Delightfully Moist Chocolate Chip Sheet Cake with Fudgy Chocolate Frosting
Prepare to be enchanted by this truly irresistible chocolate chip sheet cake! It’s generously crowned with an ultra-rich and fudgy chocolate frosting and absolutely brimming with delightful mini chocolate chips. Baked to perfection in a convenient 9×13-inch cake pan, this chocolate chip sheet cake is the ultimate crowd-pleaser for any occasion – think festive birthdays, bustling bake sales, or simply an excuse to indulge in something wonderfully homemade. Its secret to unparalleled moisture lies in a clever combination of butter and neutral oil, creating a tender crumb that’s robust enough to keep those precious mini chocolate chips suspended throughout the batter, preventing them from sinking to the bottom. Get ready for a dessert that’s as easy to make as it is to love!
The inspiration for this phenomenal chocolate chip sheet cake came directly from you, my wonderful readers! I received numerous requests to transform my beloved vanilla layer cake into a more accessible sheet cake format. Always up for a baking challenge, I decided to take on the task. I started with my successful funfetti strawberry cake recipe as a base, which already had built-in mechanisms to prevent sprinkles from sinking, and began extensive testing.
While the funfetti cake was a great starting point, I quickly discovered that mini chocolate chips, unlike sprinkles, present a unique challenge due to their weight and the relentless pull of gravity. They have a notorious tendency to settle at the bottom of a standard cake batter, leaving you with a delicious but unevenly distributed chocolate experience. To combat this common baking dilemma and ensure every slice of this cake is packed with chocolatey goodness, I knew I needed to make some specific adjustments to the batter’s consistency.
After several rounds of experimentation, the solution became clear: a slightly thicker batter was key. I carefully increased the amount of flour and subtly reduced the buttermilk content. This adjustment created a richer, more viscous batter that perfectly suspends those mini chocolate chips throughout the cake as it bakes. The result? A perfectly textured cake with chocolate chips in every single bite! Once baked and cooled, I topped it with my absolute favorite chocolate sour cream frosting – a decadent, tangy, and incredibly fudgy delight. And because a little extra joy never hurts, I added a sprinkle of rainbow magic on top. Because, truly, why not?
While this chocolate chip sheet cake is undeniably divine with its signature chocolate sour cream frosting, don’t hesitate to customize it to your heart’s desire. It would be equally spectacular paired with a luscious vanilla bean buttercream or a playful Oreo frosting. In fact, I recently ran a fun poll on my Instagram to decide which frosting should accompany this cake, and let me tell you, the results were incredibly close! But, as you can see, chocolate ultimately claimed victory, and we’re all the happier for it. If you’re craving an even deeper chocolate experience, be sure to try my chocolate buttermilk sheet cake – it’s a cocoa lover’s dream!
Gather Your Ingredients for This Decadent Cake
To create this incredible chocolate chip sheet cake, a few key ingredients are absolutely essential, each playing a vital role in its flavor and texture. First and foremost, you’ll need, of course, chocolate chips! But not just any chocolate chips – ensure you’re using mini chocolate chips. Their smaller size is crucial for preventing them from sinking into the cake batter during baking, ensuring an even distribution of chocolate in every forkful. Additionally, I’ve innovated the traditional butter-only cake by incorporating a neutral oil, such as vegetable or canola oil, alongside the butter. This dynamic duo is the secret to a cake that is exceptionally moist, tender, and stays soft for days. Always remember to use quality ingredients, as they truly make a difference in the final taste and texture of your homemade masterpiece.
Baking Your Perfect Chocolate Chip Sheet Cake: A Step-by-Step Guide
- Begin by creaming together the softened butter, granulated sugar, and neutral oil in your stand mixer. Beat these ingredients on medium speed until the mixture becomes wonderfully light, fluffy, and visibly pale. This aeration step is essential for creating a tender cake crumb, so don’t rush it!
- Introduce the large eggs one at a time, ensuring each egg is fully incorporated into the batter before adding the next. This methodical approach prevents the batter from curdling and ensures a smooth, emulsified mixture. Remember to frequently scrape down the sides and bottom of your mixing bowl after each addition to ensure everything is evenly combined.
- Carefully add your dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, and salt) in three separate additions, alternating with the buttermilk. Begin and end with the dry ingredients, mixing on low speed just until combined after each addition. Overmixing at this stage can lead to a tough cake. Finally, gently fold in those essential mini chocolate chips until they are evenly distributed throughout the thick batter.
