Vanilla sheet cake with cream cheese frosting

Whether you need a dessert for a weekend gathering or just have a craving for something sweet, this vanilla sheet cake with cream cheese frosting is simple and tasty.

I’m not much of a cake person, even on my birthday. This cake though, it might have changed my mind. I’m kind of lazy when it comes to desserts. I like to eat them, sure, but making an elaborate treat? Meh.

This cake appeals to my laziness though. It requires minimal effort in the kitchen and almost no patience. I think I might call this “weekend cake.” You just toss the ingredients together and bake up a cake on Friday afternoon. Then you have cake to eat all weekend.

It’s thin enough that a single slice isn’t a huge indulgence and it isn’t too sweet. It would be perfect for a weekend get-together.

There are tons of sheet cake recipes floating around the Internet and they’re all more or less the same. Naturally, I had to mix it up just a little. This is a confetti cake, but it isn’t made with those waxy sprinkles. In fact, the sprinkles are dye-free because they’re made from Bernie’s farm cookies.

The frosting is non-traditional for a sheet cake too. Most frosting is too sugary for my taste, so this one is just sweet enough.

Vanilla sheet cake recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup Bernie’s farm cookies
• 2 sticks butter
• 1 cup water
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup yogurt, vanilla or plain
•  1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• For the frosting:
  • 1 8-ounce block cream cheese
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Start by crushing the cookies. You can either pulse them in the food processor or put them in a zip bag and crush them with a rolling pin. You’re trying to make small, mostly-uniform pieces, but not dust. Set the crumbs aside.

In a saucepan on the stove, melt the butter and water together. Let it bubble gently while you mix the next ingredients.

In a large bowl combine the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Mix thoroughly.

Add the eggs, yogurt, and vanilla extract. Stir to mostly combine, then add the butter/water mixture. This should be pretty easy to stir by hand, so no need to dirty the mixer.

Add the cookie crumbs and swirl just a bit. Pour onto a jelly roll pan. {That’s a baking sheet with a rim. } Mine measures 12-by-16-inches, but a little larger or smaller is fine. Just remember that the cake will rise, so you don’t want a pan that starts out full.

Bake the cake for 20 minutes in a 375-degree oven.

While the cake is baking, whip the cream cheese in a stand mixer. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract and blend thoroughly.

When the cake is done, set it aside to cool in the pan for about 10 or 20 minutes. Spread the frosting in a thin coat over the warm cake.

You can serve the cake right away, still warm, or let it cool and refrigerate it until ready to serve.

Perhaps my favorite thing about this cake is that you can slice it in the pan with a butter knife. There’s no need to try and wrestle it out of the pan. So you can spend your weekend doing other things, like coming up with other mix-in ideas for this cake.

Yield: 24 slices

Vanilla sheet cake with cream cheese frosting

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Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Cool Time 10 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup Bernie's farm cookies
• 2 sticks butter
• 1 cup water
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup yogurt, vanilla or plain
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the frosting:

Toggle ingredient group

• 1 8-ounce block cream cheese
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Start by crushing the cookies using a food processor or a zip bag and rolling pin. Set the crumbs aside.
3. In a saucepan on the stove, melt the butter and water together. Let it bubble gently while you mix the next ingredients.
4. In a large bowl combine the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Mix thoroughly.
5. Add the eggs, yogurt, and vanilla extract. Stir to mostly combine, then add the butter/water mixture.
6. Add the cookie crumbs and swirl just a bit. Pour onto a jelly roll pan.
7. Bake the cake for 20 minutes in a 375-degree oven.
8. While the cake is baking, whip the cream cheese in a stand mixer. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract and blend thoroughly.
9. When the cake is done, set it aside to cool in the pan for about 10 or 20 minutes. Spread the frosting in a thin coat over the warm cake.
10. Serve immediately warm, or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

24

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 278Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 46mgSodium: 270mgCarbohydrates: 37gFiber: 0gSugar: 25gProtein: 3g

Nutritional information is only an estimate from online calculators. For more precise information, enter the specific ingredients you are using into your preferred tool.

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