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
Very easy. Very moist. Keeper.
Hello,
I was wondering if you had a recommendation if my family wants more of a cream cheese frosting.
Can I substitute 8 oz of butter for 8 oz of cream cheese? Thanks!
Mary Ellen, if you are wanting a cream cheese frosting, you might want to try my Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe. Hope you and your family enjoy!
I put this together and poured it in my 9×13 and it was extremely thin. And when fully baked it only raised a 1/2 inch. Not sure, but I think you might have the ingredient proportions wrong here?! I had the intuition before I started and prob should have just followed the original amounts for the chocolate cake and put that in the 9×13. I might just make another and put it on top for a two layered sheet cake!
Molly, I’m sorry the cake was not as thick as you wanted. These are the proportions of frosting to cake my family likes in the 9×13 cake. That’s why I stated in the NOTES section:
If you like a thicker cake, use the full recipe for The Best Chocolate Cake Recipe (Ever).
I had the same problem, Molly! I agree the portions are off somehow. I don’t like too much frosting so I actually made half the recipe of what is in the 9×13 recipe. Thank goodness I did! If I did not, the frosting would have been thicker than the cake!
Quyen, if you want a thicker cake, follow the instructions I give under NOTES section of the recipe and make the full recipe of my Best Chocolate Cake (Ever) Recipe.
Very easy cake recipe and no chemical aftertaste like boxed mixes. I subbed in instant coffee dissolved in a little liquid for espresso powder and reduced sugar to 3/4 cup – Which was perfectly sweet for us. The frosting was too much in quantity so did 2/3 recipe.
I have made your cupcakes and your recipe for 2 x 9 inch. Delicous! Do you have ingredients measurements for 3 layers x 8 inches?
Colette, you can make 3 8-inch layers with this recipe but the layers will be a little thinner than in the 9-inch pans. If you make 1 1/2 times the recipe, you will have thicker layers. Just be careful you don’t over fill the pans.
Excellent home made chocolate cake! very moist and flavorful…I used 1/2 cup coffee instead of espresso powder and boiling water and frosted it with German chocolate frosting! Delicious!!
Thanks, Betty. I love this cake with German chocolate frosting, too.
Is gluten feee version close to as incredible as your original greatest cake ever?
Michael, many have commented that the gluten free version tastes just as great as the original. Hope you enjoy!
Absolutely the best chocolate sheet cake recipe! I won’t use any other recipe now, delicious!
Thanks, Lauren!
I wish I could show you how perfect my cake turned out! Recipe was spot on, cake rose just how it was supposed to and plenty of room for icing and decorate 🙂 the taste is very good as well
I’m glad the cake turned out so well for you, Theah.
Hey Robyn , I getting back with you in regards to the flan cake. I did the flan as usual and did about 1/4 of the hot water and added an extra egg. When adding the flan mixture on top of the cake mixture, I noticed it went directly into the cake instead of Laying on top . I figured it’s probably because a typical box cake is thicker. When I inverted the cake the flan color was darker. I must say the taste was fantastic though.
Thanks for letting me know how it turned out, Jenny. At least, you loved the flavor. I was afraid the flan would just mix in with the cake batter since it is so thin.