- Pour the prepared cake batter into your greased and parchment-lined 9×13-inch cake pan. For an extra visual appeal and a hint of extra chocolate, I love to sprinkle a few more mini chocolate chips right on top of the batter before baking. Place it into your preheated oven and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, indicating it’s perfectly cooked.
- While your cake cools, prepare the luxurious fudgy chocolate frosting. Start by beating softened butter and confectioners’ sugar together until they’re light and fluffy. Then, incorporate the rich cocoa powder, the smooth melted chocolate, a touch of sour cream for that delightful tang, and a pinch of salt to balance the sweetness. Mix until everything is beautifully smooth and creamy.
- Once your sheet cake has completely cooled – and this is crucial for flawless frosting application – spread that dreamy chocolate fudge frosting generously over the top. Use an offset spatula to create a smooth, even layer. Now, all that’s left to do is slice, serve, and savor every delightful bite!
The Delicate Balance: Avoiding Dry Cake While Preventing Chips from Sinking
Creating a perfect cake with added mix-ins like chocolate chips is truly a balancing act, a delicate dance between achieving a moist, tender crumb and ensuring those delicious additions don’t all sink to the bottom. On one hand, every baker strives for that soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture that makes a cake truly exceptional. On the other, the frustration of finding all your chocolate chips clustered at the very base of the cake is all too common. The ingenious trick to overcoming this challenge lies in a specific adjustment to your batter’s consistency: slightly reducing the buttermilk and, in turn, bumping up the amount of flour a bit. This subtle change creates a thicker batter that has the structural integrity to effectively suspend the chocolate chips throughout, guaranteeing an even distribution in every single slice.
However, it’s important to acknowledge that this adjustment comes with a slight trade-off. A thicker batter, by nature, can sometimes result in a cake that is marginally less moist than one with a thinner consistency. This is where precision becomes your best friend! So, here’s my absolute pro tip: invest in a good quality kitchen scale and always use it to measure your flour, especially when baking this recipe. Volumetrically measuring flour (using measuring cups) can lead to significant variations, as it’s incredibly easy to accidentally overpack the cup, adding far more flour than intended. This excess flour is a primary culprit for a dry, dense cake. By using a kitchen scale, you ensure accurate, consistent measurements every time, safeguarding your cake’s delicate moisture while still benefiting from the thicker batter’s ability to keep those chocolate chips perfectly in place.
Storing Your Delicious Chocolate Chip Sheet Cake
Proper storage is key to keeping your chocolate chip sheet cake fresh and delicious for as long as possible. Once your cake is frosted, I highly recommend storing it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. This is especially important due to the presence of dairy in the fudgy chocolate frosting, which benefits from refrigeration to maintain its texture and freshness. When stored correctly, your frosted cake will remain wonderfully fresh for 4-5 days. For the best flavor and texture experience, always allow the cake to come to room temperature for about 30-60 minutes before you plan to enjoy a slice. This brings out the full depth of flavor in both the cake and the frosting, making each bite even more satisfying.
If you’re planning ahead, you can absolutely bake the cake layers a day or two before you intend to serve them. Once the baked cake has completely cooled, tightly wrap it in several layers of plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out. Store the wrapped, unfrosted cake at room temperature. Then, on the day you plan to serve, simply prepare your frosting and assemble the cake. This flexibility makes it a fantastic recipe for entertaining or for easing your baking schedule.
Explore More Single-Layer Cake Delights!
If you loved the simplicity and deliciousness of this sheet cake, you’ll definitely want to try these other fantastic single-layer cake recipes from my kitchen:
- Simple Lotus Biscoff Cake
- Mini Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting (no butter)
- Simple Moist Chocolate Walnut Cake
- Simple Banana Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting
If you’ve made this recipe, make sure to leave a ⭐️ rating and review below! I absolutely adore seeing your creations, so please tag me on Instagram @alpineella so I can admire your baking success! You can also follow along on Pinterest, Facebook, and TikTok for more delicious recipes and baking inspiration!
Recipe
Decadent Chocolate Chip Sheet Cake with Fudgy Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting
Ella Gilbert
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Equipment
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9×13-inch cake pan
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Stand Mixer
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Kitchen Scale
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Measuring Spoons
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Bowl
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Whisk
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Rubber Spatula
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small offset spatula
Ingredients
Chocolate Chip Cake
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 ⅔ cup white sugar
- ¼ cup neutral oil
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup buttermilk room temperature
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips
Chocolate Frosting
- 3 oz semisweet chocolate chopped
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- ½ cup cocoa powder dutch-processed
- pinch kosher salt
- ¼ cup sour cream room temperature
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 350℉ (175℃). Prepare a 9×13-inch cake pan by greasing it thoroughly and lining it with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides for easy removal later.
