Go Back
+ servings
Citrus Sheet Cake from www.whatsgabycooking.com (@whatsgabycookin)
Print Recipe
5 from 2 votes

Citrus Sheet Cake

Sheet cakes are SO much easier than layers - let's get to it!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 16 people
Author: Gaby Dalkin

Ingredients

For the Cake:

  • 1 cup butter at room temperature
  • 2 cups white sugar
  • 4 large eggs at room temperature
  • 1 cup whole milk or nut milk
  • 1 tablespoon lemon extract
  • 2 ⅔ cup cake flour
  • 3 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

For the Swiss Meringue Buttercream

  • 4 egg whites
  • 1 ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 ½ cup unsalted butter at room temp
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • Peeled and sliced citrus for topping

Instructions

For the Cake:

  • Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a 9x13 inch caeke pan with baking spray and line with parchment paper.
  • In a large mixer, cream together the butter and sugar for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, until fully combined. Add the milk and lemon extract and mix on low until just incorporated.
  • In another small bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until you have a smooth batter. Pour the cake batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 30 minutes.
  • Remove the cake from the oven and let cool completely before frosting.

For the Swiss Meringue Buttercream

  • Place egg whites and sugar in a metal bowl of a stand mixer. Place bowl over a pan of simmering water, not touching the water. Whisk or stir constantly until sugar is dissolved and mixture comes to approximately 160ºF.
  • Immediately place the bowl on the stand mixer and whip on high using the whisk attachment until frosting has become thick and glossy, forming a stiff peak. Continue to whip frosting until the bowl feels room temperature to the touch, a total of about 10 minutes.
  • Switch the whisk attachment to the paddle attachment. With the mixer on low, drop in butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until smooth after each addition. If frosting appears curdled or clumpy at any time, increase speed to medium-high and beat until smooth.
  • Once all of the butter has been incorporated, mix in extracts and pinch of salt. If needed, continue beating until smooth.
  • Swoop and dollop the Swiss Meringue Buttercream on top of the cooled cake and add the sliced citrus on top

Notes

For the most attractive citrus, I recommend carefully cutting all the peel away from the whole fruit, and then thinly slicing along the equator.

Nutrition

Calories: 529kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 119mg | Sodium: 426mg | Potassium: 81mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 45g | Vitamin A: 971IU | Calcium: 82mg | Iron: 1mg