Gluten-Free Yellow Sheet Cake With Chocolate Frosting
This homemade gluten-free vanilla sheet cake is topped with a super plush chocolate buttercream frosting. It's fluffy, moist, and deliciously nostalgic. The perfect gluten-free birthday cake!
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Servings: 1 (9x13) Sheet Cake
Equipment
- 1 Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer
Ingredients
For The Yellow Cake:
- 2 cups gluten-free measure-for-measure flour* (240 grams)
- ¼ cup cornstarch (32 grams)
- 2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup butter, softened to room temperature** (227 grams/2 sticks)
- 1 ¾ cup granulated sugar (350 grams)
- 3 large eggs room temperature**
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon almond extract optional
- ½ cup sour cream room temperature**
- 1 cup whole milk room temperature**
For The Chocolate Frosting:
- 1 cups butter, softened (227 grams/2 sticks)
- 3 ½ cups powdered sugar (or more, if needed) (420 grams)
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (65 grams) - Use natural cocoa not Dutch Processed cocoa
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅓ cup heavy cream or more, if needed
- 1 Tablespoon corn syrup (optional, for glossier frosting)
Instructions
First, Make The Cake:
- Set Out Ingredients In Advance. You MUST set out the cold ingredients (eggs, butter, milk, and sour cream) about 1-1.5 hours in advance to let them come up to room temperature. Otherwise, they will not cream properly and the batter will be chunky instead of smooth.
- Preheat The Oven & Prep Your Pans. Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a metal 9x13 pan or line with parchment paper and set aside.
- Combine Dry Ingredients. In a medium bowl, combine gluten-free flour blend, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine, then set aside.
- Cream Butter & Sugar. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine softened butter and sugar. Use the paddle attachment and beat together 2-3 minutes on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.
- Add Eggs & Vanilla. Scrape down the edges/bottom of the bowl and gradually add eggs one at a time, then the vanilla, mixing to incorporate well.
- Mix In Sour Cream. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again, and mix in the sour cream on LOW speed.
- Alternate Dry Ingredients & Milk. Add half of the dry ingredients and mix on LOW speed, streaming in half of the milk as you go. Scrape down the edges of the bowl and add the second half of the dry ingredients, streaming in the second half of the milk until just combined. Try not to over-mix here. Feel free to finish combining by hand with a spatula, if needed!)
- Pour Batter Into Pan. Pour the cake batter into your prepared pan. Use an offset spatula to even out the surface of the batter.
- Bake Cake Layers. Bake the cake for 35-40 minutes or until the top of the cake springs back when gently pressed, and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean with just a few moist crumbs.
- Cool Completely Before Frosting. Let the cake cool 15 minutes in the pan before carefully turning them out onto a wire rack to cool completely OR let cake cool completely in the pan before frosting. Note that the cake must be COMPLETELY cool before frosting or the frosting will melt.
Then, Make The Frosting & Decorate The Cake
- Beat The Butter. Add the softened butter to a large bowl. Beat with a hand mixer on low speed for about 2 minutes, until it's light and fluffy.
- Mix. Then, add powdered sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and vanilla extract. Add the cream, then mix for 30 seconds on low speed, then about 1 minute on medium speed, or until well combined.
- Adjust. At this point, you'll want to adjust for texture. If the frosting is too dry or thick, add a little bit of additional cream at a time until it thins out. If the frosting is too thin or too wet, you can add more powdered sugar or cocoa powder a teaspoon at a time, until you reach the right consistency. The frosting should be easy to spread but should still hold its shape. (If you want the frosting to look extra glossy, you can add 1-2 Tablespoons of corn syrup at this point.)
- Frost The Cake. Use a piping bag and your favorite piping tip to pipe frosting onto the cooled cake, or use an offset spatula to spread the frosting out onto the cake. I like to make a subtle swirl design with the spatula. Add any desired sprinkles or other decoration.*
- Serve & Store. Use a sharp knife to cut the cake into slices and enjoy right away. Or, cover the cake and refrigerate until you're ready to serve. I recommend removing the cake from the fridge about 30 minutes before serving for the best texture. Store leftover cake covered in the refrigerator 2-3 days, or freeze leftovers up to 2 months.
Notes
- Gluten-Free Flour. We HIGHLY recommend King Arthur Flour Measure-For-Measure gluten-free flour. If you use another brand, be sure to use one with xanthan gum. Additionally, it's VERY important to measure your flour carefully. We recommend weighing on an inexpensive kitchen scale, or at least use the scoop and level method, spooning the flour into the measuring cup and leveling it off.
- Room Temperature Ingredients. It's crucial that all cold ingredients have been brought to room temperature before making this cake, or the batter will turn out lumpy and the finished cake will not look even. Set out butter, eggs, sour cream, and milk 1 hour in advance to bring them to room temperature.
- Frosting Tips. I usually just use an offset spatula to spread the frosting onto a sheet cake, but for pretty presentation, I like to use a Wilton 2D or Ateco 849 closed star tip to pipe a spiral or shell border or to make little poofs of frosting around the border of the cake.
- Your Pan Matters! I recommend baking this cake in a light colored metal pan, since it conducts heat evenly and cooks the cake gently. If you use a glass pan or ceramic pan, you'll likely need to add a few minutes to the bake time and your cake may not bake as flat as mine.
Video
Find the recipe:
sweetsandthankyou.com/yellow-sheet-cake/