This Rocky Road Sheetcake is going to take your sheet cake game to a whole new level.  Deliciously moist sheet cake, cooked to perfection and topped with an ooey gooey mixture of marshmallows, chocolate, and cashews.  You won’t want a regular sheet cake again!  If you are like me and you LOVE sheet cake, make sure to check out my best ever chocolate cake and my texas turtle sheet cake recipes!

Rocky Road Sheet Cake
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Rocky Road Sheet Cake

Traditional Rocky Road ice cream is one of my favorites.  I love to pair it with a fresh from the oven chocolate cake, so this combination just makes perfect sense!  Rocky Road ice cream was invented during the great depression when the most common flavors were vanilla and chocolate. The folks that made it named it “rocky road” to give people something to smile about in the face of some pretty uncertain times.  It’s amazing to me that ice cream of any kind could have such an impact.  It probably helps that Chocolate Ice Cream with nuts and chocolate chunks and marshmallows pair pretty nicely together.

Easy Rocky Road Sheet Cake

Rocky Road Sheet Cake Recipe

To make this recipe you start with a traditional sheet cake base, my all time favorite best ever chocolate cake recipe is the base for this delicious rocky road sheet cake.  Here is what you will need.

Chocolate Cake

  • brown sugar
  • brewed coffee
  • cocoa powder
  • butter
  • vanilla
  • flour
  • baking powder
  • baking soda
  • salted butter
  • sugar
  • eggs

Rocky Road Topping

  • butter
  • cocoa powder
  • buttermilk
  • powdered sugar
  • vanilla
  • marshmallows
  • cashews
Chocolate Sheet Cake with Toppings

How to Make Rocky Road Sheet Cake

This cake is prepared in three steps.  The first two are completely dedicated to the sheet cake and the last step focuses primarily on the rocky road topping.
 
Chocolate Cake – Part 1
Place all of the following into a saucepan over low heat.
  • brown sugar
  • brewed coffee (strong)
  • cocoa powder
  • butter
  • vanilla
Stir until they are fully incorporated, this will likely take between 5-7 minutes. Remove the saucepan from heat and allow to cool a bit. It should be a little thick and similar to custard.
 
Chocolate Cake – Part 2
In a medium bowl, sift flour, baking soda, and baking powder together.  Add the butter, sugars, eggs, cooled coffee, and vanilla to the flour mixture and mix with a hand-held mixer until fully combined. Add the chocolate mixture from Part 1 to the ingredients from Part 2. Stir by hand until all ingredients are well combined. Pour the mixture onto a prepared (sprayed or lined with parchment) baking sheet (I used a 10x15in baking sheet). Smooth out the batter and gently tap on the counter to even everything out. Bake for 16-22 minutes, or until the center no longer appears wet and an inserted toothpick is removed with a few crumbs.
 
Rocky Road Topping 
This step can be prepared while the cake is baking.  In a medium saucepan, combine the butter, cocoa, and buttermilk and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, and then add in the powdered sugar, vanilla, and half of the marshmallows. Stir it up and then sprinkle the remaining marshmallows over the hot baked cake.  Pour the topping over the hot cake, it should spread out evenly over the cake.  Sprinkle the chopped cashews over the top.

Rocky Road Sheet Cake Variations

Variety is the spice of life right?  If you want to make a few adjustments to these brownies, here are a few suggestions:

  • Change cashews to almond slivers, or crushed pecans or walnuts
  • Instead of milk chocolate chips, use dark chocolate chunks, or white chocolate chunks, or go crazy with a triple chocolate rocky road sheet cake and add all three.
  • Go DIY and make your own marshmallows with this homemade marshmallow recipe
Chocolate Sheet Cake Recipe
Rocky Road Sheet Cake

Rocky Road Sheet Cake

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
This Rocky Road Sheetcake is going to take your sheet cake game to a whole new level.  Deliciously moist sheet cake, cooked to perfection and topped with an ooey gooey mixture of marshmallows, chocolate, and cashews.  
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Ingredients

Chocolate Cake

FIRST PART

  • 1/3  cup  (67g) brown sugar
  • 1/3  cup  strong coffee
  • 1/2  cup  (50g) dark cocoa (or dutch process)
  • 1  tablespoon  butter
  • 1  teaspoon  vanilla

SECOND PART

  • 1 1/2  cups  (192g) all-purpose flour
  • 1/2  teaspoon  baking powder
  • 1  teaspoon  baking soda
  • 1/2  cup  (113g) salted butter,  warm but not melted
  • 1/2  cup  (100g) granulated sugar
  • 1/2  cup  (100g) packed brown sugar
  • 2  large eggs,  room temperature
  • 1/2  cup  cold coffee
  • 1  teaspoon  vanilla

Rocky Road Topping

  • 1/2  cup  (1 stick or 113g) butter
  • 1/2  cup  (50g) cocoa powder
  • 1/3  cup  (82g) buttermilk
  • 3  cups  (375g) confectioners sugar
  • 1  teaspoon  vanilla
  • 1 bag  (10 ounces) mini marshmallows
  • 1  cup  chopped cashews

Instructions

Chocolate Cake

    FIRST PART

    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
    • Place all ingredients in the first part into a saucepan over low heat. Stir until they are fully incorporated, 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool a bit. It should be a little thick and similar to custard.

    SECOND PART

    • In a medium bowl, sift flour, baking soda, and baking powder together.
    • Add 1/2 cup warm butter, sugars, eggs, cooled coffee, and vanilla to the flour mixture and mix with a hand-held mixer until fully combined. (or stir by hand)
    • Add the chocolate mixture from the FIRST PART to the ingredients from the SECOND PART. Stir by hand until all ingredients are well combined.
    • Pour onto a prepared (sprayed or lined with parchment) baking sheet (I used a 10x15in baking sheet). Smooth out the batter and gently tap on the counter.
    • Bake in a 350°F oven for 16-22 minutes, or until the center no longer appears wet and an inserted toothpick is removed with a few crumbs.

    Rocky Road Toppings

    • While the cake is baking combine the butter, cocoa, and buttermilk and bring to a boil.
    • Remove from heat, and add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and half of the marshmallows. Stir to combine.
    • Sprinkle remaining half marshmallows over hot baked cake
    • Pour icing over hot cake, it should spread itself out evenly over cake.
    • Sprinkle with chopped Cashews.
    Course: Dessert
    Keyword: Rocky Road Sheet Cake
    Servings: 12
    Author: Amanda Rettke

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    Looking for More Sheet Cake Recipes?

    Make sure to check out some of my favorites!

    Best Ever Chocolate Cake

    Texas Turtle Sheet Cake

    Almond Pecan Sheet Cake

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    Meet Amanda Rettke

    Amanda Rettke is the creator of I Am Baker, and the bestselling author of Surprise Inside Cakes: Amazing Cakes for Every Occasion – With a Little Something Extra Inside.Over the course of her 15+ year blogging adventure, she has been featured in and collaborated with the Food Network, New York Times, LA Times, Country Living Magazine, People Magazine, Epicurious, Brides, Romantic Homes, life:beautiful, Publishers Weekly, The Daily Mail, Star Tribune, The Globe and Mail, DailyCandy, YumSugar, The Knot, The Kitchn, and Parade, to name a few.

    Reader Comments

    2. Just reading the recipe and while you mention using milk chocolate chips, you don’t tell us when or where to use them. Are they added to the cake batter or to the icing?

      1. Hi, Katie! I work with iambaker and am happy to help with questions. Yes, you could use a 9×13-inch baking pan for this recipe, but we have not replicated that so you may have to adjust the baking time. Have a great day!

    4. Yes, they’re there in the post. Under the heading Rocky Road Sheet Cake Variations it says, “Instead of milk chocolate chips, use dark chocolate chunks, or white chocolate chunks, or go crazy with a triple chocolate rocky road sheet cake and add all three.”

    Comments are closed.