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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Great recipe that is now a staple in our house for birthday parties. I do find it is the best the day of but also excellent the next day if you want to prep ahead of time
I made this cake for my daughter’s 12th birthday last year, and we just finished making and frosting it again for her 13th. It’s been a huge hit–everyone loves it. Thank you!
Can I just say, I made this recipe on a whim on Monday (Labor Day 2024).
It was the best cake I have ever made?
I added some things (pineapple and coconut) to the batter, but the texture of this, is OUT OF THIS WORLD!
So I am here to say, THANK YOU for posting this. I will be using this over and over again!
Hi Jenn,
So many recipes now give weights for the ingredients. Do by any chance have the weights for the ingredients you use?
Thanks!
Carol
The great majority of my recipes (including this one) include conversions to metric/weight measurements. To view them, scroll down to the recipe, and immediately under the recipe title on the right side, you’ll see a little toggle. If you move it from “cup measures” to metric, you’ll see measurements that will work for you. Hope that helps!
Dear Jenn,
That definitely helps! Thank you so much for your prompt reply.
Carol
The taste is wonderful, but the cake did not rise. It was barely over an inch. So I tried another recipe that was basically identical but included a tablespoon of baking powder, and it rose beautifully as one would wish for with a cake. I will be using the other recipe from now on.
Hello! i really want to make this but i have a 11 x 15 inch sheet pan – any reccomendations for how to alter the amount of ingredients?
Hi Tamarah, I’d make 1.5 times the recipe. The bake time may be a few minutes longer, but keep a close eye on it. Hope you enjoy!
I want to make this round so I can do a Harry Potter decoration on top
Just one layer
How could I adjust the recipe??
Hi Annie, what size round cake pan do you plan on using?
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).