Yellow Sheet Cake
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This yellow sheet cake is soft, fluffy, and topped with a rich chocolate buttercream frosting. It’s an easy homemade cake recipe that’s perfect for birthdays, potlucks, or anytime you want a simple classic cake that everyone loves.
This yellow cake recipe has become one of my favorite base cake recipes over the years. I’ve used it to make my yellow layer cake, my caramel cake, cinnamon roll cake, and even this crumb cake because it stays so soft and moist every time.
For this version, I wanted to turn it into an easy sheet cake recipe that felt simple and approachable but still had that classic bakery-style flavor. The combination of butter and oil gives the cake great flavor while keeping it soft for days.
I topped it with my silky smooth, rich chocolate buttercream frosting. And sprinkles of course. Because always sprinkles, friend. You could top with a different frosting of course. Try my cream cheese frosting, peanut butter cream cheese frosting, my easy vanilla frosting, or my chocolate Italian meringue buttercream.
Then slice, serve and just rake in the compliments.
Ingredients Needed
For the yellow sheet cake
- Cake flour: This flour has a lighter protein content that regular AP flour so it yields a nice and tender cake. If you don’t have any you can make my homemade cake flour. And be sure to check out my cake flour recipes.
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Unsalted butter: softened butter creams more easily into the sugar. If you use salted butter then reduce the added salt.
- Canola oil: You can use any neutral-tasting oil here such as vegetable oil (or even avocado oil works great!)
- Granulated sugar
- Eggs: Room temperature eggs mix more evenly into the batter. Place in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes.
- Vanilla extract
- Buttermilk: Do not use regular milk. If you don’t have any, you can make your own homemade buttermilk.
For the chocolate buttercream frosting
- Unsalted butter
- Powdered sugar: Sift if lumpy. Use my homemade powdered sugar recipe.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder: I prefer Dutch process cocoa but regular cocoa works too. Both were tested and both work great. Dutch cocoa will yield a slightly darker color. Read more here about Dutch cocoa vs. natural cocoa.
- Heavy cream: Can also use milk
- Vanilla extract
- Confetti sprinkles: optional but perfect for birthdays and celebrations
How To Make Yellow Sheet Cake
Begin by preheating your oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13-inch cake pan well with nonstick cooking spray so the cake releases easily after baking.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisking the dry ingredients first helps evenly distribute the baking powder so the cake rises evenly in the oven.
In a second large mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter, oil, and sugar using an electric mixer on medium speed for about 2 to 3 minutes. Don’t rush this step. Creaming incorporates air into the batter which helps create a lighter cake texture.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl frequently so everything mixes evenly. Stir in the vanilla extract.
Alternate adding the dry ingredients with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. I like to add the flour in three additions and the buttermilk in two additions. Mix only until combined after each addition. Overmixing at this stage can lead to a dense or tough cake. I usually finish the final few stirs with a spatula to avoid overmixing the batter.
Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached.
Allow the cake to cool completely before frosting. If the cake is still warm, the frosting will melt.
How To Make Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the softened butter on medium-high speed for about 1 minute until smooth and fluffy. Starting with fluffy butter helps create a lighter buttercream texture.
With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the powdered sugar about ½ cup at a time. Mixing slowly at first prevents powdered sugar from flying everywhere.
Once all the powdered sugar is incorporated, increase the speed to medium-high and beat for 1 to 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
Add the vanilla extract and heavy cream and mix on low until combined.
Add the cocoa powder and mix on low speed at first until fully incorporated. Then increase the speed to medium-high and beat the frosting for about 8 minutes. This longer mixing time makes the frosting extra fluffy and smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Once the cake is completely cool, spread the frosting evenly over the top using an offset spatula. Finish with plenty of confetti sprinkles.
Storage
Store the frosted yellow sheet cake covered at room temperature for up to 3 days. Because the cake contains oil and buttermilk, it stays soft and moist for several days.
