Name: Classic 4-Egg Yellow Sheet Cake with Fudgy Chocolate Icing
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 24 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 3/4 cups All-Purpose Flour; 3 tsp Baking Powder; 1 tsp Salt; 1 cup Vegetable Shortening; 2 cups Granulated Sugar; 4 Large Eggs, room temperature; 2 tsp Vanilla Extract; 1 cup Milk, any dairy type; 1 1/2 cups Unsalted Butter, room temperature; 1 cup Powdered Sugar, sifted; 3/4 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder; 1/8 tsp Salt; 3/4 cup Light Corn Syrup; 1 tsp Vanilla Extract; 8 oz Semi-Sweet or Milk Chocolate, melted and cooled

This Classic 4-Egg Yellow Sheet Cake pairs a soft, fluffy, sturdy yellow cake with rich, creamy homemade chocolate frosting! It's a year-round favorite to bring to a birthday party, a book club meeting, or a work celebration!

Slices of four egg yellow sheet cake with chocolate frosting and rainbow nonpareils in a blue baking pan with center slice placed on its side to see the moist cake and thick layer of frosting.

What makes this recipe special

Classic 4 Egg Yellow Sheet Cake with Chocolate Frosting

I'm thrilled to share this Classic 4-Egg Yellow Sheet Cake with you today, since it has been a longtime family favorite!

It's a moist, fluffy, sturdy yellow sheet cake topped with an irresistible homemade chocolate frosting. I've used that same frosting on my Chocolate Zucchini Cake with Chocolate Chips, too. This cake can also be made as cupcakes!

Like my German Chocolate Sheet Cake, Coconut Sheet Cake, and Hummingbird Sheet Cake, this recipe is ideal for a family birthday, a picnic, or a work party!

Slices of four egg yellow sheet cake with chocolate frosting and rainbow nonpareils in a blue baking pan.

What You'll Need

Here's what you'll need to make this 4-egg yellow cake with chocolate frosting. The bullet points cover the key ingredients that need a bit more explaining.

Ingredients in various size bowls labeled as granulated sugar, eggs, all purpose flour, vanilla extract, vegetable shortening, baking powder, salt, milk, unsweetened cocoa powder, unsalted butter, semi sweet chocolate chips, powdered sugar, and light corn syrup on a white marbled background.

All-Purpose Flour. Sifting the flour and your other dry ingredients is always a good idea, since it gives you the best texture and crumb. Cake flour can stand in if you have it. King Arthur is the brand I always recommend!
Vegetable Shortening. Unsalted butter can be swapped in, but the texture of the cake will shift a little, and it may not rise as high.
Milk. Any dairy milk works here, whether whole, 2%, 1%, or skim.
Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips. Milk chocolate chips are an option too. I like Ghirardelli because they melt smoothly.
Unsalted Butter. This is only needed for the homemade chocolate frosting.
Light Corn Syrup. It gives the frosting a glossy sheen and makes it easier to spread over the cake. I use Karo, but any brand you can find nearby is fine!

You'll find exact amounts and step-by-step directions in the recipe card below.

Different Sheet Cake Sizes

Sheet cake pans come in several sizes, depending on the manufacturer. The 3 most common sheet cake pan sizes are:

Full Sheet = 12″ x 18″
Half Sheet = 11″ x 15″
Quarter Sheet = 9″ x 13″

You may also see 7″ x 11″, 12″ x 16″, and 13″ x 18″. Sheet cake pans can be anywhere from 1″ to 3″ tall.

For this 4-egg yellow sheet cake, I used a 9″ x 13″ x 2″ Nordic Ware® Sheet Cake Pan. I like it because its metal cover doubles as a small cookie sheet!

Slices of yellow sheet cake with chocolate frosting and rainbow colored nonpareils on white ceramic dessert plates.

How to Make the Recipe

Here's a short overview of how to make this homemade 4-egg yellow sheet cake. The printable recipe, with US customary or metric measurements, is in the recipe card below.

4-Egg Yellow Sheet Cake

All purpose flour, baking powder and salt whisked together in a medium size glass bowl on a grey marbled background.

Step 1. Whisk the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl.

Granulated sugar and vegetable shortening mixed together in a large glass mixing bowl on a light grey marbled background.

Step 2. In a separate bowl, beat the sugar and shortening with a hand mixer or stand mixer until pale and fluffy.

Vanilla extract and eggs added to the yellow cake batter mixture in a large glass bowl.

Step 3. Mix in the vanilla extract and eggs.

Yellow cake batter in a large glass mixing bowl on a light grey marbled background.

Step 4. Add the dry ingredients and the milk in turns, until both are just incorporated. Take care not to overmix.

Baked yellow sheet cake in a parchment paper lined sheet pan on a light grey marbled background.

Step 5. Bake 35-40 minutes at 350ºF.

Yellow sheet cake cooling on a wire cooling rack on a light grey marbled background.

Step 6. Flip the cake onto a cooling rack and let it cool completely.

Chocolate Frosting

Melted chocolate in a small microwaveable glass bowl on a light grey marbled background.

Step 1. Melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30-45 second bursts at 50% power, stirring until smooth.

Powdered sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, butter, and salt added to a glass mixing bowl.

Step 2. Put the butter, powdered sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, and salt into a mixing bowl.

Butter, powdered sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, and salt mixed together in a glass mixing bowl on a light grey marbled background.

Step 3. Blend on low speed until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Chocolate frosting in a large glass mixing bowl on a light grey marbled background.

Step 4. Mix in the light corn syrup and vanilla extract until the frosting comes together.

Chocolate frosted yellow sheet cake on a parchment paper lined background.

Step 5. Spread the frosting over the cooled yellow sheet cake with an offset spatula.

Yellow sheet cake with chocolate frosting and rainbowl colored nonpareils sliced into 24 squares.

Step 6. Scatter on your favorite sprinkles or nonpareils. Slice and enjoy!

Storage Instructions

Keep this chocolate-frosted yellow sheet cake covered at room temperature for 2-3 days, or refrigerate it for up to 5 days. Bring any refrigerated frosted cake back to room temperature before serving.

To freeze slices of the 4-egg yellow sheet cake with chocolate frosting, set them on a baking sheet and freeze until firm. Then wrap each one tightly in plastic wrap and store in an airtight container for up to three months.

Four egg yellow sheet cake in a blue metal baking tin decorated with chocolate frosting and rainbow colored nonpareils.

Frequently Asked Questions

What flavor is yellow cake?

Yellow cake has a buttery, vanilla-forward flavor.

Can I use unsalted butter instead of vegetable shortening?

Yes. In this 4-egg yellow sheet cake, you can use unsalted butter in place of the shortening. The texture will shift slightly, and the cake may not rise as high.

What gives yellow cake its color?

The eggs! The more golden the yolks, the yellower your cake will be. Using certain butters in place of vegetable shortening can also add to that cheerful yellow color.

If you make this Classic 4-Egg Yellow Sheet Cake or anything else from my website, I'd love for you to leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for stopping by!