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Easy Homemade Vanilla Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese

Easy Vanilla Sheet Cake

Camila Benitez
When you're short on time and need to throw something together for dessert, this simple Vanilla sheet cake recipe is the perfect crowd-pleaser. It consists of a tender and moist vanilla cake slathered with cream cheese frosting. It is the best choice to accompany breakfast and afternoon coffee, and it's even perfect for a birthday cake.
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 12

Ingredients
  

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

  • 226 g (8 oz) full fat cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 113 g (1 stick or ½ cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 5 ml (1 teaspoon ) pure vanilla extract
  • 248 g (2 cups) confectioners' sugar, divided

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Butter and flour, or use nonstick cooking spray with flour, such as Baker's Joy, a 9x13-inch ceramic baking pan, or metal pan. Sift together the flour and baking powder to remove any lumps in a large bowl. Set aside.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the unsalted butter, sugars, oil, pure vanilla, clear vanilla, and salt. On medium speed, beat until light and fluffy for about 5 minutes, stop and scrape the bowl, and paddle with a rubber spatula as necessary.
  • Add the eggs, beat on medium speed until well combined, about 2 to 3 minutes, and scrape the bowl. On low speed, stream in half of the buttermilk. Increase speed to medium-high and mix for about 1 minute. Scrape the bowl. Add half of the flour mixture and mix on low speed just until combined.
  • Scrape the bowl again, add the remaining flour mixture and remaining buttermilk and mix just until the batter comes together, about 45 seconds to 1 minute. Finish folding the ingredients by hand using a rubber spatula to ensure the batter is well mixed and smooth; there should be no streaks of fat or liquid.
  • Evenly pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake vanilla sheet cake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove the vanilla sheet cake from the oven and let it cool in the pan on a wire rack until completely cool.

How to Make Cream Cheese Frosting

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla. Mix on low speed until combined, then increase the speed to medium-high and beat until light, about 2 minutes.
  • Gradually add 2 cups of the confectioners' sugar, mixing at low speed to combine. Once the confectioners' sugar is mixed in, increase the speed to medium-high and beat until fluffy and smooth, about 1 minute. When the vanilla sheet cake is completely cool, use an offset spatula to spread the frosting evenly over the top.

Notes

How to Store 
This vanilla sheet cake with cream cheese frosting can be refrigerated in an airtight for up to 3 days; remove it from the fridge about 15 to 30 minutes before serving to allow the Frosting to warm up and lose its chill.
Plain vanilla sheet cake without frosting can be refrigerated in an airtight for up to 5 days; remove it from the fridge about 15 to 30 minutes before serving to allow it to warm up and lose its chill. Cream Cheese Frosting can be refrigerated in an airtight for up to 5 days; remove it from the fridge for about 30 minutes to 1 hour before decorating the cake to allow the frosting to warm up and lose its chill.
Make-Ahead
The vanilla sheet cake with cream cheese frosting can be made a day ahead and refrigerated for up to 3 days with a cling film cover over the top of the pan.
How to Freeze
Freeze the vanilla sheet cake without the cream cheese frosting for up to 3 months. Wrap the cake in clingfilm twice and foil once. To defrost, unwrap and defrost for about 5 to 8 hours at room temperature on a wire rack—Frost before serving.
Nutrition Facts
Easy Vanilla Sheet Cake
Amount per Serving
Calories
622
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
32
g
49
%
Saturated Fat
 
19
g
119
%
Trans Fat
 
1
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
 
2
g
Monounsaturated Fat
 
8
g
Cholesterol
 
136
mg
45
%
Sodium
 
253
mg
11
%
Potassium
 
113
mg
3
%
Carbohydrates
 
78
g
26
%
Fiber
 
1
g
4
%
Sugar
 
56
g
62
%
Protein
 
7
g
14
%
Vitamin A
 
1069
IU
21
%
Calcium
 
65
mg
7
%
Iron
 
2
mg
11
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods, and portion sizes per household.

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