Are Sheet Cakes the Best Cakes?

For my birthday this year, I splurged on a fancy cake from a fancy bakery. It was tall and grand and beautiful. But the weird thing was…

My friend Ziva — of Chipwiches fame — also brought over a grocery store sheet cake and guess which one was easily the most delicious? Hers. It was simple and perfect and all the kids and adults dove in for seconds.

Then, this week, in a classic case of Baader Meinhof, I saw a New York Times article proclaiming “Sheet Cakes Are the Best Cakes.” The frosting-to-cake ration is better on sheet cakes, the writer argued, and “not only are they easier to bake — no annoying trimming or crumb coatings required — but they also feed a crowd and travel well.”

Sold! Now I want to try making some with the boys. Smitten Kitchen has three that look delicious — chocolate, confetti, and a sheet cake version of the strawberry cake that changed our lives a few years ago.

Do you have any sheet cake recipes you love? Or strong cake opinions? I would love to hear…

P.S. A slice-and-bake cookies taste test, an apple pound cake, and what birthday cake do you like?

(Photos by Smitten Kitchen.)