Chocolate Sheet Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting

I started making this Chocolate Sheet Cake recipe when I was in high school. It always came in handy when I needed a dessert to take to school sports banquets or when my friends were coming over. It has been one of my “go to” cakes for years. I usually make a chocolate frosting, but I recently switched things up and made a creamy peanut butter frosting to top the cake. Best decision ever! This Chocolate Sheet Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting is my new favorite cake.

I made this cake because we were having friends over for dessert. It is the perfect cake for entertaining and sharing. It is so easy to make-you probably have all of the ingredients in your kitchen right now. Hint, hint-as soon as you finish reading this post, you better get baking:) The cake is rich, chocolaty, and incredibly moist. Everything you’ve dreamed about in a chocolate cake.
The peanut butter frosting really is the icing on the cake:) I like to frost the cake when it is still warm so the frosting spreads easily and melts over the chocolate cake. I also like to chop up Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and sprinkle them generously over the peanut butter frosting. The candy adds decoration with almost no effort and ties the chocolate cake and peanut butter frosting together.
Our friends loved this Chocolate Sheet Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting. I sent pieces of cake home with them, but we still had some cake leftover. It is a big cake! I was forced to eat the rest of the cake all by myself since Josh is allergic to peanut butter. Every time I walked by the sheet pan I had to have a bite. I couldn’t let the cake go to waste. Sometimes it is rough taking one for the team:)
Make this Chocolate Sheet Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting…and be prepared to share! It feeds a crowd! Or you can just let the cake sit on the counter and it will magically disappear. I bet you can’t walk by without taking a bite, or two, or a gigantic piece. It is so good!

Chocolate Sheet Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting
Yield: Serves 24
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 18 minutes
Rich chocolate sheet cake with peanut butter frosting. This easy and decadent cake will feed a crowd.
Ingredients:
For the Chocolate Sheet Cake:
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose Gold Medal flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 cup hot waterFor the Peanut Butter Frosting:
3 cups sifted powdered sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extractReese's Peanut Butter Cups, chopped-optional
Directions:
1. To make the sheet cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a sheet pan with cooking spray and set aside. I use an 11 x 17 jelly roll pan.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together sugar, flour, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla extract. Set aside.
3. In a small sauce pan, melt the butter on medium-low heat. Whisk in the cocoa powder and hot water. Turn up the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil. Add the melted butter mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until smooth. Stir in the egg mixture and mix until ingredients are combined.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared sheet pan and tap on the counter a few times to distribute the cake batter evenly. Bake the cake for 18 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center.
5. While the cake is baking, make the peanut butter frosting. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the sifted powdered sugar, milk, peanut butter, and vanilla extract. Beat with the beater blade until smooth. Frost the chocolate sheet cake as soon as you remove it from the oven. The peanut butter frosting will spread easily over the warm cake. Sprinkle chopped up Reese's Peanut Butter Cups over the frosting, if desired. Let the frosted cake cool to room temperature. Cut into squares and serve.
If you like this Chocolate Sheet Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting, you might also like:
- White Chocolate Sheet Cake from Chef In Training
- Peanut Butter Sheet Cake from The Girl Who Ate Everything
- Peanut Butter Snickers Brownies from Two Peas and Their Pod




Welcome to Two Peas and Their Pod. We share a love of cooking, baking, and entertaining. We enjoy creating recipes that are simple, fresh, and family friendly. Join us in our culinary adventures-our kitchen is always open! 







