Class 2026 Vanilla Sheet Cake (Printer Friendly)

Fluffy vanilla sheet cake with creamy buttercream and festive graduation decorations.

# What You Need:

→ Cake

01 - 3 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 2½ teaspoons baking powder
03 - ½ teaspoon baking soda
04 - ½ teaspoon salt
05 - 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
06 - 2 cups granulated sugar
07 - 4 large eggs, room temperature
08 - 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
09 - 1½ cups whole milk, room temperature

→ Vanilla Buttercream

10 - 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
11 - 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
12 - 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
13 - ¼ cup whole milk, room temperature
14 - Pinch of salt

→ Decoration

15 - Graduation-themed sprinkles or edible decorations
16 - Gel food coloring, optional

# How to Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line a 12x18-inch half-sheet baking pan with parchment paper.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
03 - In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, approximately 3 minutes.
04 - Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla extract.
05 - Add half the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and mix on low speed. Pour in half the milk and mix gently. Repeat with remaining dry ingredients and milk, mixing just until combined.
06 - Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly.
07 - Bake for 28 to 32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
08 - Let the cake cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
09 - Beat butter until creamy, approximately 2 minutes. Gradually add powdered sugar, mixing on low speed. Add vanilla, milk, and salt. Beat on high for 2 to 3 minutes until fluffy. Add food coloring if desired.
10 - Spread buttercream evenly over the cooled cake. Decorate with graduation-themed sprinkles or edible decorations.
11 - Slice and serve.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • This cake feeds 24 people without requiring you to stand at the mixer for hours, which means you can actually enjoy the party instead of being stuck in the kitchen.
  • The vanilla flavor is genuinely soft and approachable, never cloying, so even people who claim they don't like sweets end up reaching for seconds.
  • You can decorate it however you want—graduation colors, school logos, simple sprinkles—and it always looks intentional and special.
02 -
  • Room temperature ingredients are not optional—they're the difference between a cake that's tender and one that's dense, so pull everything out of the fridge at least an hour before you start.
  • Don't overmix the batter once you add the dry ingredients, because overdeveloping the gluten will make your cake tough and cottony instead of soft and forgiving.
  • A completely cooled cake is essential before frosting, otherwise the frosting melts off in puddles and your cake looks like it survived a heatwave.
03 -
  • A bench scraper or offset spatula makes frosting this cake exponentially easier and makes the top look more intentional and professional.
  • If your frosting is too thick to spread, warm your spatula under hot water and dry it before each swipe—the heat softens the frosting just enough to glide smoothly.
  • Double-check that your powdered sugar is actually sifted before you use it, because unsifted powdered sugar will make your frosting grainy and disappointing.
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