Paleo Chocolate Sheet Cake

This Chocolate Sheet Cake is my new favorite easy cake recipe! No one will know it’s is paleo friendly. Made with coconut flour, refined sugar free and nut-free too! It’s a delicious healthier chocolate sheet cake everyone will love.

This post is sponsored in partnership with Bob’s Red Mill. As always, all opinions expressed are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that help me bring you new recipes!

CHOCOLATE. Sheet. CAKE.

Sheet cakes always remind me of graduation / open house season… Maybe because my aunt made a giant texas sheet cake for my party. And by giant I mean like the full (cookie) sheet size, it not larger.

Or was it larger than a cookie sheet? I can’t remember… that was over 10 years ago.

Anyways, this chocolate sheet cake recipe uses a quarter size sheet pan – it’s essentially the size of a 9×13 cake pan. But because it’s a rimmed baking sheet, it’s perfect for small batch sheet cakes and lower sitting cakes. Also very easy to cut pieces and serve.

If you don’t have a quarter sized sheet pan, they’re really versatile and I highly recommend getting one.

Grain Free Chocolate Sheet Cake

Okay friends, seriously though YOU NEED THIS. I mean, who doesn’t need a go-to chocolate cake recipe in their baking arsenal?

Not to mention, this is an EASY chocolate cake that only requires one layer of frosting.

Nothing against layered cakes by any means, but they are much more intimidating, ya know?

Ingredients needed for a paleo friendly chocolate sheet cake

• coconut flour
• cocoa powder
• tapioca flour (see notes in recipe card)
• baking soda, baking soda & salt
• instant coffee or espresso powder (adds to chocolate flavor)
• honey, maple syrup or agave
• applesauce (or even pumpkin puree) – keeps this recipe oil-free too.
• sunflower seed butter, or cashew butter if not nut-free
• eggs (no flaxseed sub here, because coconut flour can be tricky)
• non-dairy milk (i.e. oat milk or your milk of choice)

I’ll be honest with you and say that even I am surprised that this list of ingredients can create such an awesome chocolate cake!

We’re using Bob’s Red Mill Coconut Flour, which makes this recipe grain-free and gluten-free, also paleo friendly.

I cannot recommend Bob’s Red Mill products enough. They have a large selection of high quality flours, ranging from conventional wheat based to grain-free and gluten-free blends. Their flours never fail me!

Also I’ve met Bob in person and he’s just the cutest.

For this paleo chocolate cake we’re not using a ton of added sugar, and what we are using is unrefined (honey or maple syrup). Plus we’re using applesauce along with nut/seed butter in place of the oil.

Note: Coconut flour is very absorbent, and there are five eggs needed for this chocolate cake recipe. Just trust me – you need them. I can’t recommend a good sub here if you’re egg-free.

How to make paleo chocolate sheet cake

• First start by mixing together the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. This will ensure the leavening agents are evenly mixed in. Set this bowl aside.
• Then in a mixing bowl (preferably with an electric mixer) begin mixing together the applesauce and maple syrup. Add in the nut or seed butter, mixing until smooth. Add in vanilla and the eggs two at a time.
• Next you’ll add the dry ingredients to the bowl of wet ingredients, start to slowly stir then add in the milk and stir well until everything is combined. The batter will be fairly thin.
• Immediately pour the batter into a greased or parchment lined quarter sheet pan, and bake for about 25 minutes.

Now you can’t make a chocolate sheet cake without some kind of frosting…

I’ll share what I made here below, as well as give you some other options depending on what type of frosting you’re looking for…

Dairy-Free Chocolate Frosting

All you need for the chocolate frosting shown here is: organic vegetable shortening (palm fruit oil), cocoa powder, organic powdered sugar (or powdered coconut sugar), vanilla and a little milk or cream for it to come together.

You’ll need an electric mixer to whip the frosting together. First start by getting the shortening creamy (medium-high speed). Then add in the cocoa powder and powdered sugar and mix on low speed, gradually increasing the speed. Add vanilla, then milk about two tablespoons at a time until you’ve achieved a creamy consistency.

Alternative Frosting Options

• Try my Avocado Chocolate Fruit Dip – I’ve used it as frosting before and it was delicious. This “frosting” is nut-free and oil-free.
• Use the coconut cream based peanut butter frosting from my Banana Cake. (Sub cashew butter if peanut-free / follow a paleo diet)
• You can alternatively make a coconut cream based chocolate frosting. I’d try this one is from Beaming Baker.

This chocolate sheet cake is…

• Light and fluffy
• Chocolate-y deliciousness
• Not *too* sweet on it’s own, but the addition of frosting sweetens things up.
• Loved by both healthy eaters and what I call “nonchalant eaters” (those who eat everything and/or have a sweet tooth for traditional sweets).

Happy sheet cake baking!

If you make this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and review here on the blog! I love seeing what you’ve made and it helps others learn more about the recipe too. Xx Ashley

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