Chocolate Sheet Cake

By Sarah On January 8, 2015 | Updated: March 5, 2026

This classic chocolate sheet cake is always a hit at parties! Supremely moist, heavy on the chocolate, and frosted in a silky chocolate fudge frosting.

Serious chocolate-lovers only past this point! We are not playing with the amount of chocolate packed into this sheet cake today.

Nor the size either, I mean LOOK at how huge that sucker is! This one will definitely feed a crew and trust me, you’ll be glad you end up with as much cake as you’re about to.

Chocolate sheet cake is always my go-to when it’s someone’s birthday or I’m bringing cake for a gathering and this one absolutely never disappoints with it’s moist texture and intense chocolate flavor.

The only way you could disappoint is if you cut the slices too small.

This Sheet Cake Features…

An incredibly moist and rich texture
A dark chocolate flavor in every bite
Rich chocolate fudge frosting

Making the Sheet Cake

(scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe)

Ingredients You Will Need

Granulated sugar
Brown sugar
Eggs
Vegetable oil
Sour cream
Buttermilk
Vanilla extract
All-purpose flour
Unsweetened cocoa powder
Baking powder
Baking soda
Kosher salt
Brewed coffee
Unsalted butter
2% or skim milk
Bittersweet chocolate

Choosing Your Pan

You will need a half sheet pan for this cake which should be 13 x 18 inch in size and 1 inch depth. Make sure you do not use a pan any less than 1 inch in depth otherwise your batter may overflow a bit during baking.

Tips for Perfect Sheet Cake

Measure flour correctly – I use the spoon-and-level technique for measuring flour as this will prevent over-measuring your flour. Use a spoon to scoop flour into the measuring cup, then level with the back of a knife.
Use brewed coffee – I like to use brewed coffee in lieu of hot water for a richer flavor that compliments the chocolate.
Gently fold batter – use a light hand when mixing batter and gently fold so as not to overmix.
Test cake with a toothpick – insert a toothpick in the center of cake to test for doneness. The cake is done when a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs sticking to it.
Allow cake to cool before frosting – if you try to frost the cake while it’s still warm the fudge frosting will melt off.
Boil the frosting ingredients – allow the sugar, butter, milk, and cocoa to come to a boil and boil for about 1 minute. Fold in chopped bittersweet chocolate and vanilla offheat until melted.
Allow frosting to cool 15 minutes – this cool time will set up the frosting a bit. I recommend not letting it cool any longer than that as it will become stiff the longer it sits and will spread much easier onto the cake while it’s warm.

Recipe Variations

Try these ideas for a different twist on this cake.

Use another frosting – try a chocolate buttercream, peanut butter frosting, or cream cheese frosting.
Top cake differently – skip the chocolate shavings and try a sprinkle of fresh raspberries, strawberries, or sprinkles.

Storing Cake

Store the cake in an airtight container (or wrap the pan in plastic wrap) at room temperature up to 4 days.

You can also freeze the cake (unfrosted) up to 2 months. Thaw the cake completely and top with warm frosting for serving.

This is definitely the cake to break out if you’re serving dessert for a crowd! Nobody will be able to resist the moist, rich texture and all that incredible fudge frosting smothered on top.

Chocolate-lovers, this one’s for you!

Save this recipe using the ‘save to recipe box’ button below. If you make it, please let us know! Leave a comment + star rating below, or take a photo and tag it on Instagram with #wholeandheavenlyoven.

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