This chocolate chip sheet cake tastes just like a chocolate chip cookie, but in cake form! The cake is soft, fluffy, and topped with a homemade cookie dough frosting that is covered with mini chocolate chips. Since this is a snack cake size, it's perfect for birthday parties, holidays, or for any family gathering.
This chocolate chip cake has become one of my favorite cake recipes! It literally tastes like a buttery chocolate chip cookie. The cake is slightly dense, but also soft, and it just melts in your mouth with every bite.
I topped this sheet cake with a chocolate chip cookie dough buttercream that is safe to eat (no eggs) and absolutely addicting. Mini chocolate chips are folded into both the cake batter and the frosting so there's an abundance of chocolate flavor. This is a must-try cake!
Craving a different sheet cake flavor? Then you must try this lemon sheet cake!
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Why You'll Love This Chocolate Chip Cake
- It's baked in a 9x13-inch quarter size baking pan.
- Both the cake and buttercream are filled with chocolate chips.
- Each bite tastes like a soft and fluffy chocolate chip cookie.
- It's easy to bake, decorate, and serve!
What I love about sheet cakes is how much easier they are to decorate and serve compared to a layered cake. You can frost and serve the cake straight from the baking pan and the decorating is pretty minimal.
When I say this is literally a chocolate chip cookie in cake form, I mean it. This cake features the flavors of that classic cookie, while being soft like a great cake recipe should be!
Ingredients Needed
Let's take a look at some of the ingredients we'll need in order to make this cake:
- All-Purpose Flour: Unless otherwise stated, I always use all-purpose flour in my recipes. Be sure to check out my baking tips above on how to properly measure flour.
- Leavening Agents: Both baking powder and baking soda are used to help the cake to rise when baking.
- Butter: The butter will be used in both the cake and frosting. Make sure to use unsalted butter and it is at room temperature.
- Chocolate Chips: I recommend using mini chocolate chips as it helps ensure that each bite will be filled with them.
Instructions
- Dry Ingredients: Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium-sized bowl.
- Wet Ingredients: Beat together the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until creamy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time on medium speed, until combined. Then mix in the vanilla. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl a few times as needed.
- Combine Ingredients: On low speed, alternate between adding the flour mixture and the milk, starting and ending with the flour. Mix just until each one is combined before adding the next. Then fold in the mini chocolate chips.
- Bake: Scrape the cake batter into the prepared pan and smooth it out into an even layer. Bake for 28-32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Allow the cake to completely cool before frosting.
- Cookie Dough Buttercream: Cream together the butter, brown sugar, and sugar until smooth. Add a ¼ cup of heavy cream and the vanilla extract and beat on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes. Mix in the heat-treated flour, mini chocolate chips, and 1 tablespoon of heavy cream. Then whip on medium-high speed for another minute.
Expert Baking Tips
- Baking Pan: This recipe uses a 9×13-inch pan. You can use either a glass or metal baking pan. If using glass, spray the pan with non-stick spray, line with parchment paper, and then more non-stick spray. If using metal, line with parchment paper and spray with non-stick spray.
- Room Temperature Ingredients: If an ingredient calls to be at room temperature before baking, do it. This helps to ensure the best quality in both flavor and texture. For this recipe, you’ll want to remove the butter, eggs, and milk from the refrigerator about 1 hour before you want to start baking.
- Measuring Flour: To help ensure you don’t add extra flour, follow these three simple steps: 1)Fluff up the flour using a fork. 2)Spoon the flour into your measuring cup. 3) Scrape a knife across the top of the measuring cup to level out the flour.
- Heat-Treated Flour: For the cookie dough frosting we need to heat-treat the flour. By doing this, we help reduce the build up of pathogens (bacteria) that may be on the flour.
Recipe FAQs
Heat treating flour before using it in the cookie dough buttercream helps to ensure that the bad bacteria is killed.
This can happen for a few reasons. 1) If you underbake the cake, then the middle will sink. Make sure to use a toothpick to check the doneness of the cake. 2) If either the baking soda or baking powder is expired, then the cake can sink because it isn't properly leavened. 3) You over mixed the batter. Be sure to follow each step carefully so as to not allow this to happen.
Yes you can! Bake the cake the day before and once cooled, place a piece of plastic wrap over the top of the baking pan and store it at room temperature. Make the buttercream the next day, frost, and then serve.
I wouldn't recommend it because the regular-sized ones might weigh down the cake, making it dense. Mini chocolate chips are perfect for both the cake batter and buttercream.
If you made this recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below. I love hearing from you! Also, please tag me on Instagram and check out my Pinterest for even more recipe ideas.
It brings me so much joy to see you make my recipes. 🙂
Happy Baking!
More Cake Recipes
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Chip Sheet Cake
Equipment
- 9x13-Inch Glass or Metal Baking Pan
- Electric Stand Mixer
Ingredients:
Chocolate Chip Cake
- 2 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (2 sticks)
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup milk, room temperature
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Buttercream
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour, heat-treated
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, room temperature (1.5 sticks)
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ cup plus 1tbsp heavy whipping cream, divided
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup mini chocolate chips
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line your 9x13-inch baking pan (see note below) with parchment paper and non-stick spray.
Chocolate Chip Cake
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric stand mixer using the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until creamy (about 1-2 minutes). Beat in the eggs, one at a time on medium speed, until combined. Then mix in the vanilla. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl a few times as needed.
- On low speed, alternate between adding the flour mixture and the milk, starting and ending with the flour (add about half of the flour mixture, then the milk, then the rest of the flour). Mix just until each one is combined before adding the next.
- Take the bowl off of the stand and gently fold in the mini chocolate chips with a silicone spatula. Scrape the cake batter into the prepared pan and smooth it out into an even layer (the cake batter will be on the thicker side). Bake for 28-32-minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Allow the cake to completely cool before frosting.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Buttercream
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and evenly pour flour onto a baking sheet. Bake the flour for 5 minutes and allow it to cool completely on the counter before using.
- In the bowl of an electric stand mixer using the paddle attachent, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and sugar until smooth (about 1-2 minutes). Add a ¼ cup of heavy cream and the vanilla and beat on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes (we want the buttercream to be really light and creamy).
- On low speed, mix in the flour, mini chocolate chips, and 1 tablespoon of heavy cream. Then whip on medium-high speed for another minute.
- Frost the cooled cake (you can either do this in the pan or remove the cake first), slice, and serve. Keep any leftover cake slices in an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
I tried this sheet cake without making the frosting and it turned out so good😋 Can’t wait to try the lemon sheet cake!
I'm so glad you enjoyed it! You'll have to let me know how you liked the lemon sheet cake too! 🙂
Have you ever tried these with no dairy? Curious if you think it would work out.
Hi Chaya, I do not have any experience not using dairy in my baked goods. You could probably use a nondairy substitute for both the butter and milk, but I'm not sure what to recommend. If you end up trying this recipe out using nondairy substitutions, please let me know how it turns out!
Hi there! I made this dairy free and it was wonderful! For substitutions I used Earth balance vegan butter and almond milk for the cake along with nestle dairy free chocolate . Then I used country crock dairy free heavy whipping cream in the icing.
Thank you for sharing, Kaitlyn!!
Do you think I could double the recipe and bake in a jell roll pan? (10x15)
There's no need to double it! Just go ahead and bake it in the jelly roll pan. Just check it after 20 minutes as it might bake quicker in the thinner pan.