Texas Sheet Cake

Name: Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 2 cups flour; 2 cups sugar; ¼ teaspoon salt; 1 cup unsalted butter; 4 tablespoons cocoa powder; 1 cup boiling water; ½ cup buttermilk; 2 eggs, (whisked together); 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 14 tablespoons unsalted butter; 4 tablespoons cocoa powder; 6 tablespoons milk; 1 teaspoon vanilla; 3½ cups powdered sugar

A southern classic, Texas sheet cake is a decadent chocolate dessert with rich icing that can easily feed a crowd.

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Table of Contents

What Is A Texas Sheet Cake?
Texas Sheet Cake Ingredients
Substitutions And Additions For This Texas Sheet Cake Recipe
How To Make This Texas Sheet Cake Recipe
How To Serve Texas Sheet Cake With Buttermilk
Chocolate Texas Sheet Cake Storage Tips
You Will Love This Classic Recipe For Texas Sheet Cake!
Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake FAQs
More Recipes You’ll Love
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If you are looking for a tasty and easy way to make dessert for the masses, then Texas sheet cake is the way to go. The best part about this recipe is that the top of the cake is lightly poked with a fork so that the chocolate icing soaks into it, making it perfectly fudgy and moist all the way through.

close up shot of a slice of chocolate sheet cake on a plate

What Is A Texas Sheet Cake?

A Texas sheet cake is a type of chocolate cake that is large, thin, and rectangular in shape.

It’s known for its rich, moist, and dense texture, as well as its distinctive feature: a poured chocolate frosting that’s spread over the warm cake while both are still in the baking pan.

Texas Sheet Cake Ingredients

Texas Sheet Cake raw ingredients that are labeled

You’ll need:

2 cups of flour
2 cups of sugar
¼ teaspoon of salt
1 cup of unsalted butter
4 tablespoons of cocoa powder
1 cup of boiling water
½ cup of buttermilk
2 eggs, whisked together
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

For The Icing:

14 tablespoons of unsalted butter
4 tablespoons of cocoa powder
6 tablespoons of milk
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
3½ cups of powdered sugar

Substitutions And Additions For This Texas Sheet Cake Recipe

BUTTERMILK: You can make your own buttermilk using whole or 2% milk and lemon juice or distilled vinegar.

For every one cup of milk, stir in one tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar.

PECANS: Add one cup of chopped pecans to your frosting for a nutty crunch on top of your cake that’s truly Texan.

CINNAMON: Add one teaspoon of cinnamon to your cake batter and ½ teaspoon to your frosting for plenty of added sweet cinnamon flavor.

How To Make This Texas Sheet Cake Recipe

STEP ONE: Lightly spray an 18×13-inch baking sheet with cooking spray and set it aside. Preheat your oven to 350°F.

OUR RECIPE DEVELOPER SAYS

Using a different sized sheet pan will result in changes to the thickness of the cake and may need the cooking time adjusted.

STEP TWO: In a large bowl, combine your all-purpose flour, sugar, and salt.

STEP THREE: In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, melt your butter. Add your cocoa powder and whisk together.

Add the boiling water and whisk it into the butter mixture.

melted butter and cocoa powder whisked together in a pot

STEP FOUR: In a separate small bowl, combine your buttermilk, eggs, baking soda, and vanilla, then whisk together.

Stir the buttermilk mixture into the chocolate mixture and whisk together. Mix with the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, and salt).

buttermilk, eggs, baking soda, and vanilla whisked together in a bowl and in a pot

STEP FIVE: Pour batter into the sheet cake pan and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven and poke to make fork holes across the top of the entire cake so that the yummy frosting soaks down into the cake just a little bit.

PRO TIP:

A fork or a wooden barbecue skewer is the perfect width for the holes in the cake.

chocolate batter before and after being baked in a sheet pan

STEP SIX: While your cake bakes, start your chocolate frosting by melting your butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat.

Add your cocoa powder and whisk together. Turn off the heat.

Add your milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar (sift it in while whisking instead of just dumping all of it in at once). Stir until no lumps remain.

melted butter and cocoa being mixed together in a pot

STEP SEVEN: Pour your frosting over your warm cake and let cool for about 10 to 15 minutes before serving, if you can wait that long!

