This Chocolate Sprinkle Cake is a quick and easy, one-layer chocolate cake with the creamiest, fudgiest chocolate frosting and sprinkles on top! It's moist, made with simple ingredients, and is sure to impress for any occasion!

Into cakes? Welcome to my world! I have an entire cake section on the blog filled with tons of fun recipes! This Chocolate Walnut Cake is the perfect layer cake with the perfect kick from your fav crunchy nut, and this Red Velvet Bundt Cake is THE BEST classic red velvet cake in bundt form with a cream cheese glaze!
If you love all things sprinkles just like me, I'd suggest this Funfetti Sheet Cake or these Mini Cupcakes!
Why You'll LOVE This Recipe
- Texture: light, soft, moist, and fluffy cake texture
- Frosting: rich, smooth, and super quick 4-ingredient fudge frosting
- Ease: one-bowl and one-layer cake recipe with simple ingredients
- Customization: fun to decorate for any occasion with festive sprinkles

Ingredients
- Granulated Sugar: Granulated sugar adds sweetness and moisture.
- Vegetable Oil: Vegetable oil is the base of the recipe. Oil creates a moister and fluffier cake than butter. It can be substituted for another unflavored oil.
- Eggs: 2 large eggs at room temperature add to structure.
- Vanilla Extract: Even though these have a deep chocolate flavor, pure vanilla extract rounds out the flavor of the cake.
- Sour Cream: Sour cream creates a moist and tender cake. You can substitute it with Greek yogurt.
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk smooths out the batter and creates a lighter, more tender cake.
- All Purpose Flour: Regular, plain all purpose flour is perfect for a soft texture. Measure properly by using a kitchen scale or by using a spoon to carry and level the flour into your measuring cups.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: Cocoa powder is where this cake gets its chocolate flavor. I use natural cocoa powder.
- Baking Powder + Baking Soda: Both of these leavening agents work together to help this cake rise. Do not substitute one for the other.
- Salt: Salt brings out sweetness and enhances flavor.
Step-by-Step Process
STEP 1: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Then, spray a 9x13 inch pan with cooking spray and line it with parchment paper.


STEP 2: In a large bowl, whisk the granulated sugar, vegetable oil, room temperature eggs, vanilla extract, room temperature sour cream, and room temperature buttermilk together. Whisk until smooth.
STEP 3: Add your properly measured all purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl. Mix with a whisk only until you see the dry flour pieces disappear.


STEP 4: Add hot water to the batter and whisk until it's mixed throughout.
STEP 5: Then, transfer your batter to the prepared 9x13 inch pan. Bake the cake for 28-32 minutes or until the top of the cake look slightly shiny, the center looks set, and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with moist crumbs. Allow the cake to cool before decorating.
Chocolate Fudge Buttercream


STEP 1: In a large bowl with a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat room temperature butter, powdered sugar, and cocoa powder on low speed until smooth. This should be about 2-3 minutes of mixing.
STEP 2: Pour heavy cream into the frosting and beat on high speed for at least 3 minutes to create a light frosting. Transfer the frosting to a piping bag or a zippable plastic bag with the corner snipped off for greater control when frosting.

Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Though I love this 4-ingredient fudge frosting, you can top this cake with whatever frosting your heart desires! American buttercream, ganache, and even store-bought frosting are all awesome options!
You can use whatever sprinkles you have or whatever works for your occasion. I love confetti sprinkles, but you can also use regular jimmies, chocolate sprinkles, or any holiday or festive sprinkles!
Make sure to add sprinkles to the cake right after frosting it. Once the frosting sets, the sprinkles will not stick.
Yes! You can make this cake into about 24 cupcakes. Fill the liners to be ¾ full and bake between 18-22 minutes or until the tops are domed, centers spring back when poked, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.

Expert Tips
Room Temperature Ingredients: Room temperature ingredients will allow the batter to come together more smoothly and results in a lighter cake. If you forget to leave them out ahead of time, you can-
- leave eggs in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes
- heat sour cream in the microwave for 10 seconds
- heat buttermilk in the microwave for 10 seconds
Moist Cake: To make moist cake, measure flour using a kitchen scale or by spooning flour into your measuring cups before sweeping a knife across the top to level it. Make sure not to overmix when adding the dry ingredients into the wet, and only bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs since overbaking leads to dry cake.

Make Ahead and Storing
After the cake has been frosted, store it tightly covered or in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. To freeze the cake after it has been frosted and decorated, place the cake pieces in the freezer for 30 minutes on a plate or sheet pan before placing them in a freezer bag or wrapping them in cling wrap.
To store before decorating, wrap or cover the cake at room temperature for up to 2 days, or freeze the unfrosted cake in a freezer bag or tightly wrapped in cling wrap for up to 4 months.
Related Recipes
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Chocolate Sprinkle Cake
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 9x13 cake 1x
- Category: Cake, Chocolate, Sprinkles
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
This Chocolate Sprinkle Cake is a quick and easy, one-layer chocolate cake with the creamiest, fudgiest chocolate frosting and sprinkles on top! It’s moist, made with simple ingredients, and is sure to impress for any occasion!
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 1 ¾ cup (363g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (100g) vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs (100g), room temperature
- ½ cup (130g) sour cream, room temperature
- 1 cup (225g) buttermilk, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon (4g) vanilla
- 1 ¾ cup (245g) all purpose flour
- ⅔ cup (56g) cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons (10g) baking soda
- ½ teaspoon (2g) baking powder
- 1 teaspoon (5g) salt
- ¾ cup (160g) hot water
For the Frosting
- 1 cup (220g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ cup (54g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 cups (240g) powdered sugar
- ⅓ cup (80g) heavy cream
Instructions
For the Cake
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray an 8×8 inch baking pan with cooking spray and line it with parchment paper to ensure the cake comes out cleanly.
- In a large bowl, whisk granulated sugar, vegetable oil, room temperature eggs, room temperature sour cream, room temperature buttermilk, and vanilla extract together with a whisk until smooth.
- Pour properly-measured flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl and whisk. Mix only until you see the dry ingredients disappear into the batter, as overmixing could lead to dense cupcakes.
- Then, add your hot water to the batter and whisk until dispersed throughout.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 27-35 minutes or until the top of the cake looks slightly shiny, the center looks set, and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with moist crumbs. Allow the cake to fully cool before frosting and decorating.
For the Frosting
- In a large bowl with a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat room temperature butter, powdered sugar, and cocoa powder on low speed until smooth. This should be about 2-3 minutes of mixing.
- Pour heavy cream into the frosting and beat on high speed for at least 3 minutes to create a light frosting.
- Frost the cake as desired and decorate with sprinkles and other toppings of choice.
Notes
Room Temperature Ingredients: Room temperature ingredients will allow the batter to come together more smoothly and results in a lighter cake. Your eggs, sour cream, and buttermilk should all be left out at room temperature for about an hour or read above in “Expert Tips” for quicker room temperature tricks!
Measuring Flour: Measure flour correctly by using a kitchen scale to measure 245g exactly. If you don’t have a scale, spoon the flour into your measuring cups before using a knife to level off the top. Overmeasuring flour will lead to dry cake.
Bake Time: Bake the cake until the top is domed, slightly shiny, the center springs back when poked, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with some moist crumbs.
Keywords: Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Sprinkle Cake, Moist Cake
Hala says
Tried this recipe and i must admit that it is super moist and very easy. My kids enjoyed making it with me. ❤️😊 thank you so much for the recipe! Cant wait to try something else.
★★★★★
Elise says
Yay! This means the world, Hala!