar
- ¾ cup (180 g) milk - room temperature, whole milk
- ¼ cup (56 g) unsalted butter - melted
- ½ cup (105 g) unflavored vegetable oil - I use canola oil
- 2 large eggs - room temperature
- 2½ tsps vanilla extract/essence
- ¾ cup (180 g) strong hot coffee - I use 1 tbsp instant coffee powder in 180g (¾ cup) hot water, but you can use espresso as well.
Chocolate Fudge Frosting
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter
- ⅔ cup (66 g) cocoa powder - Dutch processed preferred (see note 1)
- 2½ cups (315 g) powdered sugar - also known as icing/confectioners sugar
- ⅓ cup (80 g) milk - room temperature, whole milk
- 1½ tsps vanilla
- ⅛ tsp salt - omit if using salted butter, though I do recommend using unsalted 🙂
Instructions
Chocolate Cake
- Preheat oven to 180 °C (350°F) conventional (see note 2 if using a convection oven with a fan) and lightly grease a 9x13 inch cake pan (I use my homemade cake release). Line the bottom long ways with parchment paper (this will make it easier to take the cake out when it's done).
- Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Using a whisk or fork, mix until well combined and set aside for now.
- In a large bowl add in brown sugar, white sugar, milk, melted butter, unflavored vegetable oil, eggs and vanilla. Using a whisk, mix until well combined.
- Add in presifted dry ingredients from earlier to the wet ingredients and mix with a whisk until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Add in hot coffee and mix with a whisk until well combined. The mixture should be smooth, but avoid overmixing.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan from earlier. Drop the cake pan lightly on the counter to remove any large air bubbles and bake for 27 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs on it.
- Allow the cake to cool in the cake pan for 20 minutes, before carefully turning it out onto a wire rack to completely cool. Once cooled, carefully invert onto a serving plate (see video for demonstration if unsure of the best way to do this) and frost with chocolate fudge frosting (recipe below).
Chocolate Fudge Frosting
- Place saucepan over a low-medium heat and add in butter. Allow it to melt, keeping a close eye on it to ensure it doesn't burn.
- Once it starts to gently bubble, add in cocoa powder and mix with a spatula until smooth. Once smooth, mix for a further 10 seconds (make sure the heat isn't too high otherwise the cocoa will burn - make it lower if it feels like the mixture is catching too quickly on the bottom of the pan) and then transfer the mixture to a large heatproof bowl.
- To the mixture add in powdered sugar, milk (make sure it's room temperature NOT cold), vanilla and salt. Using a hand or stand mixer, mix on a low speed until everything is combined and then turn up the speed to a medium-high and whip for anywhere between 2-5 minutes, until the frosting thickens up and is a smooth spreadable consistency (but still a little loose - see note 3). Mixing time will vary depending on how cold the temperature is 🙂
- Spread over the cake using an offset spatula or the back of a tablespoon. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information are estimates only as they are automatically calculated by a third party application. Actual values may differ based on brands and types of products used.
114 Comments
As always MK cakes has never failed me! Keep up the excellent bakes.
Thanks Faisal! So glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
If I want to make a chocolate ermine frosting, how much cocoa should I add, and do I cook it with the flour?
Hi Annette! 😊
I haven’t tried making a chocolate ermine frosting myself, so I can’t say for sure. If you do try it, you would typically add cocoa to the cooked flour mixture, but I would recommend looking up a trusted chocolate ermine frosting recipe for the exact proportions. Hope that helps and hope you enjoy the recipe! 😊
Hello MK, could you please add whether your recipes can be frozen, how to wrap and for how long. Thank you xxx
Hi Shona! 🙂
I haven’t tried freezing most of my recipes myself, but many readers have with success! I would recommend making sure the cooled cake layers are wrapped well in cling wrap and placed into an airtight container before freezing and this should keep them nice and moist once thawed 🙂
I’m going to give your choc sheet cake a try. . newby cake maker and somewhat nervous but it’s my birthday soon and I am lusting for a real chocolatey treat – your recipe is sure to satisfy ! So beautifully explained and pictured I feel brave enough to give it a go. You’re so exceptionally kind to guide your followers with explanations as to the importance of why one ingredient is chosen over another. Super to learn from you. Thank you for sharing your awesome talent with us. God Bless.
Sending you greetings from Cape Town, South Africa ♡
Thank you so much Jezzy! 😀
If you ended up trying the cake for your birthday, I hope you enjoyed it and had a wonderful birthday 🙂
Much love from NZ to South Africa!
AssalamuAlaikum Maryam,
Can I use this cake recipe for 3 tiered wedding cake? And do I need to use buttercream dam for fudge frosting in that case or it is stable on its own.
Thankyou 🙂
Wassalaam Sehrish! 🙂
Yes this should work well for a tiered cake and yes I would recommend buttercream or ganache for a more stable frosting. Hope you enjoy the recipe 😀
I have just taken this cake out of of the oven. It looks good, although it fell slightly. I feel the recipe is a little too small for this pan. I prefer the cake to be thicker. What about increasing the recipe by 1 1/2?
Hi Heather! So sorry to hear the cake sunk slightly, check out this blog post for reasons why this may happen: https://cakesbymk.com/recipe/why-did-my-cake-sink-in-the-middle/
Yes you can totally increase the quantity for a thicker cake, you may just need to increase the cook time 🙂
Enjoy!
Your Orange Cake is really good
Do you have a recipe for EarlGreytea fruit LOAF
Thanks so much David! So glad you’re loving the orange cake 😀
Unfortunately I don’t have a recipe for that yet but will keep it in mind for future recipes 🙂
Amazing recipe! So easy yet decadent and flavourful! Everyone kept commenting on how moist it was, and the icing was sooooo yum! Thank you!
Yay! Thanks so much for the wonderful feedback Mia 😀
So glad everyone loved the recipe 🙂
Hello MK. Thanks for such nice recipes! I don’t have a convection (the fan) oven. What are the temps and times for a traditional non-fan oven when baking cakes? Thanks!
Hi Tam! You’re so welcome – so glad you’re enjoying them 🙂
For a conventional oven (no fan), for this recipe (and most cake recipes) you will bake at 180 °C (350°F). All my new recipes use conventional ovens so will usually be what’s stated in the main recipe. Usually I’ll have any adjustments to temperatures in the notes 🙂
Hope that helps and hope you enjoy the recipe!
I only make ur recipes Maryam sisss 😍😍 i m ur biggest fan since u started yt channel & I am sooo glad that I found your channel, helped me alot, keep going MK🔥, thanks for being my biggest inspiration.. Love the way you shared all the recipes honestly which tht comes out perfect all the time 🥰
I am looking forward of ur vanilla sheet cake soon 😍
Thank you so much for your trust in my recipes Rasheedah 😀
So glad you’re loving them and that they’re inspiring you to do more baking!
Really appreciate the love and support 🙂