Buttermilk Sheet Cake

This Buttermilk Sheet Cake is insanely moist, tender and buttery, topped with creamy vanilla frosting that literally melts into the cake. It’s the perfect dessert idea for parties! Plus, this sheet cake is a breeze to make – you don’t even need a mixer!

Moist Buttermilk Cake With Creamy Vanilla Frosting

Today I’m sharing a super simple Buttermilk sheet cake, and one of my go-to desserts for potlucks and parties. My buttermilk sheet cake is ridiculously moist, buttery, and tender. I can almost guarantee that there won’t be a slice left whenever you serve it! 

This sheet cake recipe is so easy, my kids can make it. The cake calls for simple ingredients, the batter comes together in minutes (no mixer!), and it bakes up perfectly every time. What more can you ask for in a cake, really?

What You’ll Need

I love this buttermilk sheet cake because I always seem to have everything I need already in the pantry! The simple ingredients make this a wonderful cake recipe to whip up at a moment’s notice. Here’s a summary of the ingredients, with the full amounts available in the recipe card:

• Sugar: For consistent results, I stick with regular granulated sugar when baking.
• Flour: All-purpose flour works perfectly here.
• Baking Soda: For leavening.
• Salt
• Butter: Melted salted or unsalted butter, for the cake as well as the frosting.
• Eggs: You’ll need a couple of lightly beaten eggs to give the cake richness and structure.
• Vanilla: This recipe calls for a touch of vanilla in the cake and in the frosting. For the best flavor, I prefer to use pure, real vanilla extract.
• Buttermilk: If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, make your own substitution! See below for details.
• Powdered Sugar: Also known as confectioner’s sugar. The fine texture leads to silky-smooth frosting!
• Milk: Whole milk or 2% milk are both good options for thinning out the frosting. 

Don’t Have Buttermilk on Hand?

No buttermilk? No problem! Fun fact: you can make your own buttermilk substitute from scratch with just two common ingredients. 

Take 1 tablespoon of white vinegar (or lemon juice) and add it to a 1-cup measuring cup. Next, fill the rest of the cup with regular whole milk (or 2%). Give the mixture a stir and then let it sit for 5 minutes. Boom! Homemade “buttermilk.”

I go into even more detail in my post on How to Make Buttermilk.

How to Make Buttermilk Sheet Cake

Since this is a sheet cake, take out a large, 11×17-inch rimmed baking sheet and coat it with cooking spray. Set this aside, and get your oven preheating to 400ºF. Then, you can have the cake batter ready for the oven in just a few minutes: 

Combine the Ingredients: Whisk together the sugar, flour, baking soda, and salt. Next, stir in the butter and some hot water, followed by the eggs, vanilla, and finally the buttermilk. Continue whisking to combine.

Bake: Pour the cake batter over the prepared pan. Carefully place the sheet pan into the oven to bake for 15-18 minutes. Check that your cake is done using the “toothpick test” – when the cake is ready, a toothpick stuck into the center of the cake should come out clean. After your cake is baked, take a moment to admire your handiwork. Just LOOK at that gorgeous golden color!

Alright, back to it.

Make the Frosting: While your cake is cooling, get started on the frosting right away. Whisk together the butter with powdered sugar, milk, and a bit of vanilla. Make sure to keep whisking until any lumps have dissolved. Finally, drizzle that buttery frosting all over the cake while it’s still warm. If you’d like, use an offset spatula to even things out, then leave the cake to cool fully. Or don’t. I won’t tell!

Tips for Success

This buttermilk sheet cake is virtually failproof! Here are my extra tips to ensure yours comes out to your liking, every time:

• Can I Use a Smaller Pan?: If you would like to bake this buttermilk cake in a 9×13-inch pan, you’ll need to decrease the oven temperature to 350° and increase the bake time to about 20 minutes.
• Don’t Overmix: For the fluffiest cake texture, be sure you’re only mixing the batter until the ingredients are just combined. Over-mixing can lead to a tough and dense cake.

Variation Ideas 

This simple buttermilk sheet cake is so moist and flavorful on its own. And yet, who says no to spicing things up once in a while? There are countless options for add-ins and variations when it comes to such a deliciously basic recipe. I’ll share some here!

Try adding in any of the following:

• Blueberries (it’s giving strong blueberry buttermilk pancake vibes)
• Chocolate chips or white chocolate chips
• Chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts)
• Spices like cinnamon or nutmeg
• Creamy peanut butter (or, try my Peanut Butter Sheet Cake recipe that’s also made with buttermilk!) 

You can also dress up your sheet cake with more easy frosting flavors:

• The Best Buttercream Frosting 
• Heritage Frosting
• Creamy Brown Sugar Frosting 
• 2-Ingredient Chocolate Buttercream
• Pumpkin Butter Frosting

Making this cake for a party? Jazz it up with my Perfect Party Frosting! A sheet cake is great for pleasing a crowd.

Storage Instructions

This buttermilk sheet cake will keep fresh when stored airtight, either on the counter for 3 days or in the fridge for up to 4-5 days.

Does This Freeze Well?

Sheet cakes are the best to make ahead for parties. One of the main reasons is that they freeze so darn well! 

You can freeze this buttermilk cake before or after it’s been frosted. If you’re freezing it before frosting, simply wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap (with a layer of foil to protect against freezer burn) and then pop it into the freezer.

If you’re freezing the cake after frosting, I recommend placing the whole cake into the freezer, uncovered and while it’s still in the pan, to allow it to pre-freeze. This avoids messing up the icing! Once the cake is frozen solid, double wrap it and then place it back into the freezer to store. 

In both cases, your buttermilk sheet cake will keep for up to 3 months! Whenever you’re ready to enjoy it, simply thaw it in the fridge overnight beforehand.

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• Peanut Butter Sheet Cake
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