This Vanilla sheet cake with chocolate frosting is soft and buttery with an extra tender crumb. Topped with a decadent chocolate frosting this cake stays soft for up to 3 days. Including tips and ingredients for an impressive cake that make for bakery style perfection.
Vanilla sheet cake with chocolate frosting
A classic bake made with a rich blend of butter, eggs, and buttermilk for a soft butter cake. It's the perfect bake for birthdays and everyday celebrations. Topped with a decadent chocolate frosting it's the ultimate combination in color and taste.
Made from scratch, this cake has the buttery taste of homemade cake yet the texture of a fluffy vanilla box cake. Super easy to prepare it's a dream to bake, frost and serve straight from the baking pan.
Although this is an easy bake, it's important that you follow the tips provided for the perfect bake always.
What you need to make Vanilla sheet cake with chocolate frosting
Just a note on a few ingredients and substitutes if needed
While you can scroll to the full printable recipe at the end of the post, this is the section to read if you’re wondering about ingredient substitutions or how these ingredients work in the recipe.
For the cake
Cake flour - Its important that you use bleached cake flour in this recipe creating the finest texture and the best rise. Unbleached cake flour or all purpose results in a dense bake and a sinking cake.
Sugar: White granulated sugar
Baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) and baking powder
Butter and oil: This recipe has a combination of butter and oil to give off that nice buttery taste while the oil keeps it soft and moist for a longer time. Cakes using pure butter is more dense and dry compared to adding oil into the batter.
I use canola oil for this vanilla cake but you may substitute it with vegetable or sunflower oil.
Eggs: This cake contains 4 whole eggs plus 2 extra egg yolks. The extra yolks add richness, decadence, and lightness to the cake.
Buttermilk: The buttermilk in this recipe serves to add moisture and keeps the sponge soft, light, tender, and fluffy.
If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make some by adding 1 tablespoon (15ml) white vinegar or lemon juice to 1 cup (250ml) milk Leave it aside for 2 minutes which will allow it to curdle. Use in place of the buttermilk.
Vanilla extract: Adds flavor to the bake
For the chocolate frosting
Butter: softened at room temperature
Sifted powdered sugar and unsweetened cocoa powder: Its important that you sift these two ingredients for a smooth silky frosting.
Milk: For thinning out the frosting and contributing to a smooth consistency making it easier to pipe or spread.
Vanilla extract
How to make Vanilla sheet cake with chocolate frosting
While the video and the full printable recipe are written below, this is the process with step-by-step pictures to guide you
For the cake
Whisk the eggs, yolks, vanilla extract and buttermilk together in a bowl or measuring jug and set aside.
In a separate bowl combine the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda with a whisk.
Into the combined flour, add the softened butter and oil. Use a hand mixer on medium speed for one minute to combine the ingredients.
Add in the egg mixture and beat until fully incorporated.
Pour the batter into a greased 13×9-inch pan, and spread out evenly. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Allow to cool completely in the pan or turn out onto a wire rack before frosting.
For the chocolate frosting
Tips for the ultimate bake
- Use a metal baking pan:
I prefer to use a metal baking pan as opposed to a glass pan. Glass pans absorb heat so they bake more quickly than a metal pan. It's easier to over-bake a cake in a glass pan, because it takes longer for the center to cook. By the time the center finishes, the cake is over-baked, and the outer edges dark brown or simply burnt.
- Measure out your ingredients before baking:
It’s a good idea to measure out all the ingredients before you start. It makes mixing much easier, and you’re less likely to leave something out.
- Use cake flour (unbleached):
For this recipe, I strongly suggest that you bake this cake using cake flour instead of all purpose or plain flour.
All purpose or plain flour will not produce a light tender texture. All purpose flour will cause the cake to sink in the middle or a dense bake.
- Make ahead tips:
The cake and frosting can be made up to three days ahead, refrigerated, and the cake frosted the day you wish to serve it. For storing, wrap the completely cooled cake in cling wrap and transfer the frosting to an airtight container.
When you're ready to decorate the cake, remove the frosting from the fridge and warm at room temperature until soft enough to spread easily.
Storage
Leftovers can be stored covered at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Enjoy ♥
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Vanilla sheet cake with chocolate frosting
Ingredients
For the cake
- 4 large eggs
- 2 egg yolks see note1
- ½ cup buttermilk see note 2
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cups cake flour see note 3
- 1 ¼ cups white sugar
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda bicarbonate of soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter softened to room temperature
- ½ cup oil see note 4
For the chocolate frosting
- 6 Tablespoons butter softened to room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar sifted see note 5
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder sifted
- ⅓ cup milk see note 6
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
To make the cake
- Grease and line a 13 by 9-inch (33 x 23 cm) baking pan. See note 7
- Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C (160°C fan)
- Combine eggs and yolks, buttermilk, and vanilla in a bowl or measuring jug and whisk or beat until smooth. Set aside
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together the cake flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add butter and oil and mix on low speed until combined, about 30 seconds. The mixture will have a crumbly texture.
- With mixer running, slowly add egg mixture.
- When mixture is fully incorporated, stop mixing and scrape down bowl with a rubber spatula.
- Beat on medium-high speed until the batter is pale, smooth, and thick, about 3 minutes.
- Transfer the batter to the greased and lined pan and smooth the top. Tap the pan firmly on counter to release any large air bubbles.
- Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean 25 to 30 minutes.
- Turn out the cake onto a wire rack and remove the baking paper.
- Allow to cool completely before frosting.
Make the chocolate frosting
- Beat the butter on medium speed with a hand mixer until it is smooth, about 1 minute.
- Add the powdered sugar and cocoa powder to the bowl and beat until combined.
- Pour in the milk and vanilla extract and continue beating until well combined, scraping down the sides as needed, about 2 minutes.
Frost the cake
- Turn the cooled cake back into the baking pan and spread the frosting over the cake.
Storage
- Leftovers can be stored covered at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Make ahead tip
- The cake and frosting can be made up to three days ahead, refrigerated, and the cake frosted the day you wish to serve it. For storing, wrap the completely cooled cake in cling wrap and transfer the frosting to an airtight container.
- When you're ready to decorate the cake, remove the frosting from the fridge and warm at room temperature until soft enough to spread easily.
Video
Notes
- 1The extra yolks add richness, decadence, and lightness to the cake.
- The buttermilk in this recipe serves to add moisture and keeps the sponge soft, light, tender, and fluffy. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make some by adding 1 tablespoon (15ml) white vinegar or lemon juice to 1 cup (250ml) milk Leave it aside for 2 minutes which will allow it to curdle. Use in place of the buttermilk.
- It's important that you use bleached cake flour in this recipe creating the finest texture and the best rise. Unbleached cake flour or all-purpose results in a dense bake and a sinking cake.
- This recipe has a combination of butter and oil to give off that nice buttery taste while the oil keeps it soft and moist for a longer time. Cakes using pure butter is denser and drier compared to adding oil into the batter. I use canola oil for this vanilla cake but you may substitute it with vegetable or sunflower oil.
- It's important that you sift the powdered sugar and unsweetened cocoa powder for a smooth silky frosting.
- Milk is used for thinning out the frosting and contributing to a smooth consistency making it easier to pipe or spread.
- Use a metal baking pan: I prefer to use a metal baking pan as opposed to a glass pan. Glass pans absorb heat so they bake more quickly than a metal pan. It's easier to over-bake a cake in a glass pan, because it takes longer for the center to cook. By the time the center finishes, the cake is over-baked, and the outer edges dark brown or simply burnt.
Kiran Badul says
This is delicious !! 😭
The Gardening Foodie says
Thank you