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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.
Best Chocolate Cake (9×13 Recipe)
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.
How to Make It
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!
Best Chocolate Cake Recipe (9×13 Recipe)
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake Recipe (9×13 Recipe)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder
- 1/2 cup buttermilk, whole milk, or coconut milk
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup boiling water
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting (9×13 Recipe)
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
- 3/4 cup butter softened
- 2 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon espresso powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º F. Prepare one 9×13 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 9×13 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.
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting (9×13 Recipe)
- 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.
Notes
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
Wow, absolutely perfect chocolate cake (I am not even a big chocolate fan but I couldn’t stop eating it until the pan was licked clean!). Recipe couldn’t have been easier, and the crumb was perfection: moist, tender, delicious, not too sweet, didn’t fall apart. The only problem is, you’ve now ruined store-bought cake for us and my son declined my offer to buy him a bakery cake for his birthday party as he only wants me to make THIS one for him again!
Modifications: I didn’t have espresso powder, and I swapped cake flour for AP.
Frosting recipe was simple and delicious as well. Spreads & pipes perfectly. Though I could’ve also eaten it with a spoon.
Thank you so much for making this novice baker momma a hero! I will never buy a boxed mix again, that’s for sure
Thanks, Tiffany. I’m thrilled you and your son loved this cake and frosting. Don’t you just love it when you make a recipe that your children think is awesome?
I have made this amazingly delish cake in layers so was happy to find it for a 9×13…sadly, I followed the recipe exactly and my cake is only about one inch high! 🤪
Elizabeth, my family likes the ratio of cake to frosting with this cake but as I state in the Notes section, if you want a thicker cake, next time, use the full Best Chocolate Cake Ever Recipe.
What about for 11×15 size??
Amy, I haven’t made this cake in an 11×15 pan. I also don’t know the depth of your pans. You usually will need to double a recipe for a 2-layer 9-inch cake for an 11x15x2-inch pan. You would need to use my Best Chocolate Cake Recipe (Ever) for that cake.
Love your recipes this cake is awesome ❤
Thanks so much, Sylvie.
Hi there, would it be okay if I used 2% milk with this recipe?
Kay, I normally use whole milk when I make the cake but you can use 2% if you prefer. Hope you enjoy the cake.
Hello! I made this recipe 3 times already and everyone loves it. I added a tablespoon of white vinegar in the cake recipe though. And used custard as frosting. I’m wondering if I can use Greek yogurt instead of vegetable oil. Or if I can add chocolate chips. Let me know. Thanks for this amazing chocolate cake recipe!!
I’m happy everyone loves the cake. I haven’t tried making this cake with Greek yogurt, Eliza. When I added chocolate chips, they just sank to the bottom of the pan even after they were coated with flour.
This is very good. Best ever? Best so far and definitely will make again. Moist. A nice balance of true chocolate flavor and sweetness. Neither overpowering the other. I followed it exactly. No subs. Thank you for posting the recipe.
Hello,
I’m thinking of making x2 this cake in 2 9×13 tin.
My question is an odd one 🙂 (I’m not a cake maker!) – should I cook both tins in the oven at the same time or cook one first and then the second?
Thanks,
Ash
If your oven is big enough to bake both of the 9×13 pans at once, you can bake both at one time. If not, I would make one recipe at a time. I hope you enjoy your cakes.
this will be my go to chocolate cake how wonderfully moist and full of chocolate YUM