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Kicking off the first Friday of February with this easy One Bowl Chocolate Sheet Cake with Milk Chocolate Fudge Frosting.
Does anyone else feel like this week just flew by? I spent the first half of the week traveling to Austin, Texas for a fun shoot with Camille Styles. From there I flew over to LA for a quick taping of Hallmark Home and Family (which aired yesterday, but you can watch the replay here). I flew home Wednesday night, photographed new recipes for HBH on Thursday, and today will be spent filming new videos. Such a jam pack week, but I loved every minute of it.
While in LA I was lucky enough to get to hang with my brother Red for a bit too. I wasn’t there very long, but it was awesome to get to see him before he flies to South Korea today with the US Team. I almost never see that kid, so even if it’s just a quick, “hey” it’s still always fun. Red always knows how to get a smile glued to my face and made my quick trip just that much better.
The next few days will be spent cramming in all the work I possibly can before heading off to Korea for the Olympics on the seventh. I still can’t believe we are going to Korea, but it’s happening, and I can’t wait!
As you can probably guess, I’m also very excited to be sharing this chocolate cake with you guys today, and for a few reasons.
One, because everyone knows February is the month of all things chocolatey. Two, because it happens to be my brother Brendan’s birthday, and celebrating with chocolate cake is just something we do. And three, because this cake is beyond good and you all need it in your life sometime soon.
I’ve wanted to make a sheet cake for the longest time now but just hadn’t gotten around to it. For whatever reason layer cakes always excite me a bit more than sheet cakes, but after making this sheet cake, I’m becoming sold on the idea. You guys, if you didn’t know, sheet cakes are the absolute best. They’re easy, no fuss, feed a crowd, and are incredibly delicious.
I can already see this cake becoming a regular in my kitchen for birthdays, dinners with friends, and even holidays. It’s so versatile and perfect for so many different occasions.
For me, the biggest bonus this cake offers is just how easy it is. As I was writing up the recipe, I realized that everything was made in entirely one bowl, with ingredients I already had in my pantry. And not only that, there are absolutely zero skills required for frosting this cake. Just spread on a very generous layer of that chocolate buttercream, and done. Not sure about you guys, but that’s a major plus for me when it comes to baking recipes.
Unlike most sheet cakes, this one is extra moist, chocolatey, and fudgy. My three secret ingredients are buttermilk, Greek yogurt, and coffee. The buttermilk and yogurt keep the cake incredibly light and moist, while the coffee highlights the chocolate flavors going on in the cake.
Now, before those of you who don’t like coffee click away from this recipe, hear me out. I promise that you do not taste the coffee at all. It’s simply there as an undertone that highlights the flavors of the chocolate. I highly recommend giving it a try before you decide to omit it, if you truly hate the flavor of coffee, simply skip it, no big deal.
So that’s the cake portion, and while it is my favorite go-to chocolate cake recipe, I think the milk chocolate buttercream steals the show a bit. I mean, it’s really the cake and the buttercream paired together that makes this cake so good, but the buttercream is pretty much just incredible. And the key to this buttercream? Whipping in some real milk chocolate. Yes, milk chocolate.
I know everyone is all about the dark chocolate these days, and I love it too, but let’s all be honest, some days just call for milk chocolate, and I’m thinking the first Friday in February is just one of those days.
I have to mention that not only is this cake great for birthdays, but it would be perfect to make for Valentine’s Day…which semi explains all the roses in my photos. Just a heads up, the roses will be appearing in all my sweet recipes from now until Valentine’s Day. Sorry, I can’t help it.
Also, if any of you happen to be hosting a Super Bowl party this Sunday, or even an Olympic viewing party in the coming weeks, this cake would be amazing for that too. As mentioned it feeds a crowd and can also be made ahead of time, making the dessert portion of your party a breeze. You can even decorate the cake to support your favorite team. You see, the perfect dessert!
One Bowl Chocolate Sheet Cake with Milk Chocolate Fudge Frosting
Servings: 16 servings
Calories Per Serving: 467 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup hot black coffee
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)
Milk Chocolate Frosting
- 2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 8 ounces milk chocolate, melted and cool to touch
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2-3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream (optional)
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9×13 inch baking dish with parchment paper, then butter/spray with cooking spray.2. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the eggs, buttermilk, greek yogurt, canola oil, and vanilla until smooth. Add the flour, sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, mix until there are no longer any clumps of flour. Add the hot coffee and mix until combined. Batter should be pourable, but not super thin. Stir in the chocolate chips, if using.3. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish, bake 20 to 25 minutes, until the top is just set and no longer wiggly in the center. Remove and let cool completely before frosting.4. To make the buttercream, add the butter and powdered sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer (or use a hand-held mixer). Beat the butter and powdered sugar together until the butter is light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the melted milk chocolate and vanilla and beat (scraping down the sides as needed) another 2 minutes or until there are no streaks of white. Add 2 tablespoons of the heavy cream and whip the frosting for 2-4 minutes more or until light and fluffy. If desired add the remaining heavy cream and whip until combined. 5. Frost the cake and decorate as desired.
