36 Sheet Cake Recipes for Birthdays, Holidays and Whenever a Sweet Craving Strikes

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly

No stand mixer? No problem. This massive confection doesn’t require one. Buttermilk in the batter makes for an incredibly tender crumb, but you can substitute regular milk, yogurt or kefir if you’d prefer.

• Time Commitment: 55 minutes
• Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, kid-friendly

Feed up to 18 people in one fell swoop with this autumnal treat. The frosting features boiled cider, or apple cider that’s been reduced into a highly concentrated syrup. You can make your own as the recipe instructs or use store-bought—we won’t tell.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 30 minutes
• Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, special occasion-worthy

This masterpiece gets its name for its tender, moist, close-grained crumb that’s supremely light. It’s crowned with two-ingredient whipped dark chocolate ganache. Go ahead and make a second batch for dipping fresh fruit in; you won’t be sorry.

• Time Commitment: 2 hours
• Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, beginner-friendly

Sure, the pan is smaller than a standard sheet cake, but this fall stunner will still easily feed 15 to 20 people. You can totally take a shortcut by subbing store-bought caramel sauce, but we promise the from-scratch cider caramel is worth the effort.

• Time Commitment: 4 hours
• Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, kid-friendly

This simple treat is made using the reverse creaming method, a technique that results in an uber-soft, springy crumb your guests will go gaga for. Sour cream also boosts the moisture of the cake while infusing it with a touch of tang.

• Time Commitment: 2 hours
• Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, make ahead

Canned pumpkin puree not only gives this autumn gem its signature flavor, but it also infuses a ton of moisture into the cake. Feel free to bake it in advance and let it cool completely, saving the torched frosting for right before serving.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, beginner-friendly

It’s incredible how using a star tip to frost a cake makes it look so gourmet without any extra work for the baker. The blush frosting is colored with freeze-dried berries instead of food dye, while the crunchy garnish is nothing but lemon juice, honey and toasted coconut.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 15 minutes
• Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser, make ahead

File this goodie under Easiest Ways to Feed 30 People at Once. The batter includes 20 ounces of crushed pineapple in pure juice. If you’re not into frosting, a layer of whipped topping, toasted coconut or maraschino cherries are all fine substitutes.

• Time Commitment: 2 hours and 40 minutes
• Why We Love It: kid-friendly, beginner-friendly, special occasion-worthy

Sour cream and buttermilk make the cake impossibly tender, while fresh and freeze-dried strawberries impart endless amounts of sweet-tart flavor and color to every bite. As for the tangy frosting, its main components are butter, cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 5 minutes
• Why We Love It: kid-friendly, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser

Dutch process cocoa powder and freshly brewed coffee make the cake’s chocolatey flavor unmistakably bold. The salty, tangy peanut butter-cream cheese frosting cuts right through the base’s richness.

• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy

This minimalistic beauty has winter dinner party written all over it. The lemony cake is a flawless pairing for Swiss meringue buttercream, which is light as a cloud and made with both vanilla and almond extracts. Leave yourself time to peel the citrus—no pith will make a huge difference visually.

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, beginner-friendly

All the warming spices of the iconic cookie, in cake form. (We don’t know about you, but we’d take vanilla bean-infused cream cheese frosting over that rock-hard gingerbread icing any day.)

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why We Love It: special occasion-worthy, crowd-pleaser, make ahead

Warning: It’ll become a summer staple at first bite. Make the blackberry-lavender jam and the vanilla-white chocolate frosting ahead or bake the cake in advance so it has plenty of time to cool before it’s decorated.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why We Love It: kid-friendly, beginner-friendly, special occasion-worthy

We’d bookmark this pretty-in-pink confection for Valentine’s Day if we were you. It gets its intense color and mouth-puckering flavor from freshly pureed raspberries. The freeze-dried kind make the perfect garnish.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 45 minutes
• Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly

PSA: This rainbow masterpiece can serve 30 people at once. The cake itself is vanilla-forward, buttery and super moist (thanks, sour cream), while the frosting on top is a picky eater’s dream.

• Time Commitment: 55 minutes
• Why We Love It: kid-friendly, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser

Another classic that’s destined for your Valentine’s Day menu. Finish the sheet cake with pink, white and red sprinkles or cut strawberries shaped like little hearts, if you’re feeling ambitious.

• Time Commitment: 50 minutes
• Why We Love It: special occasion-worthy, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser

If your tote bag is full of summer produce, you know what to do. The cake itself only requires seven ingredients. To make your job even easier, use store-bought whipped topping instead of making your own.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 30 minutes
• Why We Love It: kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly

Sorry, KitchenAid mixer, you can sit this one out. It’s finished with fluffy, almond-kissed frosting and a flurry of white chocolate chips. Substitute coconut milk for regular milk for a tropical twist.

