This Mini Chocolate Sheet Cake is inspired by your favorite devil's food cake. The crumb is light, rich and super flavorful. The frosting is fudge-y and delicious, incorporating melted chocolate and heavy cream. This is the perfect alternative to a large classic sheet cake. Top it with your favorite homemade sprinkles!
Disclaimer: This is an update on an old recipe. I replaced the raspberry frosting with fudge-y, delicious chocolate frosting. And obviously took new photos but really the cake recipe itself is the exact same.
This recipe is perfect for a smaller chocolate cake. It's made in an 8x8-inch brownie/cake pan.
What is Devil's Food Cake
Devil's Food Cake is also known as chocolate cake, fools! But there are some chocolate cake recipes out there that use melted chocolate; I opt for cocoa powder. Coffee in place of the hot water, adds a lovely enhanced chocolate flavor. There is a healthy amount of salt and the buttermilk gives this cake a super light texture.
How to Make the Fudge-y Chocolate Frosting:
- Temper the chocolate. This is what gives the frosting the flavor and the color and flavor. And let it cool to mostly room temperature. A bit warm is ok, you just don't want it to be super hot or else it'll melt the butter.
- Beat the butter and sugar together. Use the paddle attachment and a stand mixer and beat until combined with no pockets of powdered sugar.
- Add the melted chocolate. Add the melted chocolate and beat until combined. And then add the heavy cream and beat until light and fluffy. This really gives the frosting a super fluffy texture.
How to Make Chocolate Sheet Cake for Two:
- Mix together the dry ingredients. Just add the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on low just to combine.
- Add everything else! This is a very easy cake, just add the rest of the ingredients and mix on low just until they're combined.
- Bake. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake.
Tips and Tricks
- The coffee should be brewed on the stronger side. No weak cups of coffee! The stronger, honestly the better. The coffee will bring out and highlight the chocolate flavor in this cake.
- Be sure to line your 8x8 cake pan. I see this a lot: people are like, it'll be fine! And then their cake sticks to the bottom of the pan and they're all mad. Think of parchment like our insurance plan.
- For the frosting you want slightly warm melted chocolate. It shouldn't be added to the butter super warm because it will melt the butter. But you also don't want to cool it too much or else it'll be solid.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know on Instagram!
Looking for more recipes? Here are some of my favorites:
- Mini Yellow Cakes with Malt Chocolate Frosting
- Birthday Cake
- Carrot Snacking Cake
- Piña Colada Cake
- Carrot Cupcakes

Mini Chocolate Sheet Cake with Fudgey Frosting
Ingredients
Sheet Cake for Two:
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons white granulated sugar
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- ½ cup buttermilk
- ½ cup coffee
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Fudge-y Chocolate Frosting:
- ¾ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar sifted
- Pinch kosher salt
- 3 ounces semi-sweet (or dark) chocolate melted and cooled slightly
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- Sprinkles of choice as garnish
Instructions
To Make the Cake:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and line a 8x8-inch square cake pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, using a whisk, mix together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
- Crack in the eggs, pour in the buttermilk, coffee, olive oil and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth. The batter will be thin—that’s ok!
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the cake pan for about 5 minutes and then invert onto a cooling rack and cool until room temperature before frosting.
To Make the Frosting:
- In the bowl of a stand-up mixer, with the paddle attachment, add the butter, powdered sugar and salt; beat until smooth, about a minute.
- Pour in the melted chocolate and heavy cream. Beat again until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
To Frost the Cake:
- Scoop the frosting onto the top of the cooled cake and make a bunch of swoops, decorating the top how you like. Top with a handful of sprinkles
- Cut and serve. If you want nice, neat slice, transfer to the fridge to chill for about 15 minutes and then slice and serve.
Notes
- The coffee should be brewed on the stronger side. No weak cups of coffee! The stronger, honestly the better. The coffee will bring out and highlight the chocolate flavor in this cake.
- Be sure to line your 8x8 cake pan. I see this a lot: people are like, it'll be fine! And then their cake sticks to the bottom of the pan and they're all mad. Think of parchment like our insurance plan.
- For the frosting you want slightly warm melted chocolate. It shouldn't be added to the butter super warm because it will melt the butter. But you also don't want to cool it too much or else it'll be solid.
Luna @ Healthy Kitchen 101 says
Love the size for 2 <3 Though I'm a cake lover, everytime I hestitate to bake a cake because I cannot finish all of it and leave it wasted.
Tara says
How did you know I was coming to your website to look for a chocolate cake recipe?! What luck! Excited to make this tomorrow, I love your mini carrot cake recipe, I’ve made it so many times, everyone loves it. Like the other person who commented and for whatever reason, I also thot it said ‘mint’ - weird! Thanks for all the work you do and for sharing your gorgeous recipes.
Adrianna Adarme says
haha amazing timing! hope you love it!
TONI says
WHY SO SO MUCH SUGAR?
Adrianna Adarme says
this is a dessert. it's a cake. sugar adds moisture and flavor to cakes. you're more than welcome not to make it.
Marie says
I made it this weekend with a little less than a cup of sugar and it was still the best cake I had in a while! And the icing was magical.
Rosella says
Thank you Adrianna, I’ll make that recipe then!
Rosella says
Can you double the recipe if you want an 8” round double layer cake? Would it be the same? A friend of ours had made cupcakes from this recipe which were delicious.
Adrianna Adarme says
Better yet, use this recipe and bake it in two 8-inch round pans!
https://www.acozykitchen.com/one-bowl-sheet-chocolate-cake/
Dena says
I thought this said MINT instead of mini! I was contemplating mint and raspberry together and deciding to definitely trust you since I have cooked or baked quite a few of your recipes. Going to make this with my daughter, sans the mint!! She will love the pink frosting! Thanks!
Tess says
Hi! The cake looks beautiful—I particularly love your use of the heart sprinkles. Who makes them/where are they from?
tracy says
I love the blue serving/chopping board under the cake. Where did you get it?
Lo says
Girl these look incredible but what is the book for february! theres only 2 weeks left!
Adrianna Adarme says
Haha. I'm about to announce it. But don't worry because I won't talk about the book until March 15th. So everyone should have a full month to read it.
Lori says
Sounds and looks amazing! Love the idea of raspberry frosting ❤️
Susan says
Adrianna, a question: is it really only 1 Tb. Oil? This looks beautiful, love the raspberry /chocolate combination, but I have never seen so little fat in a cake-great news, but I just have to check! T Y for your inspiring blog!
Adrianna Adarme says
Yep! It doesn't seem like a lot but it really does make a very moist and fluffy cake. 🙂
lk says
I just want to say that I love you for declaring an 8x8” cake “for two.”
Adrianna Adarme says
Lollll....
Halle Lawson says
I love those sprinkles! I think I need them in my life! I made your cinnamon crunch rice crispy treats and they were a hit! Forever I found your blog because you're my go-to for dessert recipes now!
Adrianna Adarme says
YAY! That's so great to hear. xo
Melinda says
I see so much love in that cake! Yummy! Love the combination of chocolate and raspberry! Congrats on book club!
Bekah says
I need this in my life. Me and Chrissy teighan thank you for making sheet cake cool. Omg I can’t wait for book club reveal!
Adrianna Adarme says
About to announce the next book right now!