This Chocolate Sheet Cake comes together fast and bakes up into a rich, fudgy slab with deep cocoa flavour and a soft, moist crumb. It has serious Matilda cake energy. It’s downright irresistible with its splash of hot coffee that blooms the cocoa for extra depth and an easy chocolate glaze that adds a glossy finish. It’s simple, reliable, and great for sharing.
There’s a reason this chocolate sheet cake gets made on repeat: it’s one bowl, bakes up evenly, and slices cleanly for sharing. The crumb is soft and moist, the chocolate flavour is deep (thanks to the hot coffee!), and the glaze adds a light, glossy finish without being fussy. It works great for weeknights, potlucks, or any time you want a sure hit. Serve it slightly warm, plain or glazed. Either way, it’s gonna disappear fast! If you’re in the mood for more easy, crowd-friendly bakes, try my gooey S’mores Sliders for a campfire vibe without the fire, crispy-chewy Sheet Pan Cookies, or tender Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread for a sneaky veggie twist.
😍 Why You’ll Love This Chocolate Cake
One bowl chocolate cake: no layers, no fuss; just whisk, bake, and slice!
Fudgy and rich: cocoa bloomed with hot coffee for deep chocolate flavour.
Crowd-pleaser: its perfect for partiers, potlucks, or leftovers.
Freezer-friendly: bake ahead, freeze, and enjoy a slice anytime.
🍫 Ingredients You’ll Need To Make This Chocolate Sheet Cake Recipe
Eggs: bind the batter and add richness for a tender, cohesive crumb.
Milk: adds moisture and helps combine everything for an even bake.
Sour cream: a touch of tang and extra moisture for a fudgy texture.
Vegetable oil: keeps the cake soft and moist even after chilling or freezing.
Vanilla: rounds out the chocolate and deepens overall flavour.
Granulated sugar: sweetens and helps create a fine, soft crumb.
Brown sugar: adds moisture and subtle molasses note for depth.
Cocoa powder: the star of the recipe; use good quality and sift to avoid clumps.
All-purpose flour: provides structure while keeping the crumb soft.
Baking soda: reacts with sour cream/cocoa acidity for lift and tenderness.
Baking powder: adds extra rise so the cake stays light and fudgy.
Cinnamon: a tiny warmth that complements chocolate without taking over.
Salt: balances sweetness and sharpens the chocolate flavour.
Hot black coffee: blooms the cocoa for a deeper, richer chocolate profile.
For the chocolate glaze:
Powdered sugar: the silky-smooth base for a pourable glaze.
Cocoa powder: reinforces that chocolatey finish on top.
Cinnamon: optional pinch for warmth and complexity.
Heavy cream: thins to your ideal consistency and gives a glossy finish.
✔ How To Make This One Bowl Chocolate Cake
To start, preheat your oven to 350°F and line a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment. Lightly grease the parchment and sides. This is a generous batter, so don’t fill higher than about ¾ full. If your pan is shallow, hold back a little batter rather than overfilling.
In a large bowl (or stand mixer), whisk together the eggs, milk, sour cream, oil, and vanilla until smooth and glossy. Add the granulated sugar and brown sugar and mix just until combined so the batter stays silky.
Sprinkle in the cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Mix on low until no dry spots remain; avoid overmixing.
Pour in the hot coffee and mix gently to combine. The batter will look thin. That’s exactly right and gives you a super moist, fudge-like crumb.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 40–55 minutes, or until a toothpick near the centre comes out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs.
Set the pan on a rack and cool for at least 30 minutes. Whisk together the glaze ingredients until smooth (adjust cream to your preferred consistency), drizzle over the cooled cake, slice, and serve.
🗒 Variations
Love a little texture? Fold in some chopped walnuts, pecans, or hazelnuts.
Want it extra chocolatey? Stir in chocolate chips.
Warm spice twist: add a little cinnamon or spice of choice.
🗒 Substitutions
Milk: Any milk will do; dairy or plant-based like oat, almond, or soy.
Oil: Any neutral oil will work (canola, vegetable, grapeseed).
