Birthday Sheet Cake
By Katie LeairdPublished on January 4, 2023
Time
1¼ hours, plus 2 hours cooling time
Yield
Serves 18
What Kids Are Saying:
“The cake was just right—not too hard and not too crumbly, and the frosting was just right too—not too sweet.” —Madison, recipe tester, age 8
Ingredients
CAKE
Vegetable oil spray 2¼ cups (9 ounces/255 grams) cake flour 1¼ teaspoons baking powder ¼ teaspoon baking soda ¾ teaspoon table salt 4 large eggs 1¾ cups (12¼ ounces/347 grams) sugar 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled5 tablespoons vegetable oil ¾ cup (6 ounces) buttermilk 2 teaspoons vanilla extractCHOCOLATE FROSTING
1⅔ cups (10 ounces/283 grams) chocolate chips (bittersweet, semisweet, or milk chocolate)20 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 20 pieces and softened1 cup (4 ounces/113 grams) confectioners’ (powdered) sugar ¾ cup (2¼ ounces/64 grams) Dutch-processed cocoa powder Pinch table salt ¾ teaspoon vanilla extractBefore You Begin
You can substitute 3 cups of your favorite frosting for the chocolate frosting in this recipe, if desired.
Instructions
- For the cake: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray inside bottom and sides of 13-by-9-inch metal baking pan with vegetable oil spray. Line bottom of baking pan with 13-by-9-inch piece of parchment paper.
- In medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add eggs to bowl of stand mixer (or large bowl if using handheld mixer). Lock bowl into place and attach whisk attachment to stand mixer, if using. Start mixer on medium speed. Whip eggs until foamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Stop mixer.
- Add sugar to eggs and start mixer on medium-high speed. Whip mixture until pale yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Reduce speed to medium. With mixer running, very slowly pour in melted butter and oil and mix until fully combined, about 2 minutes. Stop mixer.
- Carefully add half of flour mixture. Start mixer on low speed and mix until just combined, about 30 seconds. With mixer running, add buttermilk and vanilla and mix until combined, about 30 seconds. Stop mixer.
- Add remaining flour mixture. Start mixer on low speed and mix until just combined and no dry flour is visible, about 30 seconds. Stop mixer. Remove bowl from stand mixer, if using.
- Use rubber spatula to scrape down sides of bowl and stir in any remaining dry flour. Use rubber spatula to scrape batter into parchment-lined baking pan and smooth top (make sure to spread batter into corners to create even layer).
- Place baking pan in oven. Bake until cake is golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out with few crumbs attached, 27 to 30 minutes.
- Use oven mitts to remove baking pan from oven and place on cooling rack (ask an adult for help). Let cake cool completely in pan, about 2 hours.
- For the frosting: While cake cools, place chocolate chips in medium microwave-safe bowl. Heat in microwave at 50 percent power for 1 minute. Use rubber spatula to stir chocolate. Return to microwave and heat at 50 percent power until melted and smooth, about 1 minute longer. Let cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
- Add softened butter, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt to food processor, and lock lid into place. Turn on processor and process until smooth, about 30 seconds. Stop processor.
- Remove lid and use rubber spatula to scrape down sides. Add cooled chocolate and vanilla and lock lid back into place. Turn on processor and process until smooth, 10 to 15 seconds. Stop processor.
- Remove lid and carefully remove processor blade (ask an adult for help).
- Run butter knife around edge of cake to release cake from pan.
- Place cooling rack on top of cake. Hold bottom of cake pan with one hand (use oven mitt if pan is still hot) and place second hand on top of cooling rack. Turn over pan so cake falls gently onto rack.
- Carefully peel parchment paper away from cake and discard. Place cutting board or serving platter on top of cake and flip cake right side up onto cutting board or serving platter. Remove cooling rack.
- Use icing spatula to spread frosting evenly over top and sides of cooled cake following photos, "Step-by-Step: How to Frost a Sheet Cake," below). Cut cake into pieces and serve.
