23 Sheet Cake Recipes for Big Crowds (or Just You)
For some events nothing but a towering layer cake will do. But most of the time we want fuss-free sheet cake recipes that easily feed a crowd or carve neatly into snacky slivers and slices. While there are good reasons to construct a multilayered situation using cakes baked in a sheet pan, this collection is focused on easy single-layer bakes in a wide range of flavors. Take one for the team to enjoy after a game, tote one to a picnic or backyard cookout. Share it at work during a colleague’s birthday or cut it into squares or rectangles for the school bake sale.
You may wonder what defines a sheet cake: Some of these recipes bake in a rimmed baking sheet (the same old pan you use for sheet-pan dinners, though they may specify a jelly roll, half sheet, or quarter sheet pan). Others require a 13x9" baking dish. We’ll save round cakes for another time. For now, preheat your oven, make sure you’re stocked in all-purpose flour, and pick between our favorite sheet cakes below.
Photo by Andrew Purcell, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Carrie Purcell2/23Coconut–Key Lime Sheet Cake
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich3/23Chocolate Cherry Cake
Easy cakes like this one are nice to have around for an afternoon snack with a cup of tea or coffee. Think Black Forest cake, but much simpler to prep. This sheet cake recipe doesn’t require buttercream frosting; a simple dusting of powdered sugar does the trick.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Katherine Sacks4/23Vanilla-Buttermilk Sheet Cake With Raspberries
Fresh orange juice and zest give this cake’s cream cheese frosting a bright, sunny flavor. You can decorate with edible flowers if you like.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Rhoda Boone5/23Milk Chocolate Cake With Chocolate-Caramel Frosting
Spare yourself an evening of dishes by picking this one-bowl cake. It's ideal for a picnic or a potluck.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton6/23Tre Latte Olive Oil Cake
Inspired by tres leches cake, this lemony olive oil chiffon gets a soak in a vanilla-scented mix of evaporated and condensed milk, and a topping of mascarpone whipped cream.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Nathaniel James, Food Styling by Anna Hampton7/23Pumpkin and Cookie-Butter Sheet Cake With Toasted Meringue
If you have a kitchen torch for making crème brûlée, use it to toast the top of this fall cake. No torch? Just use your broiler.
Photo by Yossy Arefi9/23Peanut Butter and Jam Cake With Raspberries
A pretty swirl of nostalgic flavors. Double the batter and the fresh raspberries so you can bake this one in a 9x13" pan.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton10/23Deep, Dark Chocolate Cake
Baking soda boosts the alkalinity of this batter, resulting in a strikingly dark-hued chocolate cake. To keep it from getting overleavened, Shirley Corriher adds boiling water to the baking soda and cocoa mixture so that the soda reacts and releases a lot of carbon dioxide before being mixed with the other ingredients.
Photo by Michael Graydon13/23Cocoa and Chicory Sheet Cake
Love chicory coffee? Then you’ll adore this chocolaty cake from Natasha Pickowicz.
Kelly Senyei14/23American Flag Cake
There’s no way around it: Sheet cakes are simply better than round cakes if you’re trying to deck out your Fourth of July dessert in stars and stripes. But if you’re hungry for a Fourth of July layer cake, we’ve got you covered.
