37 Party-Perfect Sheet Cake Recipes

By

Alana Al-Hatlani

Updated on August 5, 2024

Key Lime Sheet Cake — Photo: Caitlin Bensel, Food Styling: Margaret Dickey, Prop Styling: Kay E Clarke

Simple and elegant, 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 a 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).

Kids and adults both approve of these playful cakes. Whether you're celebrating a graduation, a birthday, or simply toasting to life, these sheet cake 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.

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Lemon-Blueberry Sheet Cake

Southern Living Blueberry Lemon Sheet Cake sliced on plates to serve — Jessica Furniss

Earmark this gorgeous sheet cake for your next springtime gathering. Juicy blueberries are folded into the citrusy batter to add an extra layer of tartness. The light and lemony frosting is naturally hued from a handful of pureed blueberries.

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Wacky Cake

Wacky Cake — Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

As you may have guessed from its name, this cake is unconventional. The ingredients are stirred together in the pan and don't require eggs or milk. This simple chocolate cake uses pantry staples and is straightforward to make.

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Chocolate-Zucchini Cake

Chocolate-Zucchini Cake slice on a plate - Southern Living — Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

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 they're eating their vegetables. Make the frosting by browning the butter, a French cooking technique that takes about 10 minutes of melting the butter on medium-high heat and chilling for an hour.

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Red, White, and Blue Poke Cake

Red, White, and Blue Poke Cake — Jennifer Causey

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 will find bursts of fresh strawberry, blueberry, and cream with every bite. Dollop the rich mascarpone frosting over the cake after chilling.

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Classic Birthday Cake

Southern Living Classic Birthday Cake sliced with a serving on a plate — Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf

You can't go wrong with vanilla and rainbow sprinkles. No birthday celebration is complete without family and friends, and this sheet cake can accommodate your largest party crowds. This recipe calls for clear vanilla extract instead of pure vanilla extract, impacting the flavoring.

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Dr. Pepper Texas Sheet Cake

Dr Pepper Texas Sheet Cake — Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner

Dr. Pepper adds fragrant spices to this cake. It reminds you of a traditional Texas Sheet Cake with fragrant aromas like nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves. Toasted and chopped pecans add the ideal texture to the rich chocolate frosting.

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Fresh Apple Cake

Apple Cake Recipes — Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner

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. The batter will be thick, like cookie dough, so it might be challenging to add the apples.

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White Texas Sheet Cake

White Texas Sheet Cake — Micah A. Leal

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. Buttermilk makes this cake tender while adding vegetable oil moistens the cake. Browning the butter adds a nutty flavoring.

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Strawberries-and-Cream Sheet Cake

Strawberries-and-Cream Sheet Cake — Photo: Hector Sanchez

Trust us. This simple sheet cake will be a keeper in your recipe box. File it under "springtime crowd-pleaser." With only 35 minutes of hands-on time, this pink-hued cake looks beautiful on any dessert table. Garnish with fresh strawberries.

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Strawberry Ginger Poke Cake

Southern Living Strawberry-Ginger Poke Cake with Toasted Vanilla Meringue on a serving plate — Greg Dupree; Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Stylist: Christina Daley

This homemade strawberry poke cake is worth the extra effort. Topped with light and fluffy vanilla meringue, it's an impressive dessert for any event.

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Heavenly Angel Food Cake

Heavenly Angel Food Cake — Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas

This divine angel food cake's rich, moist texture is unlike any other. Make it from scratch in minutes. It's spread with a Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting that's a lemon lover's dream.

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Texas Sheet Cake with Fudge Icing

Texas Sheet Cake with Fudge Icing — Iain Bagwell

Don't mess with Texas! This iconic Texas Sheet Cake is rich in chocolatey, nutty flavors. Pour the signature fudge icing on just after the cake is removed from the oven, leading to a gooey, soft frosting that melts in your mouth.

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Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake

Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake — Hector Manuel Sanchez

Mayonnaise is the secret to this chocolate cake's fluffy, light texture. Cool completely, at least an hour, before topping this cake with Chocolate-Cream Cheese Frosting. It's a decadent frosting that remains incredibly light.

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Mississippi Mud Cake

Southern Living Mississippi Mud Cake sliced on plates to serve — Caitlin Bensel, Food Stylist: Torie Cox

With its fluffy chocolate sponge and marshmallow-pecan topping, this classic cake is a grown-up homage to summer s'mores. With 15 minutes of hands-on time, this sheet cake is s'mores designed to feed a crowd. Top with mini marshmallows or chopped pecans.

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Pumpkin Dump Cake

Southern Living Pumpkin Dump Cake sliced on a plate to serve topped with whipped cream — Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless

Make the pumpkin filling (similar to pumpkin pie filling) in a separate bowl and then combine it with yellow cake mix and melted butter before popping this cake into the oven. This cake is buttery and full of spices. Use freshly grated nutmeg and whipped cream as a garnish.

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Pumpkin Spice-Heath Cake

Pumpkin Spice-Heath Cake — Alison Miksch

Pumpkin spice lovers, this one's for you. This cake tastes like fall in every bite, topped with spiced cream cheese frosting, toffee, and almond candy bits. Use a boxed cake mix to save time.

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Key Lime Sheet Cake

Key Lime Sheet Cake — Caitlin Bensel, Food Styling: Margaret Dickey, Prop Styling: Kay E Clarke

Poke holes after adding the gelatin to let it seep into the cake. This sheet cake produces lime-green streaks visible when cutting the cake. Garnish with thin lime slices and mint for an effortless appearance.

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Strawberry Shortcake Sheet Cake

Southern Living Strawberry Shortcake Sheet Cake ready to serve — Morgan Hunt Glaze, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless

With 30 minutes of active cooking time, strawberry shortcake is easier than ever to enjoy. This cake combines buttery biscuits, juicy berries, and a tangy mascarpone whipped cream. Top with crunchy sugar for a sparkly texture and extra sweetness.

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Hummingbird Sheet Cake

Southern Living Hummingbird Sheet Cake — Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Stylist: Mary Clayton Carl Jones

Transform this classic Southern dessert into a sheet cake to feed a crowd. Cinnamon spice cake, topped with cream cheese frosting, adds delicious tropical flavoring from pineapples and bananas. Decorate with dried pineapple rings for an effortless presentation.

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Peanut Butter Cake

Peanut Butter Cake Recipe — Photography: Caitlin Bensel, Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Combine a few pantry staples to make this sheet cake, with buttermilk being the secret ingredient helping it to be ultra-tender. Top the sheet cake with cream cheese and peanut butter frosting for a light finish. With only 25 minutes of hands-on cooking time, this cake is ideal for when things get busy but large enough to feed a crowd.

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Lemon-Lime Poke Cake

Lemon-Lime Poke Cake in a rectangle blue pan — Photographer: Greg DuPree, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer Prop Stylist: Audrey Davis

Make this poke cake with pantry staples. The citrus-spiked cake uses sweetened condensed milk and buttermilk to make a custardy mixture, similar to Key lime pie. Add a pop of color by garnishing it with lemon and lime slices.

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Pineapple Cherry Dump Cake

Pineapple-Cherry Dump Cake in a casserole dish — Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

With only five ingredients, this dump cake is as simple as mixing and baking. Make sure to drain the pineapple before adding it to the cherry mixture. Top with sliced almonds and chopped pecans for a crunchy and nutty garnish.

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Chocolate Delight

Chocolate Delight — Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Christine Keely

After assembling, chill for at least two hours to set the layers of vanilla and chocolate pudding before enjoying. Pour the pudding mixture over the cream cheese layer before adding the whipped topping. Drizzle with chocolate syrup for the perfect finishing touch.

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Carrot Cake With Maple-Cream Cheese Frosting

Southern Living Carrot Cake With Maple-Cream Cheese Frosting cut on serving platter — Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Stylist: Mary Clayton Carl Jones

Enjoy this cake filled with raisins, pecans, and shredded carrots. Top with the Maple Cream Cheese Frosting made with softened butter, cream cheese, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar. Complete the dessert by topping it with orange candy-coated almonds or green candy sprinkles.

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Zucchini Cake

Southern Living Zucchini Cake sliced on plates to serve — Caitlin Bensel, Food Stylist: Torie Cox

Zucchini is the star of this impossibly tender cake. It's shredded and incorporated into the batter along with flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice (among other ingredients), giving it a wonderful depth of flavor.

