Food and Recipes Party Food and Drink 34 Party-Perfect Sheet Cake Recipes By Zoe Denenberg Zoe Denenberg As a professional baker, Zoe Denenberg has spent the past two years traveling across the country—from Alabama to Hawai'i—working in farm-focused pastry kitchens. She has written about food, travel, and culture for Southern Living since 2019. See more of Zoe's work at https://zoedenenberg.wixsite.com/portfolio and follow her on Instagram. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on July 8, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Caitlin Bensel, Food Styling: Margaret Dickey, Prop Styling: Kay E Clarke Simple, elegant, and sure to be crowd-pleasers, these quick and easy sheet cakes are the perfect way to feed a crowd without breaking the bank (or breaking a sweat). A 13- by 9-inch sheet cake pan is all you need to transform drab boxed cake mix into a luxurious birthday cake, a fan-favorite carrot cake, or a festive berry poke cake. Learn the secret ingredient to a perfect chocolate sheet cake (hint: you can find this popular summer vegetable at your local farmers' market) or charm your guests with a rich, nutty Texas sheet cake (believe it or not, this collection includes multiple Texas sheet cake variations). These playful cakes are approved by kids and adults alike. Whether you're celebrating a graduation, a birthday, or simply toasting to life, these recipes will be your no-fuss secret to easy, breezy hosting. So ditch the store-bought cake and opt for one of these simple yet impressive sheet cake recipes to wow your crowd this season. 01 of 34 Coconut-Carrot Cake with Coconut Buttercream Photo: Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas Recipe: Coconut-Carrot Cake with Coconut Buttercream Coconut and carrot combine to bring layers of moist, toasty goodness to this unconventional sheet cake. 02 of 34 Wacky Cake Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Wacky Cake As you may have guessed from its name, this cake is unconventional. The ingredients are stirred together right in the pan, and doesn't require any eggs or milk. 03 of 34 Coconut Tres Leches Sheet Cake Alison Miksch Recipe: Coconut Tres Leches Sheet Cake This cake's warm yet light flavors are sure to please at any summer party. The toasty coconut and zesty lime toppings will transport you right to the tropics. 04 of 34 Chocolate-Zucchini Cake Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Chocolate-Zucchini Cake Zucchini may be an unconventional cake ingredient, but it's the key to this super-moist sponge cake. With rich chocolate flavor and Brown Butter-Pistachio Frosting, your kids will never even guess that they're eating their vegetables. 05 of 34 Cream Soda Confetti Sheet Cake Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Cream Soda Confetti Sheet Cake This whimsical cake balances the sugary sweetness of cream soda with the fruity freshness of strawberry icing. Its cool flavor palate will be a favorite amongst kids and adults alike. 06 of 34 Red, White, and Blue Poke Cake Jennifer Causey Recipe: Red, White, and Blue Poke Cake This star-spangled sheet cake uses a poke cake technique that helps the sponge soak up all the flavor of the two fruit fillings. You're sure to find bursts of fresh strawberry, blueberry, and cream in every bite. 07 of 34 Banana Pudding Poke Cake Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Banana Pudding Poke Cake This sheet cake recipe is a fresh take on traditional banana pudding that's perfect for large parties. 08 of 34 Classic Birthday Cake Micah A. Leal Recipe: Classic Birthday Cake You can't go wrong with vanilla and rainbow sprinkles. No birthday celebration is complete without lots of family and friends, and this sheet cake can accommodate your party crowds. 09 of 34 Dr. Pepper Texas Sheet Cake Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner Recipe: Dr. Pepper Texas Sheet Cake Dr. Pepper adds fragrant spices to this cake. It will remind you of a traditional Texas Sheet Cake, but with fragrant aromas like nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves. 10 of 34 Fresh Apple Cake Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner Recipe: Fresh Apple Cake Thinly sliced apples create rich, moist layers of fruit within the cake. Top with your choice of Browned Butter Frosting, Cream Cheese Frosting, or Dark Chocolate Frosting. 11 of 34 SweeTARTS and Smarties Tie-Dye Cake Alison Miksch Recipe: SweeTARTS and Smarties Tie-Dye Cake Your favorite childhood candies star in this whimsical and nostalgic sheet cake recipe. Kids will love the playful design and bright colors. Trust us, this cake tastes as good as it looks. 12 of 34 Brown-Sugar Rum Cake Southern Living Recipe: Brown-Sugar Rum Cake The caramel flavor of dark brown sugar balances out the rum in the rich frosting. If you want to skip the rum, try replacing with vanilla extract or a cream cheese frosting. 13 of 34 White Texas Sheet Cake Micah A. Leal Recipe: White Texas Sheet Cake Sister to the classic chocolate Texas Sheet Cake and the Blond Texas Sheet Cake, this version is a homemade white cake covered in browned-butter and toasted walnut frosting. 14 of 34 Sweet Potato Sheet Cake Southern Living Recipe: Sweet Potato Sheet Cake No one will know that you used a boxed cake mix to start this recipe off once they taste the first heavenly bite. Did we mention there's pecans, bacon, and apple pie spice in there too? 15 of 34 Flag Cake Southern Living Recipe: Flag Cake Perfectly patriotic and undeniably festive, this cake features a tangy sour cream vanilla frosting with fresh blue and red berries. 16 of 34 Graduation Sheet Cake Antonis Achilleos Recipe: Graduation Sheet Cake Celebrate your grad's accomplishments with this simple crowd-pleasing sheet cake. Adorn with edible wafer cookie "diplomas" and decorate in school colors for a spirited treat. 17 of 34 Mini Confetti Cakes Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke Recipe: Mini Confetti Cakes To upgrade and refine your sheet cake, use a small round cutter to construct the layers of these adorable Mini Confetti Cakes. Adorn with edible flowers to complete the perfect miniature dessert for your ladies' luncheon or afternoon tea party. 18 of 34 Strawberries-and-Cream Sheet Cake Photo: Hector Sanchez Recipe: Strawberries-and-Cream Sheet Cake Trust us. This simple sheet cake will be a keeper in your recipe box. File it under "springtime crowd-pleaser." 19 of 34 Heavenly Angel Food Cake Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas Recipe: Heavenly Angel Food Cake The rich, moist texture of this divine angel food cake is unlike any other. Made from scratch in minutes, it's spread with frosting that's a lemon lover's dream. 20 of 34 Shortcut Carrot Sheet Cake Kelsey Hansen; Food Styling: Karen Rankin; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Shortcut Carrot Sheet Cake Packed with the warm flavors of walnut, toasted coconut, and pineapple (which adds extra moisture), this carrot spice cake is a must-have fall recipe. Feed a Thanksgiving crowd with this quick and sophisticated sheet cake. Plus, you can save the leftovers for days of snacking. 21 of 34 Texas Sheet Cake with Fudge Icing Iain Bagwell Recipe: Texas Sheet Cake with Fudge Icing Don't mess with Texas! This iconic Texas Sheet Cake is rich in chocolatey, nutty flavors. Its signature fudge icing is poured on just after the cake is removed from the oven, leading to a gooey, soft frosting that melts in your mouth. 22 of 34 Coconut-Butter Pecan Sheet Cake Southern Living Recipe: Coconut-Butter Pecan Sheet Cake There's nothing better than warm, roasted butter pecans, and this recipe pairs nuts with light coconut to make this sheet cake perfect for the summer. 23 of 34 Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake Hector Manuel Sanchez Recipe: Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake Mayonnaise is the secret to this chocolate cake's fluffy, light texture. 24 of 34 Blond Texas Sheet Cake Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas Recipe: Blond Texas Sheet Cake A twist on the beloved chocolate Texas Sheet Cake, this blond version maintains all of the cake's signature nutty richness without any cocoa. The addition of buttermilk keeps the cake extra moist and fluffy. 25 of 34 Mississippi Mud Cake Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas Recipe: Mississippi Mud Cake With its fluffy chocolate sponge and marshmallow-pecan topping, this classic cake is a grown-up homage to summer s'mores. 26 of 34 Plum-Berry Cornmeal Sheet Cake Alison Miksch Recipe: Plum-Berry Cornmeal Sheet Cake The combination of tart stone fruit, fresh berries, and toasty cornmeal makes this recipe adaptable and suited for any season. Great for brunch or an afternoon snack, this sheet cake can be taken on the go or enjoyed on your front porch. 27 of 34 Sweet Tea-and-Lemonade Cake Hector Sanchez Recipe: Sweet Tea-and-Lemonade Cake This sheet cake combines all the flavors of your favorite Southern beverages into a light, refreshing dessert. Feeling rowdy? Spin this into a tipsy cake by substituting up to 2 Tbsp. vodka or bourbon for the lemon juice in the frosting. 28 of 34 Apricot-Almond Coffee Cake Southern Living Recipe: Apricot-Almond Coffee Cake Add apricots, slivered almonds, and a vanilla glaze to transform your coffee cake. Eat this sweet treat at brunch or as an after-dinner dessert. 29 of 34 Coca-Cola Cake Recipe Southern Living Recipe: Coca-Cola Cake Recipe The carbonation and sweet syrup of Coca-Cola is what make this cake moist and tender, and one that everyone is bound to enjoy. 30 of 34 Pumpkin Dump Cake Micah A. Leal Recipe: Pumpkin Dump Cake Make the pumpkin filling (similar to pumpkin pie filling) in a separate bowl and then combine with yellow cake mix and melted butter before popping this cake into the oven. 31 of 34 Nehi Orange Poke Cake Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner Recipe: Nehi Orange Poke Cake Nehi orange-flavored soda is a main ingredient in the citrus curd in this recipe, giving the cake a tangy kick. 32 of 34 Pumpkin Spice-Heath Cake Alison Miksch Recipe: Pumpkin Spice-Heath Cake Pumpkin spice lovers, this one's for you. It's topped with spiced cream cheese frosting and toffee and almond candy bits that taste like fall in every bite. 33 of 34 Chocolate Fudge Sheet Cake with Chocolate-Cream Cheese Frosting Aaron Kirk; Prop Styling: Kashara Johnson; Food Styling: Pam Lolley Recipe: Chocolate Fudge Sheet Cake with Chocolate-Cream Cheese Frosting Classic, chocolate cake is always a crowd-pleaser. Add cinnamon to this recipe if you want to make things interesting. 34 of 34 Key Lime Sheet Cake Caitlin Bensel, Food Styling: Margaret Dickey, Prop Styling: Kay E Clarke Recipe: Key Lime Sheet Cake Poke holes after adding the gelatin to let it seep into the cake. This produces lime-green streaks that can be seen when the cake is cut. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit