Ho Ho Yellow Sheet Cake (Printer-friendly)

Moist yellow cake filled with fluffy vanilla cream and finished with a rich chocolate ganache topping.

# What You'll Need:

→ Yellow Sheet Cake

01 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 2 teaspoons baking powder
03 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
04 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
05 - 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
06 - 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
07 - 3 large eggs
08 - 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
09 - 1 cup whole milk

→ Cream Filling

10 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
11 - 1 cup powdered sugar
12 - 1 cup heavy cream, cold
13 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
14 - 1/8 teaspoon salt

→ Chocolate Ganache

15 - 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
16 - 1/2 cup heavy cream
17 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

# How-To Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan and line with parchment paper.
02 - Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
03 - In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, then vanilla extract, mixing well after each addition.
04 - Alternate adding flour mixture and milk to the butter mixture, starting and ending with flour. Mix until just combined.
05 - Pour batter into prepared pan, smooth the surface, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
06 - Allow cake to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
07 - Beat butter and powdered sugar until smooth. Separately whip heavy cream with vanilla and salt until stiff peaks form. Gently fold whipped cream into butter mixture until smooth and fluffy.
08 - Remove cooled cake from pan and slice horizontally into two even layers using a serrated knife.
09 - Spread cream filling evenly over the bottom layer; place the top layer back on.
10 - Heat heavy cream and butter in a small saucepan until just simmering. Pour over chocolate chips, let sit for 2 minutes, then stir until smooth and glossy.
11 - Pour ganache over the cake and spread evenly. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes to set before slicing.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It tastes like a store-bought favorite, but homemade actually tastes better because you control the cream filling.
  • The whole thing comes together in one afternoon, and most of the time is just waiting for things to cool.
  • Serves a crowd without any fussiness, and it actually gets better after a day in the fridge.
02 -
  • Room temperature ingredients mix together smoothly; cold butter and eggs create lumps that won't fully incorporate.
  • The cake needs to be completely cool before you frost it or the filling will melt into a puddle.
  • Whipping cream to stiff peaks takes longer than you think, but it's worth waiting for—it holds its shape and makes the filling cloud-light.
03 -
  • Use a cake leveler or a long serrated knife to slice the layers evenly; wobbly layers make assembly harder and the cake looks less impressive.
  • If your whipped cream starts to look grainy while folding, you've overworked it—fold gently with a rubber spatula, using a sweeping motion instead of stirring.
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