Easy Vintage Homemade Chocolate Sheet Cake Is Decadent and Ultra-Moist

Photo byCake Whiz

This old-fashioned chocolate sheet cake recipe is easy to make and tastes delicious. A cup of sour cream makes it extra moist and the cocoa powder gives the cake a rich chocolately flavor.

I love sheet cakes because they're perfect for get togethers. They're easy to transport and much quicker to pull together than layer cakes. You don't need to worry about flipping the cakes out of the pan, leveling the layers or mixing crumbs into the frosting. Just cool the cake, frost it and decorate it with sprinkles, chocolate chips or fresh raspberries. Or keep it simple with a dusting of powdered sugar.

Unlike some scratch chocolate cake recipes that use boiling water and can sink in the middle, this cake comes out perfectly even, with a slight rise in the center. I attribute that to the 4 minutes spent mixing the eggs and sugar with a whisk attachment, which makes the batter extra fluffy.

Chocolate Sheet Cake

Ingredients

1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder, sifted

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

4 large eggs

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup sour cream, room temperature

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 x 13inch baking pan. Melt the stick of butter and set aside to cool.
2. Whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. Using a hand-held or stand mixer with a whisk attachment, combine the eggs and granulated sugar. Beat on high speed until the mixture is thick and pale (about 4 minutes).
4. Add the dry ingredients and beat just to combine. Add the butter, vanilla and sour cream and mix until smooth.
5. Pour batter into the pan and smooth with a spatula. Mixture will be thick and creamy.
6. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 30-35 minutes.
7. Cool cake in the pan on a wire rack.
8. Frost with the flavor of your choice and decorate.

Notes

To cut calories, replace the sour cream with the light version. You can also substitute margarine for the butter.