Homemade Yellow Sheet Cake with Chocolate Frosting

This buttery, tender yellow sheet cake bakes up soft and moist in a single layer, so no layered icing or fancy decorating is required. It’s topped with a smooth, rich chocolate frosting that spreads easily and sets up perfectly, which you can leave alone or add sprinkles!

I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I don’t often make cakes. I like cake, but I don’t love making elaborate layers, or even eating frosting, so I usually opt for cookies or brownies instead.

When I do make a cake, it’s often with a trusty Duncan Hines mix 🤫 BUT I do know that this homemade yellow sheet cake with chocolate frosting is way better!

I throw no shade at the box mix aisle; however, this from-scratch version is worth the extra effort. I even have a similar recipe for homemade yellow cupcakes, and I don’t even mind the chocolate frosting; in fact, it’s a must!

It’s the kind of old-fashioned dessert we all remember at birthday parties and casual get-togethers. It’s easy, nostalgic, and even for someone who doesn’t usually love frosting, this one is worth the effort.

Ingredients

For the Yellow Cake

• Whole milk and white vinegar: Together, this makes a great buttermilk substitute since I don’t keep buttermilk on hand. If you have buttermilk, go ahead and use 1 cup instead.
• All-purpose flour and white sugar: Measure the flour correctly without a scale by using the spoon and level method. It’s important not to use too much flour.
• Baking powder and baking soda: Leavening agents that work with the acid in the buttermilk to give this yellow sheet cake a nice rise and soft, fluffy crumb.
• Salt and unsalted butter: Melt and cool the butter before adding it to the mix, otherwise it’ll scramble the eggs.
• Large eggs + egg yolks: The extra yolks are what give this cake its yellow hue and extra moisture!
• Vanilla extract: For added flavor.

For the Fudge Frosting

• Unsalted butter: This portion of the butter just needs to be softened to room temperature.
• Powdered sugar and unsweetened cocoa powder: The cocoa powder is what delivers the chocolate flavor, and we need the sugar to sweeten it.
• Kosher salt: To enhance the flavor of the frosting and balance the sweetness.
• Whole milk: Provides a rich and creamy texture. Keep it handy as you may need to add more to adjust to your desired consistency.
• Vanilla extract: For flavor.
• Optional decoration: Rainbow sprinkles. Think about mixing them into the batter, like in my confetti snack cake.

How to make Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting

1. Step One: In a measuring cup, stir together the milk and vinegar and let sit for 5 minutes until it curdles.
2. Step Two: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in the center.
3. Step Three: To the well in the dry ingredients, add the buttermilk mixture, melted butter, eggs and yolks, and vanilla. Stir until fully combined and no streaks of flour remain.

4. Step Four: Pour batter into the prepared 9×13 baking dish and bake in a preheated 350°F oven for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a moist crumb (you may need an additional 5–10 minutes depending on your oven or type of pan). Let it cool completely.

5. Step Five: Beat together the butter, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, salt, milk, and vanilla until smooth, adding more milk if needed. Once the cake is fully cooled, spread frosting over the top and finish with sprinkles.

Storage & Reheating

How to store leftovers

Keep this cake stored at room temperature or in the fridge for up to 4 days. Make sure it’s kept in an airtight container to prevent it from drying out.

Freezing Instructions

Freeze this cake with or without the frosting. Wrap it with plastic wrap and then put it in a freezer bag. Keep frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight.

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Yellow Sheet Cake with Chocolate Frosting Recipe

Created by Melissa Williams

Servings: 15 slices

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 25 minutes mins

Total Time: 45 minutes mins

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This yellow cake with chocolate frosting is soft, buttery, and perfectly moist, baked in an easy single-layer sheet pan. Topped with a rich, smooth chocolate frosting that spreads effortlessly and sets beautifully, it’s a simple, from-scratch dessert that never goes out of style.

Ingredients

 

1x2x3x

For the cake

• ▢ 1 cup whole milk
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon white vinegar
• ▢ 3 cups (360 g) all purpose flour
• ▢ 1½ cups (297 g) granulated white sugar
• ▢ 2 teaspoons (10 g) baking powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon (3 g) baking soda
• ▢ ½ teaspoon (2 g) kosher salt
• ▢ ¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter melted & cooled
• ▢ 2 large eggs
• ▢ 2 large egg yolks
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Chocolate Fudge Frosting

• ▢ ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter softened to room temp
• ▢ 3 cups (339 g) powdered sugar
• ▢ ½ cup (35 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ ¼ cup whole milk + more as needed
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ rainbow sprinkles optional

Instructions

To make the yellow cake

• Preheat the oven to 350°F and spray a 9×13 pan with non-stick spray. Set aside.
• To a measuring cup, add the whole milk and vinegar. Stir and let set for at least 5 minutes.
  1 cup whole milk, 1 Tablespoon white vinegar
• To a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  3 cups all purpose flour, 1½ cups granulated white sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the milk mixture, melted butter, eggs & yolks, and vanilla. Stir until combined and no traces of flour remain.
  ¾ cup unsalted butter, 2 large eggs, 2 large egg yolks, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pour the cake batter into the prepared baking dish and bake for 20 minutes. Check for doneness – a toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean or with a moist crumb. You make need 5-10 additional minutes depending on your oven and pan used.
• Allow the cake to cool while you make the frosting.

To make the chocolate frosting

• To a large mixing bowl, add the softened butter, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, salt, milk, and vanilla. Use a hand mixer to beat on low to medium until fully mixed. Drizzle in more milk if needed.
  ½ cup unsalted butter, 3 cups powdered sugar, ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ cup whole milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Once fully cooled, frost the cake with an offset spatula and top with sprinkles.
  rainbow sprinkles

Notes

• Because I don’t keep buttermilk on hand, the whole milk + vinegar hack “makes” buttermilk. If you have buttermilk, 1 cup can be used in place of the milk + vinegar mixture. 
• Make sure you butter is cooled before adding to the mixture or your eggs will scramble. 
• A metal baking pan heats more evenly (I prefer this aluminum pan). A glass baking dish can be used but will heat slower. Because of this, bake times can vary. I recommend checking for doneness starting at 20 minutes and baking for additional time, if needed.
• Store leftovers covered at room temperature, or in the fridge, for up to 4 days. 

⭐️ Final Step! Please let me know how you liked this recipe by leaving a review and rating below. Your feedback supports my small business and allows me to continue providing free, high quality recipes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 435kcal | Carbohydrates: 66g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 92mg | Sodium: 175mg | Potassium: 173mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 45g | Vitamin A: 574IU | Calcium: 67mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.

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 Originally published February 6, 2013