Red Velvet Hot Chocolate Sheet Cake

Gorgeous red velvet sheet cake with hot chocolate buttercream, marshmallows, and chocolate shavings. This cake is perfect for the holidays! My Red Velvet Hot Chocolate Sheet Cake is a very simple, but delicious, cake and uses hot cocoa mix right in the buttercream for the best taste and texture. Plus, it feeds a crowd without having to stack cake layers – it’s all in one 9×13 sheet pan. Let’s dive in!

10 Sheet Cakes for Christmas Series

We’re back again with another fun sheet cake recipe leading up to Christmas. So far we have my now-viral Eggnog Tres Leches Cake with Nutmeg Whipped Cream, and ever-popular Little Debbie Christmas Tree Sheet Cake. With 7 more still on the way, you’re sure to find a sheet cake that will fit your comfort level, as well as taste absolutely mouthwatering for your guests this holiday season. There’s so much already on your plate – lets dive right into my newest creation: Red Velvet Hot Chocolate Sheet Cake!

How to make the best red velvet sheet cake:

My red velvet cake simply can’t be beat! Bakers from all around the globe use it in the bakeries and home-bakes for the perfectly tasty results this recipe gives them every time. It starts with a box mix, and then we add a bunch of ingredients to it for the best taste and texture. Let’s dive right in!

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Buttermilk, room temperature
• Sour Cream, room temperature
• Eggs, room temperature
• Vegetable Oil
• Vanilla
• Red Velvet Cake Mix – I use Duncan Hines every time

That’s it! Whisk everything in a bowl together, sift in the cake mix, then bake! Let it cool in the pan, then spread on the buttercream and add on the mallows and shavings. The quantities and full instructions are below with the recipe.

How to make tasty hot chocolate buttercream:

This is a fun trick that I love doing when it comes to my hot cocoa/chocolate buttercream. I start with my cocoa buttercream base, then I add in my favorite hot cocoa mix right into it! It soaks up the heavy cream really well, so you’ll need a little more heavy cream than usual in the buttercream. You can even try this with peppermint hot cocoa mix, dark chocolate cocoa mix, or even red velvet cocoa mix! Any would be a fun variation on my recipe.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Unsalted Butter, left out at room temperature for 10 minutes
• salt
• vanilla
• heavy cream
• cocoa powder
• hot chocolate mix
• powdered sugar

Whip up the butter, then add in the salt, vanilla, cream, cocoa, and hot chocolate mix. Whip it up, then add in the powdered sugar. You’ll need more heavy cream to help thin it out, then whip it all up on high speed towards a light and fluffy texture. The full instructions with the quantities are below.

How to decorate a cake with marshmallows:

I love using fun things like marshmallows to decorate cakes! For this one, I used three different sizes: huge ones (think smores), regular sized ones, and then these cute tiny ones! I found the tiny ones here on Amazon. I started with the large ones on the outside, the medium ones right next to it, and then sprinkled the mini ones everywhere.

Sprinkled with chocolate and cocoa

For garnish, it’s optional, but I loved adding on a little dusting of cocoa powder and little pieces of chocolate shavings. I bought mine, but you can use mini chocolate chips or even make your own shavings to put on top!

How to use a cake scraper on a sheet cake

I used the cake scraper here from my shop page, and it makes the coolest texture on the top of the cake. It’s easy! Just spread on the buttercream in a flat layer, then carefully drag the cake scraper with both hands across the top of the cake from one end to the other. It’s helpful to use a wooden spoon to beat the buttercream first to get out any air bubbles. This will create a smoother look. It’s also helpful to check if your cake scraper can FIT in your 9×13 sheet pan :).

Here’s a video of the process:

I hope you enjoy my newest sheet cake here for my 10 SHEET CAKES FOR CHRISTMAS series! It’s been so fun so far, and there’s many more to come. If you make my cake or a creation inspired by it, I’d love to see it. Make sure to tag me @bakingwithblondie or #bakingwithblondie so I can join in on all the fun.

As always, happy baking!

xo, Mandy