Notes
Recipe makes a 9×13 inch cake
The chocolate cake of your dreams…
PS. see you guys tomorrow for a fun Valentine’s Day gift guide!
This is a fantastic recipe! I actually halved it (because I have to save myself from myself when there are sweets in the kitchen). Also, I did not have enough milk chocolate in my cupboard so I supplemented the frosting recipe with nestle semi-sweet chocolate (it was 4 oz milk, 2 oz semi-sweet). I did not add the cream because I prefer a frosting that stays firm. The hot coffee adds a nice dimension to the chocolate flavor.
I am so glad you enjoyed this Susan! Thank you so much!
Made this cake tonight before watching the olympics. I belatedly realized that we were enjoying it just as Red won gold in snowboarding! Delicious cake. Thanks for the recipe.
That is AMAZING! Thank you Alicia!
thank you for sharing information
Thank you
This cake looks amazing but id like to make it into a regular round cake – what dimension round tin would you recommend? And would this alter the cooking time?
I would use 2 (8 inch) round cake pans and bake 18-20 minutes. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
Cake was more than just a little wiggley after 25 minutes in oven. so i left in for 10 more minutes.and it cracked some on top .
I hope it still turned out amazing for you, Karla!
I made this for the Super Bowl. I had died a layer of toasted marshmallows between cake and frosting. It was soooo good.
Sounds amazing! Thank you Nancy, I am so glad you enjoyed this!
hey tieghan, i made this over the weekend, but the cake didn’t rise at all. it came out of the oven super dense and flat, to the point most of it was tossed. any clues as to what happened? i’m sure it’s not bad baking powder since i’ve used it successfully recently. dead simple, though!
the frosting was great — and i don’t even like milk chocolate or american buttercream, will def be using this again!
HI Grace, I am so sorry for the trouble. The baking soda was missing from the recipe. SO SORRY. That should fix the problem. Again, so incredibly sorry!! Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe the next time you try it! Thanks! ?
Oh my goodness this cake sounds fantastic! Love that it’s so simple, too. We are big chocolate lovers. The ingredients sound like it is a super moist cake. Cannot wait to make it! Thanks for your recipe!
Thank you Allison! I am so glad you like this!
Hard to believe this amazing cake is so easy to make! Love it
Thanks Matt!
I just made this cake because it looked so beautiful, but it didn’t come out right. I followed the instructions exactly however it is not cakey at all. It is very thin and spongy almost like a brownie, but not tasting great. I think maybe more flour could have helped. Only 1 1/2 cups doesn’t seem like much. Any thoughts?
HI Hannah, I am so sorry for the trouble. The baking soda was missing from the recipe. SO SORRY. That should fix the problem. Again, so incredibly sorry!! Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe the next time you try it! Thanks! 🙂
Thanks! I will try it again!
This was amazing! I made it for two friends’ birthdays and it was a big hit. I didn’t let it cool long enough though because of a time crunch but still good. I also tried marbling it with some plain homemade whip cream to cut through the frosting at the end a bit and it worked but I want to try the original again and give it more time to cool. Love you blog and thanks for the recipe!
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe Regan! Thank you so much!
Looks so good!
Mireia from TGL
https://thegoldlipstick.com
Thank you!
Hey Tieghan,
I love this chocolate cake recipe and enjoyed watching your video on Hallmark home and channel! I liked your outfit (especially your pants). 🙂
I agree that dark chocolate is my favorite (especially extra dark) but the milk chocolate does seem nice for Valentine’s Day and is a fluffy frosting for the sheet cake. Maybe it would be nice with cocoa nibs on top?
That’s nice that you got to spend some time with Red before he leaves and I hope you’re enjoying Brendan’s birthday! Is he joining you in Korea? What all do you have planned?
I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s gift guide post and hope you sleep well. 🙂
Yes please, I’m all about that dreamy fudge frosting! 🙂
Thank you Laura!
Wow, wow wow,! You did so great on Home and Family, Brava girl,
Will definitely be baking this cake,
Happy travels. I will be rooting for Red,
Aw thank you so much!