Dessert doesn't get better than this vintage recipe!
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❤️ 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.
If you have a little time on your hands try these chocolate eclairs with espresso filling. OMG 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 SaveEquipment Needed
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups dark cocoa powder, I used Hershey's extra dark
- 1 ½ cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cup butter, room temperature
- 2 cups sugar
- 6 eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 cup sour cream, room temperature
Frosting
- 1 quart heavy cream, cold
- 1 package chocolate instant pudding mix, 4 serving size
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
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
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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!