I'm really excited to share this Classic 4 Egg Yellow Sheet Cake with Chocolate Frosting recipe with you today because it is long time family favorite recipe! It combines a moist and fluffy, thick yellow cake with the best, and most decadent, homemade chocolate frosting! It's the perfect sheet cake to make for a family or co-workers birthday party or for any celebration!
Recipe updated, plus fresh new photos! 1.10.2020
what is the size of a sheet cake?
A sheet cake pan can come in a variety of different sizes depending on the manufacturer. The 3 common sheet cake pan sizes are:
- Full Sheet = 12" x 18"
- Half Sheet = 11" x 15"
- Quarter Sheet = 9" x 13"
Other sizes you might see are 7" x 11", 12" x 16", and 13" x 18". The height for sheet cake pans can range from 1" to 3".
For this 4 egg yellow sheet cake recipe, I used a 9" x 13" x 2" Nordic Ware® sheet cake pan, which I love because it has a metal cover for the pan that can double as a small cookie sheet!
how to make a classic 4 egg yellow sheet cake with chocolate frosting
4 egg yellow sheet cake
ingredients needed: all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, vegetable shortening, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, eggs, and milk
baking equipment needed: hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, separate mixing bowl, spatula, 13" x 9" x 2" sheet cake pan, flour based baking spray, and (optional) parchment paper
This classic 4 egg yellow sheet cake recipe is a simple one to whip up, but be careful not to over mix the batter. Doing so can give you a dense, chewy cake.
The recommended baking time for this sheet cake recipe is 35-40 minutes at 350ºF. My oven took the full 40 minutes, and my cake cooled completely in about 1 hour.
the best homemade chocolate frosting
ingredients needed: bar of dark chocolate, unsalted butter, confectioners sugar, salt, light corn syrup, and vanilla extract
baking equipment needed: hand-held mixer with large mixing bowl or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, spatula, offset spatula
Once your 4 egg yellow sheet cake has cooled, you can add this decadent homemade chocolate frosting! It's a recipe adapted from America's Test Kitchen and just recently used with my Chocolate Zucchini Cake with Chocolate Chips.
This chocolate frosting recipe is rich and creamy, and is easily spreadable using an offset spatula. Any spatula or knife will do in a pinch though! When mixing the ingredients together, I found it's best to do so on a slower speed. Mixing frostings at a higher setting can sometimes create air bubbles.
An optional add on to the chocolate frosting is, of course, the sprinkles! I used the Romance Sprinkle Mix from Sprinkle Pop, but feel free to use whatever mix you'd like!
recommended sheet cake baking tools from beyond the butter
you may also like these sheet cake recipes from Beyond the Butter
- Butterscotch Krimpet Sheet Cake
- Coconut Sheet Cake with Coconut Buttercream Frosting
- Hummingbird Sheet Cake with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
Classic 4 Egg Yellow Sheet Cake with Chocolate Frosting
Author:Ingredients
4 egg yellow sheet cake
- 2 ¾ cups All-Purpose Flour
- 3 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 cup Vegetable Shortening
- 2 cups Granulated Sugar
- 4 Large Eggs, room temperature
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 cup Milk, any dairy type
homemade chocolate frosting
- 1 ½ cups Unsalted Butter, room temperature
- 1 cup Powdered Sugar, sifted
- ¾ cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- ⅛ tsp Salt
- ¾ cup Light Corn Syrup
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 8 oz Semi-Sweet or Milk Chocolate, melted and cooled
Instructions
4 egg yellow sheet cake
- Adjust your oven to the second level position and preheat your oven to 350ºF.
- Generously spray a 9 x 13 inch cake pan with a flour-based baking spray. If you'd like an easy way to remove the sheet cake for frosting, add a parchment paper sleeve to the inside of the sheet pan. Lightly respray with the baking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Set to the side.
- Using your hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the shortening and granulated sugar together on medium high speed until light and fluffy.
- Add in the eggs and vanilla extract.
- Reducing the mixer speed, alternate between adding the dry mixture with the milk. Repeat until both have just combined with the batter. Be careful not to over mix!
- Pour the batter into the prepared 9 x 13 inch cake pan. Gently tap a few times to remove any possible air bubbles.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes at 350ºF or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Allow the sheet cake to cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes before inverting it onto a cooling rack to finish cooling.
- Add the chocolate frosting once the cake has cooled.
homemade chocolate frosting
- In a microwaveable bowl, melt the chocolate in 30-45 increments at 50% power, stirring until melted and smooth. Set to the side.
- Using your hand held mixer or stand up mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the unsalted butter, sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, and salt on low-medium speed until well-blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add in the corn syrup, vanilla extract, and melted chocolate and mix until full combined.
- Frost your 4 egg yellow sheet cake using an offset spatula.
- Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- This homemade chocolate frosting recipe will make enough to frost a sheet cake or approximately 30 cupcakes.
- This recipe can be made as cupcakes as well! Change the oven temp to 375ºF and bake the cupcakes for 15-20 minutes. Makes approx. 30 cupcakes.
- Alternatively, you can also make this in a tube pan. Set oven temp at 375ºF and bake for approximately 55-60 minutes.
- Cake recipe is from the recipe box of my late Grammy.
- Frosting recipe is adapted from "The Perfect Cake" book by America's Test Kitchen.
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