Vanilla Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
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The perfect dessert to feed a crowd, this vanilla sheet is easy to frost and decorate, easy to transport, and easy to serve.
Tis’ the season for graduation parties, potlucks, and summer BBQs. At my house alone this month, we are celebrating my son’s 18th birthday and high school graduation and my husband’s 50th (!!). These occasions scream for a sheet cake. Less fussy than a layer cake but just as festive, a sheet cake is easy to frost and decorate, easy to transport, and easy to cut and serve — plus, it feeds a crowd. This luscious vanilla sheet cake with cream cheese frosting is adapted from my favorite cake cookbook, Perfect Cakes by Nick Malgieri. It can also be made as vanilla cupcakes or topped with berries and turned into a flag cake.
What You’ll Need To Make Vanilla Sheet Cake
Step-by-Step Instructions
Bake the Cake
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or beaters), beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
Beat in the vanilla.
Beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
Don’t worry if the batter looks a little curdled at this point.
Reduce the speed to low, then beat in one-third of the flour mixture.
Pour in half of the buttermilk. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, then add another third of the flour, followed by the remaining buttermilk. Beat in the remaining flour.
Scrape down the bowl and beat again until the batter is evenly combined. Do not overmix.
Scrape the batter into the prepared baking pan.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the cake is set and lightly golden around the edges, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Set the cake on a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the Cream Cheese Frosting
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or beaters), combine the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and salt. Mix on low speed until combined, then increase the speed to medium-high and beat until aerated and light, about 2 minutes.
Stop the mixer and add about half of the confectioners’ sugar; mix on low to combine. Gradually add the remaining sugar, keeping the speed on low.
Once all of the sugar is mixed in, increase the speed to medium-high and beat until fluffy, about 1 minute.
When the cake is cool, use a butter knife or small offset spatula to top the cake with the frosting.
Swirl the frosting lavishly.
The cake is best enjoyed fresh on the day it is baked, but it will keep nicely for a few days. Store in an airtight container (or cover tightly with plastic wrap) at room temperature.
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Vanilla Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
The perfect dessert to feed a crowd, this vanilla sheet is easy to frost and decorate, easy to transport, and easy to serve.
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 2¾ cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup buttermilk (see note)
For the Frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch salt
- 4 cups confectioners' sugar
- Sprinkles, for decorating (optional)
Instructions
For the Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Butter and flour a 9x13-in pan, or use nonstick cooking spray with flour in it, such as Baker's Joy or Pam with Flour.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or beaters), beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the vanilla, then beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. (Don't worry if the batter looks a little curdled at this point.)
- Reduce the speed to low, then beat in one-third of the flour mixture, followed by half of the buttermilk. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, then add another third of the flour, followed by the remaining buttermilk. Beat in the remaining flour, then scrape down the bowl and beat again until the batter is evenly combined. Do not overmix.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the cake is set and lightly golden around the edges, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Set the cake on a wire rack to cool completely.
For the Frosting
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or beaters), combine the cream cheese, butter, vanilla and salt. Mix on low speed until combined, then increase the speed to medium-high and beat until aerated and light, about 2 minutes. Stop the mixer and add about half of the confectioners' sugar; mix on low to combine. Gradually add the remaining sugar, keeping the speed on low. Once all of the sugar is mixed in, increase the speed to medium-high and beat until fluffy, about 1 minute.
- When the cake is cool, use a butter knife or small offset spatula to swirl the frosting lavishly over top. The cake is best enjoyed fresh on the day it is baked, but it will keep nicely for a few days. Store in an airtight container (or cover tightly with plastic wrap) at room temperature.
- Note: If you’d like to make your own buttermilk, check out the easy method here.
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: 1 piece of cake
- Calories: 462
- Fat: 21 g
- Saturated fat: 13 g
- Carbohydrates: 65 g
- Sugar: 50 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Sodium: 199 mg
- Cholesterol: 96 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I was craving orange cake — like the frozen Sara Lee brand my Mom would get for company in the 60s and 70s. (She was not a baker!). So, I added 1/2 teaspoon orange extract and the zest of a whole orange to the batter, and the zest of a large mandarin to the frosting. It is the best cake I’ve ever tasted (and much, much better than Sara Lee — sorry Sara), so easy to make, and the perfect density and fluffiness. Just divine!
Hi Jenn, my husband has requested a yellow cake with chocolate frosting for his birthday, and this sheet cake looks perfect. Do you have a chocolate frosting that would work for this? Also, do you have a favorite pan for this cake? Thank you and love your recipes!
Hi Adina, you can use this frosting instead. My favorite baking pans are by USA Pans and here’s the 9 x 13-inch one. Hope your husband enjoys the cake!
I make this cake often for co-workers birthdays and it always gets rave reviews. The only sheet cake recipe you’ll ever need. The frosting is amazing and the cake is delicious. Just be careful not to over mix or you’ll end up with a concave center as I experienced once (my error not the recipe).
Hi! Would you say the frosting in this recipe pipes well?
Hi Laura, It does not – sorry! For piping I would recommend my Swiss meringue buttercream.
Is there any reason I couldn’t freeze the frosted cake for about 2 weeks?
Hi Corrine, it’s fine to freeze the cakes, but for the best results, I’d wait until you thaw it before frosting.
Too much icing sugar for my liking but I don’t like it too sweet or add more cream cheese. The cake is lovely will definitely make again.
Made this cake using an all purpose gluten free flour for my mother’s 89th birthday. It was a delicious, dense cake that was loved by all, including my brother who normally passes on deserts. He must have reiterated at least three times how much he liked it. The frosting would be delicious on a carrot cake. Thanks Jen for another superb tested and perfected recipe.