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In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the room temperature unsalted butter with the neutral oil and white sugar. Beat on medium speed for 2-3 minutes, until the mixture is visibly lightened in color, fluffy, and has a slightly grainy, airy texture. This step incorporates air, vital for a tender cake.⅓ cup unsalted butter, 1 ⅔ cup white sugar, ¼ cup neutral oil
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Add the large eggs one by one, ensuring each egg is fully incorporated into the butter mixture before adding the next. This prevents the mixture from separating. After each egg, stop the mixer and thoroughly scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula to ensure uniform mixing.4 large eggs
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Once the eggs are fully incorporated, mix in the vanilla extract until just combined.3 teaspoons vanilla extract
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In a separate small bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and kosher salt. Ensure these dry ingredients are well combined to help with even leavening throughout the cake.2 teaspoons baking powder, 3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
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Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk. Start by adding one-third of the flour mixture, mixing on low speed until just combined. Then add half of the buttermilk, mix, followed by another third of the flour mixture, the remaining buttermilk, and finally, the last third of the flour mixture. Mix gently after each addition until just incorporated, being careful not to overmix.½ cup buttermilk
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Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the mini chocolate chips until they are evenly distributed throughout the thick cake batter. Avoid stirring too vigorously.1 cup mini chocolate chips
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Pour the prepared chocolate chip cake batter into your lined 9×13-inch baking pan, spreading it evenly with an offset spatula.
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Bake for 33-42 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached. Once baked, allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes before carefully removing it to a wire rack to cool completely. This prevents the cake from becoming soggy.
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While the cake is cooling, prepare your rich chocolate frosting. Melt the chopped semisweet chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl in short bursts (10-15 seconds), stirring well after each interval to prevent burning. Set aside to cool slightly.3 oz semisweet chocolate
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In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the room temperature unsalted butter and confectioners’ sugar on low speed until they are just combined. Then, increase the speed to medium-high and beat for several minutes until the mixture is light, fluffy, and noticeably pale.½ cup unsalted butter, 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
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Add the Dutch-processed cocoa powder to the butter and sugar mixture. Mix on low speed until fully combined, then increase to medium speed and beat for 1-2 minutes. Stop the mixer occasionally and use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, ensuring every speck of butter and cocoa is thoroughly incorporated.½ cup cocoa powder
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Finally, add the room temperature sour cream, the slightly cooled melted chocolate, and a pinch of kosher salt to the frosting mixture. Mix on medium speed until the frosting is wonderfully smooth, creamy, and thoroughly combined.pinch kosher salt, ¼ cup sour cream
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Once your sheet cake is completely cooled (this is critical for preventing melted frosting!), spread the delicious chocolate fudge frosting evenly over the top using an offset spatula. Decorate as desired, then slice into generous portions and enjoy your homemade chocolate chip masterpiece!
Video
Notes
Room Temperature Ingredients: Achieving the perfect emulsification and texture for your cake and frosting relies heavily on using room temperature ingredients. Always pull out all cold ingredients (like butter, eggs, buttermilk, and even sour cream for the frosting) at least 30-60 minutes, or even a few hours, before you plan to start baking. Room temperature ingredients combine more smoothly, creating a more uniform batter and a finer crumb.
Chocolate Chips: For this recipe, I strongly recommend using mini chocolate chips. Standard or larger chocolate chips tend to be heavier and will likely sink to the bottom of the cake batter during baking, leading to an uneven distribution. Mini chips are lighter and are better suspended in the slightly thicker batter.
Kitchen Scale: As mentioned, measuring flour accurately with a kitchen scale is paramount for this recipe. Because we’ve already adjusted the flour and buttermilk ratio to prevent chips from sinking, adding too much flour (which can easily happen with cup measurements) will result in a dry, dense, and less enjoyable cake. Precision here is key to a moist and tender result.
Salt Type: If you don’t have kosher salt on hand, you can substitute it with fine table salt, but remember to halve the amount called for in the recipe. For example, 1 teaspoon of Diamond Crystal kosher salt (which is what I typically use) is roughly equivalent to ½ teaspoon of fine salt. Morton Salt is often saltier than Diamond Crystal, so adjust accordingly.
Making Ahead (Unfrosted Cake): You can bake the cake layers ahead of time. Once they have completely cooled, wrap them tightly in several layers of plastic wrap. The unfrosted cake can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 2 months. If freezing, make sure it’s well-wrapped to prevent freezer burn. Allow frozen cakes to defrost in the refrigerator overnight and come to room temperature before frosting and serving.
Nutrition