Sour cream: Use plain Greek yogurt 1:1; for dairy-free, a thick coconut/almond yogurt.
🤔 FAQ’S
My batter seems thin. Is this normal?
Yes! The batter will become thin once you add the hot coffee. I promise this will result in a very moist, and flavourful cake!
Do I need to add the chocolate glaze?
Although I love a chocolate frosting or glaze, the cake doesn’t need it. Because the cake has so much added flavour like the coca powder and coffee it’s great on its own. With this in mind, the cake will be slightly less sweet.
How do I know my chocolate cake is done?
A toothpick near the centre comes out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs, and the top springs back lightly.
No sour cream. What’s the best swap?
Plain Greek yogurt (2% or full-fat) 1:1. For dairy-free, a thick coconut or almond yogurt works.
Which oil is best?
Any neutral oil (canola, vegetable, grapeseed).
🍴 Leftovers? Lucky you.
Store any leftover chocolate sheet cake in an airtight container at room temp for up to 2 days, or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Want to freeze it? Let the cake cool for at least an hour, then wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and then foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to enjoy, thaw overnight in the fridge and bring to room temp before slicing and serving.
Pro tip: if it’s glazed, place parchment between slices to keep the tops neat.
👩🏻🍳 Hungry For More?
If you enjoyed my Chocolate Sheet Cake, take a peek at a few of my personal favourite desserts down below you’ll likely love:
- Chocolate Zucchini Bread
- Blueberry Lemon Muffins
- Morning Glory Muffins
- Raspberry Lemon Loaf
- Pumpkin Banana Bread
- Easy Apple Cake
- Sheet Pan Cookies
- S’mores Sliders
💌 Let’s Stay Connected
Keep in touch with me on Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest! If you do make this one bowl chocolate cake recipe (or any recipe of mine) don’t forget to leave a review.
Chocolate Sheet Cake
Equipment
- 1 9×13 baking pan
- 1 hand mixer
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup milk, 2%
- 1/4 cup sour cream,
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup hot black coffee
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup coca powder, unsweetened
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1½ tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp salt
Chocolate Glaze
- 2½ cups powdered sugar, aka: confectioners' sugar
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder, unsweetened
- 1/8 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 °F and line a 9×13 baking pan with parchment paper.Gently spray the parchment paper with a neutral cooking oil.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs, milk, sour cream, vanilla, and vegetable oil with a hand mixer.
- Next, add both sugars and mix to combine.
- Slowly add the all-purpose flour, coco powder, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt and gently mix to combine until no clumps remain.
- Add the hot coffee and beat on low speed until combined.
- Gently pour in the batter into your prepared baking pan.*The batter will be a thinner consistency, thats totally normal!
- Allow the cake to cook for 40-55 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.Sammy's tip: if the edges are browning too quickly, lightly tent the cake with foil and continue to bake.Allow the cake to cool entirely before adding the glaze.
- In a medium size bowl, prepare the chocolate glaze by whisking all ingredients together really well until no clumps remain.To achieve a thinner consistency add an additional splash or two of cream.To achieve a thicker consistency, begin by adding only 2 tbsp of cream, and slowly work your way up.
- Drizzle the cake with the chocolate glaze, slice and serve.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Thr chocolate glaze indicates a 1/4 cup of cream. What kind of cream? Whipping cream, heavy cream, coffee creamer?
Can you tell I’m a novice baker?
This is a good question! Heavy cream! I just updated the recipe. Let me know if you make this one! -Sammy
This was perfect. And perfectly easy. I cook from scratch just about every day, but I shy away from baked desserts. It has to be over 10 years that I made a cake. No worries, the recipe was foolproof. Batter is extremely thin, but evolves into a moist, pillowy deliciousness. The subtle notes of the coffee added to the flavor.
The glaze was just as it should be; but for my tastes, cake didn’t need it. I liked my bites without the glaze better than with. The sweetness kind of overwhelmed the perfect cake. But that’s my tastes. If you have a huge sweet tooth, by all means use that yummy glaze.
If I’m not a coffee / mocha lover can I substitute something else to make the chocolate pop?
Can I substitute olive oil for vegetable oil?