Spring has arrived, and Easter Sunday is quickly approaching. Which means supermarkets are bursting with Easter candies, the perfect topping for a moist chocolate cake paired with buttercream chocolate frosting. This chocolate cake recipe is easy to make with basic ingredients and equipment. Make this chocolate Easter cake topped with sprinkles and mini eggs with ease to share with family and friends this Easter weekend.

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Beginner Friendly: If this is your first time making cake and buttercream frosting from scratch, then this recipe is for you. Sheet cakes are a great starting place for beginner bakers since they are less intimidating than layered round cakes. You will be amazed at how easy this cake recipe comes together.
Perfect Flavor and Texture: Have you ever had a bite of overly sweet chocolate buttercream frosting? Not today with this recipe! Get ready to make a decadent chocolate cake with just the right amount of sweetness.
Basic Ingredients: No expensive ingredients are needed. This recipe calls for staple ingredients that are more than likely already in your pantry and refrigerator.
Basic Equipment: No need to purchase additional or specialty bakeware to make this sheet cake recipe. Only common items are needed.

Easter Candy Chocolate Cake Ingredients:

Gather the following ingredients to ensure you have everything needed for this Easter dessert. For the best tasting cake, use ingredients that are fresh and the best quality you can afford. Luckily, most of these ingredients are common and inexpensive.

Chocolate Sponge Cake Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup buttermilk: Activates the baking soda to help create a nice, fluffy cake.
1/4 cup sour cream: Adds additional moisture to the cake
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup canola oil
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup boiling coffee, or water: Coffee enhances chocolate flavors. If you don’t want to use coffee, replace with water.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting Ingredients:

1 cup sweet cream butter, softened
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups powdered sugar
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons milk

Cake Toppings

Colorful Sprinkles & mini chocolate egg candies: These cake toppings are optional. You can easily replace them with your favorite candy such as jelly beans, creme eggs or even chocolate chips.

Equipment Needed:

Non-stick cooking spray
9×13 baking dish
Measuring cups and spoons
Mesh sifter
Large mixing bowl
Wire whisk
Hand-held electric mixer
Ice cream scoop
Silicone spatula or offset spatula

How to Make Easter Candy Chocolate Cake

Make the Chocolate Sponge Cake

Preheat the oven to 350°F/176°C. Spray a 9″x13″ baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside until needed.
In a large bowl, sift the dry ingredients (all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda) through the mesh sifter one at a time. This will ensure no clumps of a single ingredient in the flour mixture for best results.
Add the granulated sugar and salt. Whisk until well combined.
Whisk in the buttermilk, sour cream, milk, vanilla extract and oil.
Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, until all ingredients are well incorporated.
Slowly whisk in the hot coffee. The batter will be thin.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. Place the baking dish in the center wire rack of the oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Check to see if the cake is fully baked by inserting a toothpick in the center of the cake. If the toothpick is clean when you pull it out, the cake is fully baked. If batter clung onto the toothpick, place the baking dish back into the oven and bake for another 5 minutes. Once the cake is done, allow it to cool completely for an hour or two.

Make the Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

In a medium bowl, add the softened butter. Use a hand mixer on medium-high speed to beat the butter for 30 seconds.
Sift the cocoa powder into the mixing bowl. Mix until combined with the butter.
Add the whipping cream and milk and continue mixing until combined.
Lower the mixer speed to low. Add the salt and powdered sugar. Once the powdered sugar is no longer dusty, increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for 1 to 2 minutes until the frosting is fluffy.

Use an ice cream scoop to evenly place the frosting over the top of the cake. Then use a silicone spatula or an offset spatula to spread out the frosting.

Decorate the edges of the cake with sprinkles and Easter candies. Slice 12 3″x3 1/2″ slices. Enjoy!

How To Make A Chocolate Cake Moist and Flavorful

Let’s face it. No one likes a dry, flavorless cake. Using a blend of oil, buttermilk, cream, milk and sour cream in the mix adds fats and proteins to the batter to create a moist crumb. Adding boiling hot coffee or hot water to the cake mix helps create a fluffier and lighter cake by activating the baking powder.

Tips For Baking The Best Chocolate Cake

If you’re going to take the time to bake a chocolate cake, you mind as well make sure it is a success!

Use fresh Ingredients: When it comes to baking, the fresher, the better. Using baking ingredients such has flour, baking soda and baking powder that are over six months may leave you with a flat, dense cake that didn’t rise properly.
Preheat the oven before baking the cake. The burst of heat will also help the cake rise properly.
Use temperature ingredients, especially eggs. Room temperature ingredients will emulsify in the batter better to help the cake properly rise.
Let the cake cool completely before frosting. I like to let the cake sit on the counter for an hour and then place it in the refrigerator covered for another hour. The cake can also be chilled overnight and frosted the next day.

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Easter Candy Chocolate Cake

This chocolate cake recipe is easy to make with basic ingredients and equipment. Make this chocolate Easter cake topped with sprinkles and mini eggs with ease to share with family and friends this Easter weekend.

Course Dessert

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 20

Servings 12 people

Equipment

Non-stick cooking spray
9"×13" baking dish
Measuring Cups and Spoons
Mesh sifter
Large and medium mixing bowls
Wire whisk
Hand-held electric mixer
Ice cream Scoop
Silicone spatula or offset spatula

Ingredients

Chocolate Sponge Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup canola oil
2 eggs room temperature
1 cup boiling coffee or water

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

1 cup sweet cream butter softened
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups powdered sugar
pinch of salt
1/4 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons milk

Toppings

Colorful Sprinkles
Mini chocolate egg candies

Instructions

Make the Chocolate Sponge Cake

Preheat the oven to 350°F/176°C. Spray a 9″x13″ baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside until needed.
In a large bowl, sift the dry ingredients (all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda) through the mesh sifter one at a time. This will ensure no clumps of a single ingredient in the flour mixture for best results.
Add the granulated sugar and salt. Whisk until well combined.
Whisk in the buttermilk, sour cream, milk, vanilla extract and oil.
Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, until all ingredients are well incorporated.
Slowly whisk in the hot coffee. The batter will be thin.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. Place the baking dish in the center wire rack of the oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Check to see if the cake is fully baked by inserting a toothpick in the center of the cake. If the toothpick is clean when you pull it out, the cake is fully baked. If batter clung onto the toothpick, place the baking dish back into the oven and bake for another 5 minutes. Once the cake is done, allow it to cool completely for an hour or two.

Make the Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

In a medium bowl, add the softened butter. Use a hand mixer on medium-high speed to beat the butter for 30 seconds.
Sift the cocoa powder into the mixing bowl. Mix until combined with the butter.
Add the whipping cream and milk and continue mixing until combined.
Lower the mixer speed to low. Add the salt and powdered sugar. Once the powdered sugar is no longer dusty, increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for 1 to 2 minutes until the frosting is fluffy.
Use an ice cream scoop to evenly place the frosting over the top of the cake. Then use a silicone spatula or an offset spatula to spread out the frosting.
Decorate the edges of the cake with sprinkles and Easter candies. Slice 12 3″x3 1/2″ slices. Enjoy!

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