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Sugar Cookie Sheet Cake is a simple doctored up cake mix cake recipe that has all the flavor of classic sugar cookies without the hassle of rolling, cutting, and decorating individual cookies! A soft buttery vanilla cake topped with a vanilla buttercream frosting and colorful sprinkles.
If you’re looking for the BEST sugar cookie recipe then you must try my two favorites – Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies and Family Favorite Sugar Cookie Recipe.
Sugar Cookie Sheet Cake Recipe (Cake Mix Dessert)
If you love soft, thick, buttery sugar cookies with a sweet pink frosting and sprinkles – you’re going to love this sugar cookie sheet cake that’s made in a 9×13 cake pan.
The best part is you can decorate the cake with any color frosting and sprinkle to match any celebration, holiday, or occasion.
Simple enough for even beginners to make because it starts with a cake mix and is “doctored up” by using milk, melted butter, sour cream, and vanilla pudding mix.
The cake tastes exactly like a sugar cookie because of the vanilla cake mix and the secret ingredient added in – almond extract. You are going to love this one ❤︎
Why You’ll Love This Sugar Cookie Cake
- 💗 No Rolling or Cutting : Skip the cookie cutters and bake everything, in cake form, in one 9×13 cake pan.
- 💗 Soft & Buttery : This cake has those classic buttery, vanilla, and tender textures of sugar cookies but in a tender crumb vanilla cake.
- 💗 Easy To Customize : Change the sprinkles and frosting color to match birthdays, holidays, or any celebrations.
- 💗 Make Ahead Friendly : It can be made ahead, baked and frosted, ahead of time and stored until ready.
- 💗 Perfect For Parties : One pan makes plenty of servings for a crowd.
Ingredients Needed
Sugar Cookie Cake Ingredients
- Vanilla Cake Mix – A 15.25 ounce boxed cake mix
- Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix – A small 3.4 ounce box of instant pudding, do not prepare according to package directions; only dump in the dry ingredients
- Whole Milk
- Sour Cream
- Butter – Melted and slightly cooled
- Large Eggs
- Pure Vanilla Extract
- Almond Extract – This is what gives the cake the iconic sugar cookie flavor
Vanilla Buttercream Ingredients
- Butter – Make sure the butter is very well softened so it blends creamy and smooth
- Powdered Sugar
- Salt – Only add a pinch of salt if you used unsalted butter, or add salt if you prefer more of a salty & sweet taste to cut the sugar in the icing; I use salted butter and I still always add a pinch of sea salt to help with the sweetness of the frosting
- Pure Vanilla Extract
- Almond Extract
- Heavy Cream
- Pink Gel Food Coloring – Or whatever color you want, or leave it colorless
- Sprinkles
How To Make Sugar Cookie Cake (Printable Recipe Card)
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare a 9×13-inch metal cake pan and spray it with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
Make The Sugar Cookie Cake : In a large bowl, add the dry vanilla cake mix, dry instant vanilla pudding mix, whole milk, sour cream, melted butter, large eggs, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Use an electric mixer to beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase the speed to medium (or medium-high) and beat for 2 minutes; scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
Spread the cake batter evenly into the prepared cake pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the top springs back when lightly touched, the edges of the cake are pulled away from the sides of the pan, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
Remove the cake pan from the oven and place it on top of a cooling rack and allow it cool completely, about 1 hour.
Make The Vanilla Buttercream : In a large mixing bowl, add the softened butter, and use an electric mixer (or stand mixer) to beat it on medium speed for 2 minutes until creamy and fluffy.
Add the powdered sugar, heavy cream, vanilla extract, almond extract, and salt into the creamed butter. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds and then increase the speed to medium-high, and continue beating for 2 minutes or until the buttercream is fluffy and light.
Add in the pink gel food coloring and beat just until the color is evenly distributed.
Spread the buttercream ever over the completely cooled cake and top with the sprinkles.
Cut the cake into slices, serve, and enjoy!
How To Store Leftover Cake
Keep the cake tightly covered at room temperature for up to 1 day in a cool kitchen. For longer storage, cover the pan or transfer slices to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
This cake is best eaten at room temperature when the butter cream is softer. The cake eaten from the fridge is good, but the buttercream will be much firmer in texture. If wanted, allow the chilled cake to sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes before serving for the best texture.
Pro Tips From The Test Kitchen
- I use salted butter when I make this recipe and I add the salt into the buttercream mixture. It really depends on preference what you want to do; you can use unsalted butter and no extra salt, or use unsalted butter and then add the additional salt in with the buttercream ingredients. I like the additional salt, in addition to salted butter, because it cuts some of that sweetness in the frosting. But do what you prefer.
