An easy, rich 9×13 Chocolate Cake Recipe made in one bowl with minimal ingredients. Based on my popular best chocolate cake recipe, it is tender, moist, and delicious!
This is the easiest 9×13 chocolate cake recipe I’ve ever made. From my Best Chocolate Cake that everyone loves, I’ve made the cake even easier and sized for a 9×13 sheet cake!
I love this easy 9×13 size cake for taking to potlucks, tailgating, baking, taking to friends or neighbors, and for making a quick and easy cake! It transports beautifully in the baking dish and I love that I don’t have to worry about a cake slipping or sliding on a cake plate! Another favorite version you may enjoy is my Chocolate Loaf Cake. So easy!
I originally shared this recipe in 2014 and have updated it to include the metric conversion to grams as well as updated the recipe sizing to make for a thicker cake based on reader feedback.
Best Chocolate Cake (9×13 Recipe)
What Makes a Chocolate Cake Moist?
This cake recipe includes the perfect ratio of oil, milk, and boiling water to make it moist without having to use melted chocolate. The combination of the fat, protein, and water temperature produces a moist and tender crumb.
Ingredients for Easy 9×13 Chocolate Cake
Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full listing of ingredients, instructions, notes, and estimated nutritional information.
- all-purpose flour – I recommend using a good quality all-purpose flour that works well in baking. You can also substitute with cake flour if needed.
- sugar – You’ll use granulated sugar.
- unsweetened cocoa powder – I use unsweetened cocoa powder.
- baking powder – used to leaven the cake.
- baking soda – also used to help the cake rise.
- kosher salt – I use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt. If you substitute with Morton’s Kosher salt, fine sea salt, or table salt, you will only need half the amount of the salt called for in the recipe.
- espresso powder – Espresso powder enhances the flavor of chocolate in recipes. The amount used in this cake does not give a coffee flavor to the cake or leave a bitter aftertaste that you may get from using brewed coffee or instant coffee in the cake batter. You can use homemade espresso powder or your favorite store-bought. Many grocery stores now carry it. You can also omit it if you prefer or are unable to find it.
- milk – You can use buttermilk, whole milk, or coconut milk.
- vegetable oil – the oil is key for a moist chocolate cake.
- egg – Make sure that your egg is at room temperature so that it combines more easily into the cake batter.
- vanilla extract – Use good quality vanilla extract.
- boiling water – helps release the chocolate flavor in the recipe. Please don’t skip it!
Chocolate Buttercream
I scaled the chocolate buttercream frosting to work perfectly in a 9×13 baking dish. The cake still rises nicely so that you have a lovely, thick cake that you then top with a generous amount of silky chocolate buttercream.
Chocolate Buttercream Ingredients: you’ll need butter, cocoa powder, confectioner’s sugar, milk, vanilla extract, and espresso powder.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Prep. Preheat the oven and prep the baking dish.
Make the cake batter. Add the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder to a large mixing bowl. Whisk through to combine. Add the milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract to the flour mixture and combine. Carefully stir in the boiling water until well combined. The cake batter will be thin.
Bake the cake. Pour the cake batter into the prepared 9×13 baking dish. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool the baking dish on a wire rack until cooled completely.
Make the frosting. Meanwhile, add cocoa powder to a large mixing bowl. Whisk to break up any large lumps in the cocoa powder. Add the butter and using a hand mixer, cream the butter and cocoa powder together until well combined. Add confectioner’s sugar to another large bowl and whisk through it. Add the confectioner’s sugar and milk to the cocoa mixture by adding 1 cup of confectioner’s sugar followed by about a tablespoon of milk. After combining each addition, turn the 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. Mix until the frosting is silky and smooth.
I put together a quick video to show you just how easy the cake is to mix together. Seriously, it’s the easiest and most delicious cake ever, I think! 🙂
As with any 9×13 cake recipe, you can cut the pieces as generously or as conservatively as you please. You can cut the cake into 2-inch x 2-inch pieces for 24 servings or 2-inch x 3-inch pieces for 18 servings.
Here’s my Easy 9×13 Chocolate Cake Recipe. I think you are going to love how simple it is!
Best Chocolate Cake Recipe (9×13 Recipe)
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake Recipe (9×13 Recipe)
- 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 cups (396 g) granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup (63 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons (8 g) baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (9 g) baking soda
- 1 teaspoon (2.8 g) kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon (2.3 g) espresso powder
- 1 cup (227 g) buttermilk, whole milk, or coconut milk
- 1/2 cup (99 g) vegetable oil
- 2 large (100 g) eggs
- 2 teaspoons (9.4 g) vanilla extract
- 1 cup (227 g) boiling water
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting (9×13 Recipe)
- 1/2 cup (42 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3/4 cup (169.5 g) butter, softened
- 2 1/2 cups (283.7 g) confectioner’s sugar
- 1/4 cup (56.7 g) milk
- 1 teaspoon (4.7 g) vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon (0.57 g) espresso powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º F. Prepare one 9×13 baking dish by spraying with baking spray or buttering and lightly flouring.
- Whisk together 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. You can follow my tips for how to tell when your cake is done.
- 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
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon espresso powder
1/2 cup whole milk, buttermilk, or coconut milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup boiling water
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
Hi Robyn, may I use a dutch-processed cocoa powder? Or do I have to use the natural one?
Jess, I haven’t made this cake with Dutch Process cocoa, Maria, so I can’t tell you how it will work.
Hi Jess, looks like I’m a bit late, but I did use Dutch processed cocoa and it turned out great. In fact, I used Dutch processed that had a ‘best buy’ date of June 2020 and it was still fine! Lol, whoops. I did sift it in through a seive FYI. Good luck, and definitely make this cake. It is perfection.
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.
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.
Absolutely the best chocolate sheet cake recipe! I won’t use any other recipe now, delicious!
Thanks, Lauren!
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!
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.
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?
YOu can make 3 8-inch layers with the full recipe of the Best Chocolate Cake Ever 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.
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.
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!
Very easy. Very moist. Keeper.