How did you know that I have been searching all over the place for “the perfect” chocolate cake recipe the past few weeks. I have read so many. Everyone has a different version; buttermilk, cream, coffee, butter, oil, cocoa powder, melted choc chips, etc. Thanks for sharing YOUR go-to cake that you’ve had since h.s.!
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe, love this! Looks so good! Pinning!
This sounds so fabulous! I love that frosting!
I am really liking this cake! I’m not sure what’s not to love! I like that it feeds a crowd, it’s nice to have a go to for gatherings. I’ll be keeping this one!
Oh my gosh, it looks so delicious!!! PB frosting, ohhhhhh!!! I need to have a party just so I can serve sheet cake.
Can never go wrong with chocolate and peanut butter!
You two are such good hosts. I know my friends would just adore this cake. Fun to hear that you’ve been making it for so long. I have a few of those recipes too.
I am in love with the look of that frosting!! Such a perfect cake for cook outs or family get togethers!!
oh yeah, my hubby is allergic to peanut butter too, so this is all mine if I make it.
You cannot go wrong with peanut butter & chocolate, what a pretty cake!!
Are you kidding me?!?! Wow!!!! This looks incredible! My 2 favorite things together!! I will definitely try this!!
Peanut butter + chocolate = pure awesomeness!
I probably wouldn’t be able to shovel this into my face fast enough!
Love this twist on chocolate sheet cake!! You had me at peanut butter cup
I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE the PB&C combination! I’m pretty sure I’m going to make this one today! Lucky for me, my husband isn’t a real big cake eater…I guess I’ll have to take one for the team too!
I love that the cake is so thin! I think it makes it so fun for kids! Great idea!
Such a delicious looking sheet cake!!
This looks yummy! I love this cake recipe and who can resist pb frosting.
One question regarding pan size -is 11×7 correct or were you referring to 11×17?
Thank you!
Two Peas replied: — June 25th, 2012 @ 10:18 am
Thanks so much for catching my typo! It is an 11×17 sheet pan! It makes a big cake:) I updated the post!
This is my kind of cake!! PB frosting is the best!!
DREAMY!
Mmm peanut butter frosting…doesn’t get much better than that. Pinning!
Oh boy, I think I just gained 10 pounds looking at this cake! It looks delicious!!
Maria, what a perfect perfect party/entertaining recipe! It’s easy and practically thoughtless. I love go-to recipes like that. Ones that you can ALWAYS count on. Oh and ones that you can’t stop taking little bites out of! Way to take one for the team on the leftovers.
Yummm! A basic chocolate cake is definitely essential to life
Yum! This cake looks amazing. The only ingredient I’m missing is buttermilk, but I guess I could whip up my own
The peanut butter cups on top look like the ones from Trader Joe’s! Those are soooo good. Salt Lake doesn’t have a TJ’s but they’re getting one this fall!
I have always adored chocolate sheet cake. The PB frosting is a perfect addition!
I am a big lover of sheet cakes! I’ve never had one with Peanut butter.. I can’t wait to try this
Oh YUM. I would definitely have a problem taking nibbles of this cake!
I love that you’ve been making this cake for so long! I’m sure it holds a very special place in your heart. The icing looks ridiculous awesome. I want to come over for dinner…ok…just for dessert
My boys would love this- choc+peanut butter always a winning combo!
what a perfect sheet cake to have for entertaining, great idea, Maria! I’m sure everyone had no problem eating this
Oh yum! I haven’t had sheet cake in forever. It used to be a staple growing up. I love the peanut butter frosting!
The peanut butter cup garnish really takes this to the next level!
I seriously want a piece of this right now!
Peanut butter frosting, oh my god. I would have no trouble at all finishing that baby up in a few days…must’ve been nice to “take one for the team!” haha
We have a birthday next week (Pea Daddy) and I am hoping I can somehow implant in his head that he wants this cake.
I’ll be making this for the next party/get-together I attend!
Fantastic!
Hi there—-Beautiful recipes and I love to cook—-”BUT !”–I can’t figure out how to print this recipe without printing all the comments below it— as well as the pictures—- it takes up a lot of ink and paper–Most recipes will have a spot that says “Print Recipe Only” and click on that and that’s all that gets printed–just the recipe –no pictures and no comments——Pls. advise if there’s a way of printing the recipe only—-Thank you
Two Peas replied: — June 25th, 2012 @ 5:52 pm
Hi-thank you for your kind comment. We do have a print option. On the recipe, right below the little photo, there is a printer icon. Click on that. I hope that helps!
This looks to die for! The cake is on my “MUST” list for the fourth of July!