Yellow Sheet Cake with Chocolate Buttercream is an easy sheet cake recipe for a classic, favorite cake flavor!
This is a classic-style sheet cake, and it’s so delicious. Everyone needs a good yellow butter cake in their recipe collection! The great thing about a yellow sheet cake is that it can pair perfectly with so many different kinds of frosting flavors like white buttercream, dark chocolate buttercream or cream cheese frosting.
This recipe comes from a new book by Abigail Johnson Dodge: Sheet Cake- Easy One-Pan Recipes for Every Day and Every Occasion. I’ve always loved Abby’s cookbooks. She’s a fabulous baker! In this book, Abby teaches us how to bake sheet cakes of every kind and for lots of different occasions.
Here are a few of my favorite, must-make recipes in the book:
- Carrot Cake with Orange Buttercream
- Fluffernutter Cake
- Spice Cake with Walnut Buttercream
- Cinnamon-Bun Swirl Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Banana Buttermilk Cake
- S’Mores Stacked Cake
- Old School Poppy Seed Jelly Roll
- Butterscotch Pudding Cake
- Marbled Ice Cream Cake
How to make yellow sheet cake:
Any kind of sheet cake usually calls for a half-sheet pan. They are easy to order on Amazon, and I use them for so many things (baking salmon or chicken, cookies, and roasting veggies).
The batter is mixed just like any other cake batter. You’ll use all purpose flour, and you don’t need cake flour. The batter will be light and fluffy, and it’s spread into the half-sheet pan for baking.
This is my best chocolate buttercream frosting. It’s chocolatey, smooth, creamy, rich and so good!
This yellow sheet cake rises a bit, but it doesn’t rise a lot. It’s a thinner-style cake. Once cooled, spread chocolate frosting on top.
And the best part about a sheet cake is that it feeds a lot of people! One sheet cake made in a half-sheet pan can feed 24 people.
This yellow sheet cake turns out a moist and tender crumb. It’s an excellent yellow butter cake, and it’s made even better paired with chocolate frosting. Add sprinkles for a festive look if you’re celebrating a birthday. Enjoy!
Yellow Butter Cake with Chocolate Buttercream
Ingredients
CAKE:
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- 2½ teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1¼ cups (2½ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
- 2 cups granulated white sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 4 large egg yolks, at room temperature
- 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1⅔ cups buttermilk, at room temperature
FROSTING:
- 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, at room temperature
- 6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 2 pounds powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups dark chocolate chips (or chopped dark chocolate)
Instructions
BAKE THE CAKE:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease and flour the bottom and sides of a half sheet pan (13x18-inches).
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. In a large bowl, use a stand mixer or an electric hand mixer to beat the butter and oil on medium speed until smooth. Beat in the sugar on medium-high until light and fluffy (2 to 3 minutes).
- Add the eggs and 3 of the egg yolks, one at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and the remaining egg yolk. Add ⅓ of the flour mixture and mix just until blended in. Add half of the buttermilk and beat until blended. Add another ⅓ of the flour mixture and beat on low speed until blended. Beat in the remaining buttermilk. And then beat in the remaining flour mixture.
- Scrape the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean- 20 to 22 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan.
ADD THE FROSTING:
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the butter and cream cheese at medium speed until creamy. Gradually add the powdered sugar and cocoa powder, beating at low speed until blended. Increase the speed to medium, and slowly add in the milk and vanilla, beating until smooth.
- Microwave the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl at MEDIUM 1½ to 2 minutes or until melted and smooth, stirring at 30 second intervals. Gradually add melted chocolate to mixture; beat until blended and smooth. If the frosting is too soft for spreading, cover and refrigerate for a few minutes until it firms up a little bit. Otherwise, spread the frosting on top of the cooled cake. Cut into squares, and serve.
Notes
- The sheet cake recipe shared here is from Abigail Dodge' Sheet Cake cookbook. The frosting recipe is mine.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi recipe girl! The recipe says “2 pounds” for powdered sugar. Was this a mistake? If so, what should it be thank you!
That’s correct! It feeds a lot of people 🙂