Description

This Perfect Vanilla-Chocolate-Strawberry Sheet Cake is a visually stunning and deliciously moist cake featuring three batters swirled together for a marbled effect. It is topped with a creamy vanilla frosting and accented with strawberry and chocolate flavored frostings, creating a delightful blend of classic flavors perfect for any celebration or dessert table.

Ingredients

Scale

Cake Batter

1 package white cake mix
Water, as specified on cake mix package
Vegetable oil, as specified on cake mix package
Whole eggs, as specified on cake mix package
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons seedless strawberry jam (without seeds)
1/4 teaspoon red gel food coloring

Frosting

1 cup softened butter
2 1/4 cups icing sugar (powdered sugar)
2 to 3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla essence (vanilla extract)
1 teaspoon seedless strawberry jam
Red gel food coloring as needed
1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder

Instructions

Prepare the Cake Batter: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Spray the bottom of a 13×9-inch pan with cooking spray. In a large bowl, beat together the cake mix, water, vegetable oil, and eggs using an electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping the bowl occasionally to combine thoroughly.
Create Swirled Batter Colors: Divide the batter into three portions. Place 1 1/4 cups in a small bowl and mix in 2 tablespoons cocoa powder to make chocolate batter. Place another 1 1/4 cups in another bowl and mix in 2 tablespoons strawberry jam and 1/4 teaspoon red gel food coloring to make strawberry batter. Leave the remaining batter plain.
Layer and Swirl the Batter: Pour the plain batter into the prepared pan. Drop spoonfuls of the chocolate and strawberry batters randomly over the top. Use a table knife to gently swirl through the batters, creating a beautiful marbled pattern.
Bake and Cool the Cake: Bake in the preheated oven for 28 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow the cake to cool completely for about 1 hour to set properly before frosting.
Make the Frosting: Beat the softened butter with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy. Gradually add icing sugar on low speed until smooth. Add 2 tablespoons milk and vanilla essence and continue beating. Adjust consistency by adding extra milk 1 teaspoon at a time if too stiff.
Color and Apply the Frosting: Set aside 1/4 cup of vanilla frosting and mix in 1 teaspoon strawberry jam and red gel food coloring for strawberry frosting. Mix 3 tablespoons vanilla frosting with 1 teaspoon cocoa powder for chocolate frosting. Spread remaining vanilla frosting evenly over the cooled cake. Drop spoonfuls of strawberry and chocolate frostings on top and gently swirl with an icing spatula for a decorative finish.
Serve and Store the Cake: Serve immediately once frosted. Store leftover cake loosely covered at room temperature to preserve freshness.

Notes

Ensure the cake is completely cooled before frosting to prevent melting the frosting.
You can adjust the amount of red gel food coloring to achieve your preferred shade of pink in the strawberry batter and frosting.
Use seedless strawberry jam to keep the batter and frosting smooth and easy to swirl.
The marbling technique creates a visually appealing design without needing separate cakes.
Store the cake covered but at room temperature to maintain moistness and texture.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Category: Dessert
Method: Baking
Cuisine: American

Keywords: vanilla cake, chocolate cake, strawberry cake, sheet cake, marbled cake, swirled cake, easy cake recipe, homemade frosting