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Retro-Style Chocolate Sheet Cake. I’m taking us back a bit in time with this delicious fudgy chocolate sheet cake. Picture a flavorful, light, and fluffy chocolate sheet cake with rich chocolate flavor. Then add the most delectable, roll your eyes back good, chocolate frosting that’s sweet and fudgy. This cake is naturally gluten-free and takes so little effort to make. It’s extra chocolatey and every last bite is truly delicious.
I’ve always wanted to make a simple chocolate sheet cake. But that was just it, it felt too simple and basic to share with you all. I know that sounds kind of silly, but I like to share more unique recipes with you guys. My hopes are that I will inspire you to create something fun to cook up for dinner or dessert.
To this day, I haven’t shared a super classic chocolate sheet cake. Maybe someday I will, but honestly, I love this cake even more. It’s classic…but better.
I’ve been thinking back to the recipes our moms and grandmas would bake up and the sweets we enjoyed as kids. Rich chocolate peanut butter bars and sweet sheet cakes for birthday parties. To me, the peanut bars were delicious, but the sheet cakes always lacked a bit in flavor. Probably because most of them were store bought or box cakes.
I got to thinking about how I could still make a retro-inspired sheet cake, but still improve upon it a bit. I wanted to give the cake more flavor, make it less sweet, and figure out a better frosting that didn’t just taste like lots of sugar.
So then I played around with this cake, using almond flour, and maple to sweet things. And adding coffee to really pull out and highlight the chocolate. It ended up being so wonderful, and I love that it’s a bit more wholesome too.
The cake details
Nothing fancy here, just mix the wet ingredients with the dry and simply bake the cake in a baking dish. One bowl – nothing complicated. As mentioned, I used almond flour for this cake, so it’s naturally gluten-free.
And then, I used maple syrup as the sweetener, which I really love. Cakes are, of course, delicious, but I hate the “sugar” headache you can get when they’re overly sweet. Don’t worry though, this is still plenty sweet!
The frosting
While the cake itself is on the more wholesome side, the frosting is a tried and true retro-style classic.
The frosting needed to be thick and fudgy, but yet soft and almost runny. Think of a just set top that has glazed over and stiffened, but underneath is fudgy, loose frosting.
Very old school, very vintage, which is exactly what I was going for. Just like the kind of frosting your grandma would make.
Once the cake has cooled, simply spread the frosting over top and that’s it, easy.
You can let the frosting set up or just cut in and enjoy!
Looking for easy old-school-style desserts? Here are a few ideas:
Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Blondies
Giant Salted Espresso Hot Fudge Cookies
Lunchroom Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
Lastly, if you make this Retro-Style Chocolate Sheet Cake be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Retro-Style Chocolate Sheet Cake
Servings: 12
Calories Per Serving: 569 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/2 – 3/4 cup maple syrup
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups almond flour
- 1 cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 cup brewed coffee
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips (optional)
Chocolate Icing
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) salted butter, at room temperature
- 2-3 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup warmed milk
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a 9×13 inch baking dish with parchment paper.2. In a large bowl, beat together the coconut oil, milk, maple syrup, eggs, and vanilla. Add the almond flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix until just combined, then slowly beat in the coffee until combined. It will be thin. If using, stir in mini-chocolate chips.3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake 30-35 minutes, until the top is just set and no longer wiggly in the center. Remove and let cool completely before frosting 4. To make the frosting. Add the butter, 2 cups powdered sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla, and 1/4 cup warm milk to the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat until smooth, adding additional warm milk until the frosting becomes thicker, but still drizzly. Taste, adding more sugar if needed. Spread the frosting over the cake. Let sit for 1-ish hour to set. Slice and enjoy!
Notes
Storing: this cake will keep well for 3-4 days at room temperature or in the fridge.
To Bring Eggs to Room Temperature: place the eggs in a bowl and fill with warm water. Let sit 5 minutes.
This post was originally published on February 18, 2022
INCREDIBLE. Love this cake. I have a gluten allergy so I especially like it but family members who are not gluten free raved about it just the same! A new staple in our house
Only had 1/2 cup of coffee left over so made the difference with water. For those of you who don’t like coffee, I would suggest you give it a try in this recipe because it is very subtle and brings out all the flavors.
