Dessert doesn't get better than this vintage recipe!
Table of Contents
❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
- Quick and easy.
- Super moist!
- Addictively delicious whipped frosting.
- Feeds a lot of people.
This amazing chocolate cake recipe is moist and full of classic fudgy flavor and is topped with a thick layer of easy chocolate frosting. It's an awesome birthday cake, perfect for a church potluck dinner, or a great way to end a family meal.
Single layer cakes are the perfect cake for anyone who is new to cake baking because you can just bake them, frost them, and serve them all in the same baking pan!
Try it once and I am sure you'll have a new favorite! Tender, fudgy, and miles of whipped frosting make it the perfect bite!
Best part?
Licking the cake batter off beaters!
🧾 Ingredients
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You'll need:
- cocoa powder
- all-purpose flour
- baking powder
- butter
- eggs
- vanilla extract
- sour cream
- heavy whipping cream
- chocolate pudding mix
- confectioners' sugar
🎂 How to make a layer cake from this recipe
You can make a chocolate layer cake out of this sheet cake recipe. Just use 2 greased and floured 8-inch round cake pans and bake at 350F for about 20 minutes.
🥄 Equipment
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You'll need the following items to make this recipe successfully.
- 9 x 13-inch cake pan
- Large mixing bowl (I like this set of nesting bowls from Pyrex! I have 2 sets.)
- Stand mixer
🥫 Storage
This moist chocolate cake will be fine at (cool) room temperature for a couple of hours after it's frosted but for longer storage should be kept in the refrigerator for up to four days.
You can freeze it unfrosted for up to 4 months or freeze it frosted for up to 2 months.
💭 Tips for success
Expert tip: Cream the butter and sugar thoroughly. It will get fluffy and lighter in color. It could take 5 minutes or more.
- Don't over-bake the cake. It's ready when a toothpick comes out clean with a couple of crumbs hanging on for dear life.
- I use dark cocoa for more dark chocolate flavor because I think it makes the best chocolate cake ever. You can use regular cocoa for more of a classic chocolate sheet cake flavor.
- Don't use margarine. Not now. Not ever.
- Use room temperature ingredients.
- Stop and scrape the mixing bowl a couple of times.
- Don't overbeat - it will make the cake tough.
- The frosting will melt on a hot day or in a hot room. It's basically stabilized whipped cream. Keep the cake cool.
- Substituting a cup of brown sugar for one cup of the white sugar gives it a deeper flavor and I think makes it a little more moist.
- Need to adjust for high altitude? Check out the instructions from Utah State University.
- Please don't call this an old fashioned Texas Sheet Cake. That's completely different and it makes Texans twitch a little.
👩🏻🍳 Frequently asked questions
Here are the questions I am most frequently asked about this recipe.
Officially a 13 x 9-inch sheet cake (pretty standard size) makes 30 2-inch squares. Let me tell you, if I tried to hand one of my kids a 2-inch square of cake they'd look at me like I'd suddenly developed a taste for :::shudder::: unsweet tea. I'd say you'll get about 16 good sized cake servings... maybe 12 if your kids are related to mine.
Yes, you can freeze this recipe either frosted or unfrosted.
Sure. That works really well. It's not exactly the same but close enough to be kissin' cousins, for sure.
📚 Related recipes
I love a good dessert and if you've been reading Restless Chipotle very long you know that I make them a lot. Here are some of my favorite cake recipes!
- Lemon Cream Cake is a lot like this dark chocolate sheet cake but with tangy lemon flavor and a matching whipped frosting. Lemon lovers rejoice!
- Pig Pickin' Cake has orange and pineapple flavors. It's a favorite at potlucks and such.
- White Chocolate and Lime Tres Leches Cake takes some planning ahead but the result is totally worth it.
- Holy Cow Cake is for you if you love Butterfingers bars. It's absolutely the easiest thing ever.
- Chocolate Upside Down Cake is from one of my old cookbooks. The frosting cooks right on it.
- Cracker Barrel Copycat Double Chocolate Fudge Coca Cola cake takes longer to type than it does to make. SO good.
📞 The last word
This classic cake is tender and springy with deep chocolate flavor in every bite. The chocolate icing is light, creamy, and literally melts away on your tongue – almost like French Silk.
Make it when someone has had a bad day or someone has gotten an A in a hard class, or a promotion, or anytime a family celebration or cheering up session is needed.
This is my favorite cake for birthdays and other events.
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need. Don't forget that you can click on "add to collection" to save it to your own, private recipe box!
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Old Fashioned Chocolate Sheet Cake
Print Pin Recipe SaveIngredients
Frosting
- 1 quart heavy cream, cold
- 1 package chocolate instant pudding mix, 4 serving size
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
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Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Grease a 13x9-inch pan and dust with cocoa. Set aside.
- Combine the cocoa, flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and set aside.
- Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy - about 2 minutes
- Add eggs, one at a time, and beat well after each.
- Stir in the vanilla.
- With mixer on low blend in ⅓ of the flour mixture.
- Add ½ the sour cream.
- Blend in ⅓ of the flour mixture.
- Add the rest of the sour cream.
- Stir in the remaining flour mixture.
- Spoon batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until done.
- Cool.
Frosting
- Add the cream, pudding mix, and powdered sugar to the bowl of a mixer.
- Whip until light and fluffy.
- Spread thickly on cooled cake.
Notes
- Don't over-bake the cake. It's ready when a toothpick comes out clean with a couple of crumbs hanging on for dear life.
- I use dark cocoa for more dark chocolate flavor. You can use regular cocoa for more of a classic chocolate sheet cake flavor.
- Don't use margarine. Not now. Not ever.
- Use room temperature ingredients.
- Stop and scrape the mixing bowl a couple of times.
- Don't overbeat - it will make the cake tough.
- Need to adjust for high altitude? Check out the instructions from Utah State University.
- Please don't call this a Texas Sheet Cake. That's completely different and it makes Texans twitch a little.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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We'll never share your email or send you spam. Pinkie swear.First published April 12, 2016. Last updated for better readability and user experience April 6, 2022.
Dee
I used Hershey special dark cocoa.
Valerie L.
Hi Marye, This cake both looks and sounds delicious. However, I don't think that I have ever seen a recipe that called for a 1 1/2 cup of cocoa. Is that correct? If so, it must really taste chocolaty -- YUM!!!
Marye Audet
I am sure it's right but I am going to try to make it again this weekend to double check..
Julie @ Back To My Southern Roots
I don't think I'd want to share this cake if I had some! It looks sooooo good!
Janet
Am I reading it right...6 eggs?
Marye Audet
yes. 🙂 6 eggs - super moist and yummy!
Cynthia/What A Girl Eats
That frosting looks completely decadent! So light and fluffy, the perfect accompaniment for that gorgeous cake!
Marye Audet
It is super light and fluffy!
Alisa Fleming
You seriously won me over with that thick layer of frosting. To me, cake is just a vessel for the sweet topping.
Marye Audet
I have to agree, the frosting is my favorite part!
Maria
This is awesome! I love the generous amount of frosting on top:)
Marye Audet
You can never have too much frosting!
Jennifer Stewart
That's so funny because I don't lock my doors now, except when I am home. Weird huh?!? This chocolate cake looks like pure comfort food to me!! I could eat the whole thing!
Kristy @ Southern In Law
You can never ever go wrong with chocolate cake, in my opinion! This looks peeeeerfect! xo
laura@motherwouldknow
I need this cake. Enough said.
Heather Kinnaird
LOVE your kitchen door analogy 🙂 growing up we didn't have a kitchen door, but my grandparents did, and NO one ever used the front door unless you were going to sit on the porch swing. and my grandmother always had a sheet cake on the counter. my kids would LOVE to come home to this every day
Citra Kale @Citra's Home Diary
it looks great cake recipe to try..
Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious
That is old-fashioned goodness on a plate. I so agree with you that a sheet cake spells home. And I wish I lived next door to you, because I could do some serious damage to that cake. 🙂
Kristen
This is pure comfort--the perfect recipe for any occassion!
Marye Audet
Thanks Kristen! It really is!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
We all need a good classic CHOCOLATE cake recipe!
Marye Audet
I totally agree!