Made a double batch of this for my daughters 7th birthday – the texture and flavor are superb, everyone enjoyed very much. Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
Hi Jenn-
Can you use reduced fat buttermilk and get the same results? Sorry if this has already been asked.
Thanks!
Yup – enjoy!
Hi Jenn,
Wanted to make a plain yellow cake in an 8×8 square pan and of course came to onceuponachef to look for one. Will this work halved? Want to make cake pops out of it. Thanks!!
Sure, Abbie, that will work. Enjoy!
This cake is so good I made it last night and my family loves it! This will be my go to when I have to take a dessert. Thank you for this recipe now I have to try your other recipes!
Jen, I’d really like to make this for my grandson’s 2nd birthday party but due to busy schedules I need to bake it Wednesday night, then frost Friday for Saturday afternoon. Do you think it will freeze or refridgerate ok without the frosting?
If you plan to make it today and not serve it until Saturday, I’d freeze it to ensure it remains fresh. Just thaw on the countertop the night before you plan to frost it. Hope everyone enjoys!
Excellent advice, Jen, worked like a charm! This was the easiest, most delicious, moist vanilla cake (we added sprinkles to the batter for youngster fun) and yummy frosting. Every single morsel was devoured and our party guests were raving! I 100% agree with the solid 5 star ratings but admit I’m puzzled that only 25 people have commented so far. I encourage others to try it too because this really is another “Jen” perfected winner !!
So glad it came out nicely — thanks for reporting back!
Can I make this cake the night before and then frost it in the morning to serve that evening? Is it really okay to leave it out on the counter all day with the cream cheese frosting?
Sure, Jane, it’s fine to bake it the night before and also okay to leave it on the counter. 🙂
Hello Jen! How can I use the recipe to make a round cake in a round cake pan? Thanks
Sure, AC, I would use two 8-inch round pans. Bake time should be 30 to 35 minutes. Please LMK how it turns out!
Is there a recipe for a chocolate sheet cake?
Hi Nabeela, You could use this recipe for a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. If you do, I’d start checking for doneness at 35 to 45 minutes. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
I’d like to make this cake look like a bakery cake. Is it dangerous to flip it out of the pan and then frost it? Would it stick on the bottom?
Hi Alicyn, It should work but I would definitely line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper to ensure easy removal. Hope that helps!
This is absolutely the best white cake I have ever tasted. Every recipe I’ve used from Jenn Segal has been wonderful.
Can this be made into cupcakes? If so, how many will it make and how long should they be baked?
Hi Amy, if you want to make vanilla cupcakes, I’d suggest using this recipe. Hope you enjoy if you make them!
Really nice basic sheet cake. Super easy to make and perfect frosting.
Thanks Jen!
Do you recommend cake flour as a substitute for all purpose in this recipe?
Hi Nan, for the best results, I’d stick with all-purpose flour. Hope you enjoy if you make it!
Hello,
I baked this but it didn’t come out fluffy, as I expected. The guests said that it tasted good, though.
Could it be due to the over mixing? How do I make sure that I do not over mix the batter and not have clumps at the same time?
Thanks for your additional tips! I will definitely try this again to get fluffy cake.
Sorry to hear you had a problem with the texture. Cakes can lose their lightness and get a little tough if the batter is overmixed. You just want to mix it until the batter is uniform (and before removing it from the mixing bowl, eyeball it to make sure there are no unmixed clumps). You might try this mixing method next time (it’s the same exact cake recipe, just a different method of mixing). Hope that helps!
Hello! I actually was going to search your site to see if you had sheet cake recipes today, et viola! Quick question: any reason why this wouldn’t work if I doubled this for an 18x12x2 sheet cake? Need something to feed a crowd at a graduation picnic next week 🙂
(Also, just a separate note to say that I check your site first and foremost whenever I’m in search for a recipe… I’m obsessed with everything of yours that I have made so far, which is not a short list… THANK YOU!!).
So glad you like the recipes! I do think you could get away with doubling this for an 8 x 12-inch baking dish. The cake may be a little thicker and take a few extra minutes in the oven so keep a close eye on it.
This worked marvelously! Barely took any extra time to cook, as well (less than +5 mins longer I believe). The whole cake got eaten, too… people had seconds at the event, and then others seemed to have made excuses to swing by in the days after to eat more of it. It’s completely gone, now… the entire 12×18 cake!
Thank you again – so much – for the recipe and the advice!
I look forward to making this with my 5 year old. she loves to bake 🙂
I LOVE LOVE LOVE your website and your recipes! it’s become my go to for new recipes to add to our meal plans. Anytime I cook them I get rave reviews. Looking forward to your next cookbook in the fall!
Thanks for the nice words!! Hope you and your daughter enjoy baking the cake. 🙂
My daughter recently told me she loves the taste of white wedding cake, so I thought I’d try to make her one for her birthday. Do you think this recipe is similar in flavor?
Hi Kate, this is more of a yellow cake. I’d suggest you use this recipe instead (and you could make it into a sheet cake if you’d like).
I look forward to your Thursday emails. Your photo of the cake is so luscious! Literally makes my mouth water. Oh my! I also so your photo of the Vanilla Birthday Cake and your beautiful Labrador Retriever.
Your cookbook is now the one I turn to first, even before my 50 year old “Joy of Cooking”.
My only request is for more vegetarian main dish recipes.
Thank you.
So glad you like the recipes, the cookbook, and the pics! I will keep your request for more vegetarian main dishes in mind as I develop new recipes. 🙂