This is the easiest 9×13 chocolate cake recipe I’ve ever made. Adjusted from my Best Chocolate Cake that everyone absolutely loves, I’ve now made the cake even easier and sized for a 9×13 sheet cake!
One of the recipes that I receive the most emails about is my Best Chocolate Cake Recipe. Generally, the emails are asking me if they can omit the espresso powder, if they can substitute this or that, or if it can be made into either a major multi-tiered confection for an upcoming wedding or something similar. But last week, I received an email asking if the cake could be made into a 9×13 recipe.
Rather than simply responding with a quick, “Yes” to the email, I headed to the kitchen to make it so that I could show you.
Truth be told, I was actually craving chocolate and decided that making the chocolate cake sounded like just the way to answer the craving and that the scaled down version would be just perfectly sized, too! LOL!
To make it, I scaled both the recipe and the chocolate buttercream frosting to work perfectly in a 9×13 baking dish. The cake still rises nicely so that you have a nice, thick cake that you then top with a nice, generous amount of the fluffy chocolate buttercream.
Talk about heavenly!
I love this size cake for taking to pot lucks, tailgating, baking, taking to friends or neighbors, and just for making a quick and easy cake! It transports beautifully in the 9×13 baking dish and I love that I don’t have to worry about a cake slipping or sliding on a cake plate!
When you cut into the cake, you’ll notice that it has that moist tender crumb like my original Best Chocolate Cake Recipe. It is seriously amazing!
As with any 9×13 cake recipes, you can cut the pieces as generous or as conservatively as you please. You can cut the cake into 2- inch x 2-inch pieces for 24 servings or into 2- inch x 3- inch pieces for 18 servings.
To make the cake, you just need a large mixing bowl and a whisk! It comes together so quickly and easily and bakes into a beautiful 9 x 13 cake that everyone just loves! I put together a quick little video to show you just how easy the cake is to mix together. Seriously the easiest and most delicious cake ever, I think! 🙂
Here’s the 9×13 Chocolate Cake Recipe. I think you are going to just love how simple it is!
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup cocoa
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon espresso powder
- ½ cup milk
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup boiling water
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa
- ¾ cup butter, softened
- 2½ cups confectioner’s sugar
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon espresso powder
- Preheat oven to 350º F. Prepare one 9x13 baking dish by spraying with baking spray or buttering and lightly flouring.
- For the cake:
- Whisk together add flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt and espresso powder to a large mixing bowl.
- Add milk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla to flour mixture and mix together until well combined. Carefully stir the boiling water into the cake batter and pour into the prepared 9x13 dish.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
- Add cocoa to a large bowl or bowl of stand mixer. Whisk through to remove any lumps.
- Add the butter and cream together butter and cocoa powder until well-combined.
- Add sugar and milk to cocoa mixture by adding 1 cup of sugar followed by about a tablespoon of milk. After each addition has been combined, turn mixer onto a high speed for about a minute. Repeat until all sugar and milk have been added.
- Add vanilla extract and espresso powder and combine well.
- If frosting appears too dry, add more milk, a tablespoon at a time until it reaches the right consistency. If it appears to wet and does not hold its form, add more confectioner’s sugar, a tablespoon at a time until it reaches the right consistency.
- Spread the frosting on top of the cooled cake. Cover and keep on the counter for up to 3 days for best taste.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
I’m making this for a kids birthday. Can I flip cake out of the pan and put on a cookie sheet so frost the whole cake top and sides?
With one cup of flour and one cup of sugar this cake turned out VERY short. I think the recipe should be doubled for a 13 x 9
Greetings from Hungary!
I made this cake last weekend and it turned out perfect! I didn’t use baking soda, only baking powder and it rose as tall as in your photos. When I poured the rather thin mixture into my 9X13 pan, I was skeptical because it came up about 1/3 of an inch in it, but it rose beautifully and after about 40-45 minutes it was ready.
(Since I am an editor, and cannot help noticing and mentioning errors, I want to let you know that the “Ingredients” for the frosting do not have cream whereas the “Instructions” do, so it is not clear what exactly has to be done. I improvised (I did not start baking yesterday 🙂 ) and the frosting was also heavenly. I do hope you don’t mind this comment.)
I have also made your strawberry cobbler, and it was so good, it was gone in 15 minutes. I will make sure to leave a comment there, also 🙂 .
Thank you for this recipe! I will keep returning to your site for more ideas, that is for sure.
Hi Judit,
I’m so happy you enjoyed the cake and the frosting! I love that strawberry cobbler as well – it doesn’t last long when I serve it either! 😉
I do appreciate your input and I am sorry that part of the instructions were not clear. I used “cream” as a cooking term and not an ingredient, so I will correct to make that read more clearly.
I’m honored to have you visit the site for recipes and love hearing from you! I hope you enjoy all the other recipes you try!
Thanks so much! xo
Is the cocoa unsweetened?
Yes, it is unsweetened cocoa. Enjoy! Thanks!
Do you have any advice if I don’t have espresso powder on hand? Will it be flavorful without it or should I put in some instant coffee?
I just made this cake followed directions precisely and it didn’t rise as I expected it would have…should have (only about 1/2 the size of the pan) disappointed as I needed this for a potluck tomorrow.
I have never made a cake before, and I decided to try this out for Father’s Day (my dad is a big chocolate fan). Followed the recipe exactly as written, and it was perfect! Everyone loved it! Absolutely delicious and the perfect cake-to-frosting ratio. Thank you, thank you!! This will now be made for future special occasions!
Thanks so much, DC! I’m so honored that this was your FIRST cake!!! Thrilled that everyone loved it!
So glad to hear that you like the cake to frosting ratio as well!
Thanks so much! xo