To freeze baked cake, allow the cake to cool completely. You can freeze individual slices or the whole cake tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and foil for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or at room temperature before serving.
To freeze the cake unfrosted, wrap the cooled cake tightly in plastic wrap and then foil. Label the cake with the date before freezing so you know when it was made.
If freezing slices, let them thaw at room temperature for about 30 to 60 minutes before serving.
More Recipes To Try
If you loved this yellow sheet cake recipe, here are a few more homemade cake recipes to try next:
- Italian Cream Cake – A soft layered cake filled with coconut, pecans, and cream cheese frosting. Perfect for holidays and special occasions.
- Blueberry Breakfast Cake – A simple buttery cake packed with fresh blueberries that’s just as good with coffee in the morning as it is for dessert.
- Clementine Cake – A naturally gluten-free cake made with whole clementines for bright citrus flavor and an incredibly moist texture.
- Berry Chantilly Cake – A bakery-style layered cake with fresh berries and fluffy mascarpone whipped frosting. One of my favorite cakes for spring and summer gatherings.
Yellow Sheet Cake
Ingredients
For the cake
- 3 ¼ cups (390 g) cake flour spooned and leveled
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (1 stick, 113 g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- ½ cup (120 mL) canola oil or other neutral-tasting oil
- 2 cups (400 g) granulated white sugar
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups (360 mL) buttermilk
For the chocolate buttercream frosting:
- 1 ¼ cups (2 ½ sticks, 283 g) unsalted butter softened
- 2 ½ cups (283 g) powdered sugar
- ¾ cup (63 g) unsweetened cocoa powder (or Dutch Process)
- 2 Tablespoons heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Confetti sprinkles for decorating
Instructions
For the yellow cake
- Preheat and prepare pan. Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a 9×13 cake pan with non stick cooking spray.
- Combine dry ingredients. In a mixing bowl, whisk together cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. 3 ¼ cups (390 g) cake flour 1 tablespoon baking powder ½ teaspoon salt
- Cream butter oil and sugar. In a second mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed, cream butter, oil and sugar together until smooth and combined about 2 to 3 minutes. ½ cup (1 stick, 113 g) unsalted butter, ½ cup (120 mL) canola oil 2 cups (400 g) granulated white sugar
- Add eggs, vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl after each addition. Add vanilla extract. Beat to combine. 4 large eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Alternate dry ingredients with buttermilk. Alternate adding the flour mixture with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Do not overmix. Stop mixing once the last of the flour has been mixed in. I like to give the last few stirs with a spatula to ensure it's not overmixed. 1 ½ cups (360 mL) buttermilk
- Bake. Spread the batter in the pan. Bake for about about 35-40 minutes. The cake is done when it's golden brown on top and the toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Remove cake from the oven.
Make the frosting:
- In a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter first until light and fluffy on medium-high speed, for about 1 minute.
- With the mixer on low speed, slowly add in the powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time. And then once incorporated, mix on medium-high speed for about 1 to 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
- With the mixer on low, add the vanilla extract and heavy cream. Mix on low to combine.
- Add in the cocoa powder and mix on low speed at first until incorporated.
- Increase the speed to medium-high speed and mix for 8 minutes until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl as needed.
- Once cake is cooled completely, frost cake with the frosting into an even layer using an offset spatula.
- Top with Sprinkles.
Notes
- Storage: Store the frosted yellow sheet cake covered at room temperature for up to 3 days. Because the cake contains oil and buttermilk, it stays soft and moist for several days.
- Freezing: To freeze baked cake, allow the cake to cool completely. You can freeze individual slices or the whole cake tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and foil for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or at room temperature before serving. To freeze the cake unfrosted, wrap the cooled cake tightly in plastic wrap and then foil. Label the cake with the date before freezing so you know when it was made. If freezing slices, let them thaw at room temperature for about 30 to 60 minutes before serving.
