Valentine’s Day Chocolate Sheet Cake

This easy chocolate sheet cake recipe is perfect for Valentine’s Day! It’s adorned with the cutest Wilton sprinkles and topped with a rich chocolate frosting. So ditch the box of chocolates this year and spoil your Valentine with this decadent chocolate cake!

This post is sponsored by Wilton and all thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Butternut Bakery possible!

How to make chocolate sheet cake

Sheet cakes in general are so underrated. You get all the elements of a delicious layer cake minus all the work! They’re as easy as making (and eating) brownies.

For this chocolate sheet cake recipe, start by combining all of the dry ingredients. I’m using dutch process cocoa powder to give it that deep chocolate color.

Then, combine the buttermilk and greek yogurt in a small bowl. This is what gives the cake a super creamy and rich texture.

Now mix together the butter, sugar, espresso powder, vanilla and oil. The espresso powder bumps up that chocolate flavor since dutch process cocoa has a slightly mellow flavor compared to your standard cocoa powder.

Mix in the eggs one at a time until smooth. Alternate adding your wet and dry ingredients until your batter is smooth. Bake in a 9×13 pan at 350F for 35-40 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

How to make canned chocolate frosting taste homemade

To top this sheet cake, I used Wilton’s NEW naturally flavored Rich Chocolate icing. No one would ever know it’s from a can! With no artificial colors, flavors, or high-fructose corn syrup, you get that rich chocolate flavor without all those mysterious ingredients. I mean I could eat this stuff by the spoonful.

But to make it even better, I used a little trick that I like to use on any canned frosting.

All you have to do is scoop out the can into a bowl and whisk it on high for a couple minutes. The color will lighten and you’ll end up with this super silky frosting that’s perfect for spreading. The proof is in the swirls:

Decorating your valentine’s day cake

I mean come on…how cute are those sprinkles?? I am a BIG fan of natural and muted sprinkles which is why I love Wilton’s new line of naturally flavored sprinkles and icings. The sprinkles don’t have any artificial colors or flavors. They even smell good!

These heart sprinkles are the Valentine’s Day sprinkles I have been searching for for years. Their muted red and pink colors have an effortless and natural look that make this cake so adorable!

To get an even spread of sprinkles, work with small pinches and sprinkle from about 10 inches from the cake. By working up high and constantly moving your hand, you’ll get evenly spaced sprinkles without any awkward clusters.

How to store chocolate sheet cake

If you’re making this cake ahead of time or just want to save the leftovers, it’s important to store it correctly so that it doesn’t dry out.

To keep its freshness, leave the cake in the pan you baked it in and cover the top with plastic wrap. Make sure to do this once it’s completely cooled.

Place it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Because it’s cake, it tends to dry out pretty quickly.

After it’s frosted, also make sure to store it in the fridge with plastic wrap. Pull it tight so that it doesn’t stick to the frosting. I sometimes even tape it down to make sure it doesn’t touch the top of the cake.

For even more chocolate recipes:

Chocolate Peppermint Bundt Cake
*ditch the peppermint and top with the sprinkles from this sheet cake for a Valentine’s Day bundt cake!
SunButter Stuffed Chocolate Fudge Cookies
Dark Chocolate Fudge Brownies
Edible Brownie Cookie Dough

Make sure to tag me @butternutbakery on Instagram if you make this Valentine’s Day chocolate sheet cake. I love seeing my recipes come to life in YOUR kitchen! To pin this recipe and save it for later, you can use the button on the recipe card, the buttons above or below this post, or on any of the photos above. Happy baking! 

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