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Toomer's Lemonade Sheet Cake

Southern Living Toomer's Lemonade Sheet Cake in the pan with a few pieces cut to serve — Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christina Dailey

Lemonade cakes are a dime a dozen, but this is one of the greats. With its tart cake soak (adding in even more lemony flavor) and its decadent cream cheese frosting (with even more lemon), you'll want to keep this recipe close at hand.

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St. Patrick's Day Poke Cake

Southern Living St. Patrick's Day Poke Cake slices on plates with forks and extra sprinkles — Jessica Furniss

Few cake recipes are quite as beloved as a good, old-fashioned poke cake. This one is designed to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, so expect plenty of green. You'll see the cheery hue marbled through the cake and scattered across the top. That's thanks to a box of lime gelatin, one of only four ingredients necessary to make this box-mix-based treat.

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Strawberry Patch Cake

Strawberry Patch Cake Southern Living — Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Stylist: Mary Clayton Carl Jones

One bite of this cake, and you'll imagine yourself disappearing into a fragrant strawberry patch. Dreamy, right? The cake is absolutely lovely, thanks in large part to the color pink: you'll see it in every part of the cake, including in the luscious frosting and sliced strawberries used to decorate.

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Chocolate Chick Cake

Southern Living Chocolate Chick Cake — Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Stylist: Mary Clayton Carl Jones

When springtime rolls around, Chocolate Chick Cake should be on the dessert table. It's also perfect for Easter thanks to the addition of candy-coated milk chocolate eggs and mini chocolate chicks atop the decadent chocolate cake.

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S'mores Chocolate Sheet Cake

Southern Living Smores Sheet Cake sliced on a plate to serve — Molly Bolton

With this cake, you get all the delight of s'mores without the fireside mess. The cake pairs a gooey chocolate base with a layers of chocolate ganache and marshmallow buttercream frosting, and then it gets scattered with the toasted graham cracker topping. We can hear the fire crackling, can't you?

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Pineapple Sunshine Cake

Pineapple Sunshine Cake — Photographer: Jennifer Causey Food Stylist: Melissa Gray Prop Stylist: Heather Chadduck Hillegas

Everyone could use a dose of sunshine, and this Pineapple Sunshine Cake serves just that. It has a tropical, pineapple-infused batter, which uses yellow cake mix and crushed pineapple. Plus, there's a vanilla pudding and cream cheese frosting that goes on top.

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Elvis Presley Cake

Southern Living Elvis Presley Cake after sprinkling with pecans — Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

This cake, with its milk, pineapple, and yellow cake mix base and its craveable cream cheese frosting, is one even Elvis himself would appreciate.

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Strawberry Poke Cake

Strawberry Poke Cake — Photographer: Alison Miksch / Food Stylist: Melissa Gray / Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless

If you need yet another poke cake recipe (and of course you do, can you ever have enough?), this one is a real classic. The addition of strawberry gelatin gives the cake mix a wonderful pink-and-yellow marbled effect, and it also adds a delightful bounciness to the texture.

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Banana Cake

Banana Cake — Micah A. Leal

Those who love bananas will go, well, bananas for this cake. Use ripe bananas and top with a decadent cream cheese frosting and plenty of crushed walnuts for one of the most satisfying banana-based desserts you will ever come across.

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Flag Cake

Southern Living Flag Cake decorated ready to serve — Caitlin Bensel, Food Stylist: Torie Cox

Perfectly patriotic and undeniably festive, this cake features a tangy sour cream vanilla frosting with fresh blue and red berries. While the berry placement is optional, this dessert feeds a crowd for large Fourth of July, Memorial Day, or Labor Day summer gatherings.

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Gooey Butter Cake

Southern Living Gooey Butter Cake cut into bars to serve — Molly Bolton

Guests will never know that boxed cake mix is the base of this tasty sheet cake. This surprisingly simple cake is made of two delicious layers—a boxed yellow cake mix layer and a luscious cream cheese layer.

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Pineapple Upside Down Dump Cake

Southern Living Pineapple Upside Down Dump Cake whole and ready to serve — Stacy K. Allen; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely

Five ingredients and 15 minutes of active prep time are all you need to create this party-worthy pineapple delight. It's super sweet, cheerful, and guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser.

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