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.
Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Claire Saffitz15/23Lemon Cake With Fruit
Make this cake in fall with pears or apples. In summer, it’s the ideal vehicle for peaches or ripe berries.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, food styling by Katherine Sacks16/23Homemade Dump Cake With Peaches, Blueberries, and Pecans
You can use store-bought yellow cake mix to make this effortless summer dessert, but it’s even better if you make our homemade version of the dry mix. Prep a big batch for future bakes.
Photo by Sam Harris17/23Lemon Poppy Seed Traybake
Ground almonds add a little nutty flavor to this lemon dessert. Be sure to taste your poppy seeds before using to make sure they haven’t gone rancid.
Photo & Food Styling by Joe Sevier18/23Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Zucchini bread isn’t the only option when you find yourself with a bumper crop of summer squash. This exceptionally moist cake is a favorite among our staffers—especially with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Photograph by Joe Lingeman, food styling by Shilpa Uskokovic, prop styling by Marina Bevilacqua19/23Carrot Sheet Cake With Cream Cheese Whip
Inspired by Brazilian bolo de cenoura, this one-layer take on carrot cake skips the tedious step of grating carrots and blitzes them right into the cake batter in a blender instead.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Floral Styling by LaParis Phillips20/23Chocolate Sheet Cake With Brown Butter Frosting
Say it with us: Brown. Butter. Frosting. This is something you absolutely need in your life as soon as possible—especially if you’re baking a birthday cake.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Mieko Takahashi22/23Red Velvet Sheet Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting
Laura Murray23/23Brown Butter Corn Flake Cake
Easy sheet cakes make great summer desserts—especially when they’re flavored with sweet corn kernels. The Corn Flakes on top get nice and crunchy in the oven.
Still not sure what to bake? Perhaps we can interest you in our best cheesecake recipes.
