Vanilla Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
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Soft, buttery, and wonderfully moist, this vanilla sheet cake recipe is topped with tangy cream cheese frosting and made for sharing.
Adapted from my favorite cake cookbook, Perfect Cakes by Nick Malgieri, this is a great example of why a sheet cake recipe is so handy: it bakes in a 9 × 13-inch pan, there are no layers to stack or decorate, and the finished cake is simple to transport and serve. It works for just about any occasion, from birthdays and potlucks to casual get-togethers. Dress it up with sprinkles for a celebration, or leave it plain for a more everyday look. You can also turn the batter into vanilla cupcakes or swap in vanilla buttercream for the frosting.
“The only sheet cake recipe you’ll ever need. The frosting is amazing and the cake is delicious.”
What You’ll Need To Make Vanilla Sheet Cake
- All-Purpose Flour: Gives the cake its structure while keeping the crumb soft and tender. For accuracy, spoon it into your measuring cup and level it off.
- Salt & Baking Soda: Salt balances the sweetness in both the cake and frosting, while baking soda works with the acidic buttermilk to help the cake rise.
- Unsalted Butter: Creamed with the sugar to help make the cake light and tender, and also forms the base of the cream cheese frosting. Make sure it’s softened so it blends easily in both.
- Granulated Sugar: Sweetens the cake and, when beaten with the butter, helps create a light, fluffy batter.
- Vanilla Extract: Gives the cake its classic vanilla taste and is also used in the frosting.
- Eggs: Give the cake structure and richness. Room-temperature eggs blend more easily into the batter.
- Buttermilk: Keeps the cake moist and tender and adds a slight tang that balances the sweetness. If you’d prefer not to buy it, check out some easy guidance on how to make buttermilk using milk and lemon juice or vinegar.
- Cream Cheese: Gives the frosting its creamy texture and signature tang. Bring it to room temperature so it blends smoothly with the butter.
- Confectioners’ Sugar: Sweetens and thickens the frosting while keeping it smooth and fluffy.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How to Make Vanilla Sheet Cake
Prepare the dry ingredients: Whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda.
Mix the batter: Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy; proper creaming adds air to the batter and helps give the cake a light texture. Add the vanilla and eggs, and don’t worry if the mixture looks slightly curdled—it will smooth out once you add the flour. With the mixer on low, alternate adding the dry ingredients and buttermilk. Once the flour starts going in, keep the mixing to a minimum; stop as soon as the batter is evenly combined so the cake stays tender.
Bake and cool: Spread the batter in the prepared pan and bake until the cake is set and lightly golden around the edges. Let it cool completely before frosting—even a slightly warm cake can soften cream cheese frosting enough to make it difficult to spread.
Make the cream cheese frosting: Beat the cream cheese and butter mixture until light and airy, then gradually work in the confectioners’ sugar. Keep the mixer on low while adding the sugar to keep it from flying out of the bowl, then increase the speed briefly and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy.
Frost the cake: Once the cake is completely cool, spread the frosting generously over the top, making loose swirls with a butter knife or offset spatula. No need to aim for perfection here—the casual swirls are part of the charm.
Serve or store: The cake is at its best the day it’s made, but it will keep well for a few days. The cake can also be frozen, without the frosting, for longer storage.
More classic cake recipes
Vanilla Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 2¾ cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup (2 sticks) 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
- ½ cup (1 stick) 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 (175°C) and set an oven rack in the middle position. Butter and flour a 9 x 13-in (23 x 33-cm) pan, or use nonstick cooking spray with flour, 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.
Notes
- If you’d prefer not to buy it, check out some easy guidance on how to make buttermilk using milk and lemon juice or vinegar.
- Make-Ahead/Freezing Instructions: While the frosted cake is best served on the same day of baking, it, it can be stored for a few days at room temperature in an airtight container or covered with plastic wrap. For longer storage, the cake can be frozen, without the frosting, for up to 3 months. After it is completely cooled, double-wrap the cake securely with aluminum foil or plastic wrap. When you’re ready to serve it, thaw the cake overnight on the countertop and then frost before serving.
Nutrition Information
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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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. 🙂