Hey there,
Wonderful!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it! xT
What kind of cocoa powder do you recommend – natural or Dutch process?
Natural.
Baking soda=natural
baking powder=Dutch processed
Hey Amanda,
Here is the link for what I like to use:
http://l.thrv.me/hbh-eqlexe-orgbakcocoa
Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
did you sub something else for the coffee? im not a coffee person either!
Hi Sandy,
You can use water in place of the coffee. Let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
I’ve never made a cake from scratch and don’t like cream cheese frosting so this looked fantastic. I get all the HBH recipes weekly and this was just too good to pass up for a non dessert lover! This was perfect, luscious, not too sweet. Thanks for all that you do and building my novice kitchen confidence 🙂
Hi Kim,
Fantastic!! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xTieghan
Pro tip: Don’t alter a recipe until you’ve made it as written at least once! This did not go well for me and it was my own fault. First I attempted to cut the recipe in half without really making a good calculation on the baking pan which lead to a cake that was as flat as a pancake. My remedy was to then make a layer cake which would have been perfect had I not decided to also substitute the almond flour for gf cup4cup flour. I am just not a fan of baked stuff with almond flour but I should have at least tried it before going rogue. Anyway, the frosting was fantastic and it was very obvious if I’d stuck to your recipe I would have had a winner!
Thanks so much for trying the recipe Cari!
I am baking this cake as we speak! I know you said cool completely. Can I make the frosting in advance and let it sit while the cake cools?
Hi Samantha,
Yes, that would be okay for you to do. I hope you love the recipe, let me know how it turns out! xTieghan
Hi! So excited to try this! My husband has a nut allergy, would this work with regular flour? Thanks for always adding more excitement to our meals!!
Hey Erin,
Yes, you can use an equal amount of all purpose flour. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Made this last night and loved it! It’s so delicious. I made it without the coffee part because I’m not a coffee lover (I know such a disgrace ?) but it turned out amazing even without it. Definitely a make again. Thank you for a simple yummy cake recipe!
Hey Alison,
Fantastic!! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xTieghan
I’m going to make this with my 7 year old today! It’s snowing and sounds yummy! For the brewed coffee can I use espresso mixed with water? Or what about cold brew?
Hey Devon,
Sure, espresso and water will work! I hope you love the recipe, let me know how it turns out! xTieghan
Hi – what can you use instead of coconut oil? Very excited to try this but don’t have that ingredient.
Hi Amy,
Another neutral oil or butter will work for you. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Hello! I made it with vegetable oil instead of coconut and brown sugar instead of maple syrup and it came out very dry. Any tips on how to prevent this?
Hi Amy,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try, sorry to hear this. I would say try using the maple syrup next time or granulated sugar, the brown sugar probably changed the texture a bit. I hope this helps! xTieghan
Can you substitute a non dairy milk for the whole milk? My husband has gluten & dairy allergies & I’d love to make this for his birthday today.
Hey Lara,
Totally! I hope you love the recipe and happy birthday to your husband!! xTieghan
Another winner! Made it true to recipe as written. I didn’t even get to the frosting, the cake was so good on its own. And it smells heavenly. Next time I’ll add the frosting. Like tomorrow 🙂
Hey Betsy,
Fantastic!! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xTieghan
Hi, for the frosting, is the butter supposed to be room temperature (like written in this recipe) or melted (like in your Instagram story)? I used softened/room temperature butter and my frosting looks nothing like yours.
Same! I followed the written recipe exactly, and it looks completely different than the pictures here and did not pour as it did in the Instagram story. Much lighter brown and more of a traditional frosting. Any suggestions?
Hi Kim,
Sorry to hear this. Was your milk warm? What kind of chocolate did you use? It’s really hard for me to say without seeing the end results. xTieghan
Hi Winston,
The butter should be soft, at room temp. Was your milk warm? Let me know how I can help! xTieghan
This looked so good that I just had to make it. I don’t usually make desserts, but had to make this before Lent that is coming up. IT is SUPER Easy and SUPER DELICIOUS!
5 stars from the family and gone in a weekend! 🙂
Hey Kimberly,
Awesome!! Thanks a lot for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was a hit. Have the best week:) xx
Can you use regular flour? We have a nut allergy.
Hey Evelyn,
Yes, that will be just fine to use. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan