1/2 Sheet Cake Recipe

1/2 sheet cake recipe can use any homemade batter you like or choose boxed cake mix if you want a quick treat to serve a crowd! If you’re wondering how to bake a half sheet cake it is easier than you think and a cheap dessert everyone will love.

How to Bake Half of a Sheet Cake

You can choose any flavor you like, this one is a homemade pumpkin sheet cake. If you have a favorite German chocolate cake recipe that fits in a 13×18″ pan then that will work for this too.

It just makes each piece a bit thinner and bakes in half the time, that’s why we love it. Somebody pop by unexpected? NO problem, make this! Overall there isn’t a big difference than if you were to make a traditional cake out of a box.

1/2 Sheet Cake Pan

If you could imagine you’ll need a baking sheet that is different than if you made cookies on it. Reason being is the thinner batter will spread out and you’ll need a higher lip all the way around so it can rise. This half sheet pan with high sides 12×18 or 13×18 works. A full sheet cake size is 26×18 which is quite large, this is more feasible.

Ingredients

If you want to make our homemade pumpkin cake here this is what was used:

1. Eggs added at room temperature is ideal
2. Oil, vegetable doesn’t have a flavor so is best
3. Canned pumpkin for this flavor we love
4. All purpose flour and sugar have the other dry ingredients added to
5. Baking powder will allow it to rise
6. Baking soda will too
7. Cinnamon for this Fall flavor
8. Salt will actually bring out the sweetness

Easy cream cheese frosting

• Room temperature cream cheese
• Softened unsalted butter
• Vanilla extract
• Powdered sugar

You could add a heaping tbsp of peanut butter to change it up from this version of a vanilla buttercream sort.

Here are a few questions you might have before you go any further to make this quick dessert idea.

FAQ

What’s the difference between sheet cake and regular cake?

The only things are the thickness of the cake and the bake time. Sheet cakes bake very quickly, but are thinner overall. There are just so many different boxed cake mix recipes out there.

If you want to make smaller version (a 1/4 sheet cake) than this you’d use a 9×12 high sides pan. I’ve found you could cut the recipe in half and use that much batter for this. This size will serve about 18 small square pieces. Of course if you made two of these to make a double layer with buttercream frosting in between you may be able to increase to 20 servings.

You can either whip up (literally) this easy frosting on high speed in your stand mixer, or just use a tub of ready made cake batter frosting. If you have followed The Typical Mom blog at all you know that simple is how I strive to cook and bake. With kids, working full time, and renovating houses on the side as a couple…we’re busy!

We don’t live near many stores though, and the ones close aren’t fancy. SO…if there is an occasion it is kinda’ up to me to bake whatever we need.

Sheet Pan Cake

The reason I love this is how versatile it is. Serve it as is after dinner, bake 3 and layer them to serve a crowd after a BBQ, or cut it in half to make a smaller 2 layer cake so it’s “fancier”. This is about how thick it turns out if you use the recipe below.

Chocolate Recipe

For any other flavor you can just use your favorite recipe that you’d normally bake in a 9×13″ baking pan.

Vanilla Recipe

OR use 1 box of cake mix and add ingredients listed right on the box!! It is recommended to make 2 of them and layer with filling or frosting in the middle to make it thicker of course. My favorite is this moist Devil’s Food boxed mix, or carrot cake.

Just follow the directions on the back of the box and pour chocolate mixture into a prepared pan with non stick spray or parchment paper is even better.

Pumpkin Sheet Cake

Our pumpkin pie sheet cake uses this large flat pan too. Yes it is a hit during the Fall but we love this flavor so much we make it year round.

You can make a gluten free chocolate sheet cake too. Baking time and temperature is the same whether it’s homemade or boxed. Looking for more sheet cake recipes? Use these batters with the new large pan you just got and you can make a whole bunch of different flavors!

• Pistachio cake is incredible and something different to serve as a birthday cake or just because.
• This chocolate cherry dump cake uses 3 ingredients and comes out great this way too. Add chocolate frosting for a wallop of flavor.

I love using my KitchenAid but you could easily use a hand mixer on medium speed to combine all the wet ingredients into the flour mixture. At the end use an offset spatula to ensure you get every ounce of batter into the pan to bake.

How to Make Half Sheet Cakes

• Using a mixer, beat eggs and sugar together.
• Add pumpkin and beat until your batter becomes light and fluffy
• In a bowl mix together dry ingredients and incorporate until batter is smooth.
• Pour into your larger baking sheet pan with large lips on the sides.
• Put in preheated oven until middle springs back when touched lightly with your fingertip or toothpick just has moist crumbs attached.
• Allow to cool in pan completely.
• Make frosting or use a tub and spread on with a rubber spatula.

Substitutions

If you want chocolate, add about 1-2 heaping Tbsp of cocoa powder into the mix. Taste, add more if you want a stronger flavor.