• Time Commitment: 2 hours and 5 minutes
• Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, kid-friendly

Buttermilk cake + thick pastry cream + three-ingredient chocolate ganache = a dessert worth adding to your permanent rotation. Pies and doughnuts won’t compare once you have a taste of this 12-serving riff.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 10 minutes
• Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, beginner-friendly

Dappled with crushed pineapple bits, grated carrots, chopped walnuts and raisins, this spring essential is practically designed for Easter dinner (although it’s delicious any time of year). Cream cheese is just the mellow match for warming chai spices.

• Time Commitment: 2 hours and 50 minutes
• Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly

This beauty is a Reese’s lover’s dream. Not only is the cake slathered in a thick layer of peanut butter frosting, but it’s also drizzled with melted PB and topped with chopped peanut butter cups for good measure.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 5 minutes
• Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, kid-friendly

You had us at maple-brown sugar caramel swirl. But the three-ingredient frosting, made from semisweet chocolate chips, sour cream and—wait for it—espresso powder, is a close second.

• Time Commitment: 50 minutes
• Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients

For the uninitiated, hot milk cake is a butter sponge cake that gets its signature flavor from scalded milk in the batter. It’s one of only eight ingredients required (plus whatever store-bought or homemade frosting you decide to top it with).

• Time Commitment: 2 hours and 45 minutes (includes cooling time)
• Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, vegan, dairy free

You won’t believe this seasonal snack is free of dairy and eggs. The recipe uses a clever hack for vegan “buttermilk,” which is made by combining non-dairy milk and apple cider vinegar or lemon juice. Genius.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 30 minutes
• Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead, beginner-friendly

This no-frills dessert proves that sometimes, less is more. You can even substitute store-bought vanilla frosting, homemade whipped cream or prepared whipped topping for cream cheese frosting to make the recipe as low-lift as possible.

• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, special occasion-worthy

This citrusy treat is ridiculously easy to prepare, but the candied lemon peel and fresh zest on top will make your guests think otherwise. Be sure to use fresh lemon juice in the cake and frosting—the bottled stuff just doesn’t compare.

• Time Commitment: 55 minutes
• Why We Love It: kid-friendly, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser

Complete with a thick layer of creamy peanut butter frosting. Will your picky eater be psyched to find a slice of this shockingly moist dessert in their lunchbox or what? (P.S.: Crumbled crispy banana chips would be a delicious finishing touch.)

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 45 minutes
• Why We Love It: one bowl, vegan, dairy free, crowd-pleaser

Vegan sugar, vegetable oil, nondairy milk and apple cider vinegar make this miracle possible. The frosting is a pick-your-own adventure: Double down on fruit with strawberry buttercream, up the decadence with chocolate frosting or keep it simple with vanilla buttercream.

• Time Commitment: 4 hours (includes cooling time)
• Why We Love It: kid-friendly, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser

Oreos in the batter, in the frosting and on top? Our inner child is jumping for joy right now. Did we mention the leftovers will keep in the freezer for up to two months? (If there are any, that is.)

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly

We call brown butter liquid gold for a reason: It makes *everything* more delicious. Its nutty, savory notes are flawless matches for overly ripe bananas, tangy cream cheese frosting and chopped walnuts.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly

Nothing intensifies a chocolate dessert like coffee, and this cake boasts a whole cup in the batter. As for the adornments, we’re talking cocoa-kissed meringue and two-ingredient dark chocolate topping.

• Time Commitment: 55 minutes
• Why We Love It: one bowl, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser

Finished with a generous dose of cream cheese frosting. This version has a secret ingredient that makes it twice as tangy. (OK, we’ll spill: It’s plain Greek yogurt.)

• Time Commitment: 2 hours (includes cooling time)
• Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly

Think vanilla is synonymous with plain? Vanilla bean paste and half a vanilla bean take this cake’s flavor to a whole new level. Feel free to add chopped strawberries to the batter to make it fruitier.

• Time Commitment: 50 minutes
• Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, special occasion-worthy, <10 ingredients

You’ll only need five ingredients to make the cake and three to make the frosting. In the words of Ina Garten, how easy is that? Splurge on some fancy pearl sprinkles to top the cake with before serving.

• Time Commitment: 55 minutes
• Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, beginner-friendly

As tasty as the nutty, coffee-laced cake sounds, we’re most psyched about the frosting. It calls for chopped chocolate, honey, salted butter and sour cream, a combination that likely makes for gorgeously balanced results.

• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly

This Southern mainstay stars gooey chocolate cake, marshmallows, pecans and a downright decadent fudge glaze. (The glaze comes together in the microwave, BTW.)