Time
1¼ hours, plus 2 hours cooling timeYield
Serves 18What Kids Are Saying:
“The cake was just right—not too hard and not too crumbly, and the frosting was just right too—not too sweet.” —Madison, recipe tester, age 8Ingredients
CAKE
Vegetable oil spray
2¼ cups (9 ounces/255 grams) cake flour
1¼ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon table salt
4 large eggs
1¾ cups (12¼ ounces/347 grams) sugar
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
¾ cup (6 ounces) buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
CHOCOLATE FROSTING
1⅔ cups (10 ounces/283 grams) chocolate chips (bittersweet, semisweet, or milk chocolate)
20 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 20 pieces and softened
1 cup (4 ounces/113 grams) confectioners’ (powdered) sugar
¾ cup (2¼ ounces/64 grams) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
Pinch table salt
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
CAKE
Vegetable oil spray
2¼ cups (9 ounces/255 grams) cake flour
1¼ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon table salt
4 large eggs
1¾ cups (12¼ ounces/347 grams) sugar
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
¾ cup (6 ounces) buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
CHOCOLATE FROSTING
1⅔ cups (10 ounces/283 grams) chocolate chips (bittersweet, semisweet, or milk chocolate)
20 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 20 pieces and softened
1 cup (4 ounces/113 grams) confectioners’ (powdered) sugar
¾ cup (2¼ ounces/64 grams) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
Pinch table salt
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
CAKE
Vegetable oil spray
2¼ cups (9 ounces/255 grams) cake flour
1¼ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon table salt
4 large eggs
1¾ cups (12¼ ounces/347 grams) sugar
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
¾ cup (6 ounces) buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
CHOCOLATE FROSTING
1⅔ cups (10 ounces/283 grams) chocolate chips (bittersweet, semisweet, or milk chocolate)
20 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 20 pieces and softened
1 cup (4 ounces/113 grams) confectioners’ (powdered) sugar
¾ cup (2¼ ounces/64 grams) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
Pinch table salt
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
This crowd-pleasing sheet cake is ready to party. Cake flour keeps this classic cake tender and a combination of two fats—butter and vegetable oil—adds flavor (thank you, butter) and moisture (courtesy of the oil). Before kids can get to frosting and decorating their cake, they’ll need to remove it from the baking the pan. Luckily, a piece of parchment paper lining the pan makes that step much easier! Before starting the recipe, kids can practice their measuring skills while creating their 13-by-9-inch piece of parchment paper. Have kids use a ruler and pencil to measure a 13-by-9-inch rectangle on the parchment paper, then they can place the baking pan onto the rectangle to check their measurements before (carefully!) cutting it out.
Before You Begin
You can substitute 3 cups of your favorite frosting for the chocolate frosting in this recipe, if desired.
Instructions
- For the cake: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray inside bottom and sides of 13-by-9-inch metal baking pan with vegetable oil spray. Line bottom of baking pan with 13-by-9-inch piece of parchment paper.
- In medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add eggs to bowl of stand mixer (or large bowl if using handheld mixer). Lock bowl into place and attach whisk attachment to stand mixer, if using. Start mixer on medium speed. Whip eggs until foamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Stop mixer.
- Add sugar to eggs and start mixer on medium-high speed. Whip mixture until pale yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Reduce speed to medium. With mixer running, very slowly pour in melted butter and oil and mix until fully combined, about 2 minutes. Stop mixer.
- Carefully add half of flour mixture. Start mixer on low speed and mix until just combined, about 30 seconds. With mixer running, add buttermilk and vanilla and mix until combined, about 30 seconds. Stop mixer.
- Add remaining flour mixture. Start mixer on low speed and mix until just combined and no dry flour is visible, about 30 seconds. Stop mixer. Remove bowl from stand mixer, if using.
- Use rubber spatula to scrape down sides of bowl and stir in any remaining dry flour. Use rubber spatula to scrape batter into parchment-lined baking pan and smooth top (make sure to spread batter into corners to create even layer).
- Place baking pan in oven. Bake until cake is golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out with few crumbs attached, 27 to 30 minutes.
- Use oven mitts to remove baking pan from oven and place on cooling rack (ask an adult for help). Let cake cool completely in pan, about 2 hours.
- For the frosting: While cake cools, place chocolate chips in medium microwave-safe bowl. Heat in microwave at 50 percent power for 1 minute. Use rubber spatula to stir chocolate. Return to microwave and heat at 50 percent power until melted and smooth, about 1 minute longer. Let cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
- Add softened butter, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt to food processor, and lock lid into place. Turn on processor and process until smooth, about 30 seconds. Stop processor.
- Remove lid and use rubber spatula to scrape down sides. Add cooled chocolate and vanilla and lock lid back into place. Turn on processor and process until smooth, 10 to 15 seconds. Stop processor.
- Remove lid and carefully remove processor blade (ask an adult for help).
- Run butter knife around edge of cake to release cake from pan.
- Place cooling rack on top of cake. Hold bottom of cake pan with one hand (use oven mitt if pan is still hot) and place second hand on top of cooling rack. Turn over pan so cake falls gently onto rack.
- Carefully peel parchment paper away from cake and discard. Place cutting board or serving platter on top of cake and flip cake right side up onto cutting board or serving platter. Remove cooling rack.
- Use icing spatula to spread frosting evenly over top and sides of cooled cake following photos, "Step-by-Step: How to Frost a Sheet Cake," below). Cut cake into pieces and serve.
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