- To melt the butter and keep it cooled at the same time; unwrap the butter sticks and place them in a microwave-safe bowl. Melt for 40 seconds, remove from the microwave, and then use a fork to stir it until everything melted and smooth. This will keep the butter cooler because you didn’t melt it fully in the hot microwave.
- The cake mixes come in two different sizes so make sure you are using a 15.25 ounce boxed cake mix for the correct cake-to-liquid ratio. Using a smaller cake mix may produce a thinner cake with a softer structure.
- The cake needs to be completely cooled before adding the buttercream. Even a slightly warm cake can soften the butter and cause the frosting to slide and melt off.
- It’s best to use gel food coloring because the gel creates a bright, bold color without adding too much liquid (like from traditional food coloring liquids) to loosen the buttercream. Add the gel food coloring gradually because a small amount goes a long way.
- It’s best to use full-fat sour cream and whole milk for the best tender texture and rich, buttery taste.
- Change up the color of the frosting and the sprinkles used to match any color theme, birthdays, holidays, and other celebrations.
More Easy Cake Recipes
If you love easy deserts, made in a 9×13 pan, that are perfect for sharing – you must try some of these other family favorites.
- Cosmic Brownie Sheet Cake
- Butterfinger Cake
- Copycat Hostess Devil’s Food Zingers Cake
- Copycat Hostess Raspberry Zingers Cake
- Pineapple Poke Cake
- Easy Pineapple Pistachio Cake
- 7-Up Cake
- Chocolate Poke Cake
- Earthquake Cake
- Mississippi Mud Cake
- Raspberry Poke Cake
- Strawberry Tres Leches Cake
- Hostess Sheet Cake Recipe
- Lemon Jello Cake
Sugar Cookie Sheet Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
Sugar Cookie Cake
- 1 box (15.25 oz) vanilla cake mix
- 1 box (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding mix
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup (1 stick) butter melted & slightly cooled
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
Pink Buttercream Icing
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt (optional, see notes)
- 1-2 drops pink gel food coloring
- sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare a 9×13-inch metal cake pan and spray it with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
Make The Sugar Cookie Cake
- In a large bowl, add the dry vanilla cake mix, dry instant vanilla pudding mix, large eggs, whole milk, sour cream, melted butter, vanilla extract, and almond extract.1 box (15.25 oz) vanilla cake mix, 1 box (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding mix, 3 large eggs, 1 cup whole milk, ½ cup sour cream, ½ cup (1 stick) butter, 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon almond extract
- Use an electric mixer to beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase the speed to medium (or medium-high) and beat for 2 minutes; scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- Spread the cake batter evenly into the prepared cake pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the top springs back when lightly touched, the edges of the cake are pulled away from the sides of the pan, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Remove the cake pan from the oven and place it on top of a cooling rack and allow it cool completely, about 1 hour.
Make The Vanilla Buttercream
- In a large mixing bowl, add the softened butter, and use an electric mixer (or stand mixer) to beat it on medium speed for 2 minutes until creamy and fluffy.1 cup (2 sticks) butter
- Add the powdered sugar, heavy cream, vanilla extract, almond extract, and salt into the creamed butter. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds and then increase the speed to medium-high, and continue beating for 2 minutes or until the buttercream is fluffy and light.4 cups powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons heavy cream, 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon almond extract, ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- Add in the pink gel food coloring and beat just until the color is evenly distributed.1-2 drops pink gel food coloring
- Spread the buttercream ever over the completely cooled cake and top with the sprinkles.sprinkles
- Cut the cake into slices, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
- I use salted butter when I make this recipe and I add the salt into the buttercream mixture. It really depends on preference what you want to do; you can use unsalted butter and no extra salt, or use unsalted butter and then add the additional salt in with the buttercream ingredients. I like the additional salt, in addition to salted butter, because it cuts some of that sweetness in the frosting. But do what you prefer.
- To melt the butter and keep it cooled at the same time; unwrap the butter sticks and place them in a microwave-safe bowl. Melt for 40 seconds, remove from the microwave, and then use a fork to stir it until everything melted and smooth. This will keep the butter cooler because you didn’t melt it fully in the hot microwave.
- The cake mixes come in two different sizes so make sure you are using a 15.25 ounce boxed cake mix for the correct cake-to-liquid ratio. Using a smaller cake mix may produce a thinner cake with a softer structure.
- The cake needs to be completely cooled before adding the buttercream. Even a slightly warm cake can soften the butter and cause the frosting to slide and melt off.
- It’s best to use gel food coloring because the gel creates a bright, bold color without adding too much liquid (like from traditional food coloring liquids) to loosen the buttercream. Add the gel food coloring gradually because a small amount goes a long way.
- It’s best to use full-fat sour cream and whole milk for the best tender texture and rich, buttery taste.
- Change up the color of the frosting and the sprinkles used to match any color theme, birthdays, holidays, and other celebrations.
Nutrition
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