PRO TIP:

When you’re pouring the cream into the holes, tap the pan on the counter a few times to get rid of any air bubbles and make sure the frosting fills the holes completely.

How To Serve Texas Sheet Cake With Buttermilk

Because of its size, this moist chocolate cake is perfect to serve at family gatherings and birthday parties.

For an extra delicious dessert, you could add homemade whipped cream and a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side.

If you are looking for more easy dessert recipes, check out some of our favorite classic cakes, including our no-bake éclair cake and our Jell-O pie.

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Chocolate Texas Sheet Cake Storage Tips

ON THE COUNTER: Texas sheet cake will stay good for up to five days at room temperature; just be sure to cover it with plastic wrap or foil.

This cake doesn’t need to be refrigerated and will stay moist due to the frosting that soaks into the cake.

Can You Freeze Texas Sheet Cake?

To freeze your Texas sheet cake, cover it in plastic wrap or foil and store it in your freezer for up to two months.

Let your cake cool completely first. When you’re ready to eat your cake, let it defrost completely and come to room temperature first.

close up shot of a slices of texas sheet cake stacked top of each other

You Will Love This Classic Recipe For Texas Sheet Cake!

This classic Texas sheet cake is perfect for feeding a crowd. It’s a classic Southern recipe for a sweet chocolate cake covered in homemade decadent frosting. All the chocolate lovers in your life will give it two thumbs up!

Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake FAQs

What is a sheet cake?

The main difference between a sheet cake and a regular cake is the pan that they are baked in. Sheet cakes are baked in a large pan specifically sized and named ‘sheet cake pans.’ They are large, flat pans and are 18 x 13 inches. This makes sheet cakes a great alternative for feeding a large group of people.

How many people will a sheet cake feed?

Depending on the size of the pieces, a sheet cake can feed up to 48 people.

How do I store a sheet cake?

Sheet cakes can be stored on the counter for up to five days at room temperature. If you are thinking of storing leftovers longer, you can slice them up (or store them whole) and freeze the cake in an airtight container for up to two months.

What size pan for Texas sheet cake?

The typical size pan for making a Texas Sheet Cake is an 18 x 13-inch rimmed baking sheet or jelly roll pan. This pan size is large and shallow, which allows the cake to spread out into a thin layer, characteristic of a Texas sheet cake.

How do I adjust the time for other size pans?

When adjusting the baking time for a different size pan, it’s important to consider the area of the pans. The goal is to maintain a similar cake thickness to ensure even baking. It’s always a good idea to monitor the cake closely as it bakes and use visual cues and testing to determine when it’s done.

More Recipes You’ll Love

Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake

5 from 3 votes

A southern classic, Texas sheet cake is a decadent chocolate dessert with rich icing that can easily feed a crowd.

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Total Time 45

Servings

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Ingredients

Cake

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter
4 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 cup boiling water
½ cup buttermilk
2 eggs, whisked together
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Icing

14 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons cocoa powder
6 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
3½ cups powdered sugar

Instructions

Lightly spray an 18×13-inch baking sheet with cooking spray and set it aside. Preheat your oven to 350°F.
In a large mixing bowl, combine your flour, sugar, and salt.
In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, melt your unsalted butter. Add your cocoa powder and whisk together.
Add boiling water and whisk it into the mixture.
In a separate small bowl, combine your buttermilk, eggs, baking soda, and vanilla then whisk together. Stir buttermilk mixture into chocolate mixture and whisk together. Mix with dry ingredients (flour, sugar, and salt).
Pour into sheet cake pan and bake at 350°F for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and poke with forks so that the yummy frosting soaks down into the cake just a little bit.
While your cake is baking, start your frosting by melting your remaining 14 tablespoons of unsalted butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add your cocoa and whisk together. Turn off the heat. Add your milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar (sift it in while whisking instead of just dumping all of it in at once). Stir until no lumps remain.
Pour your frosting over your cake and let cool for about 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

Video

Notes

Using a different-sized sheet pan will result in changes to the thickness of the cake and may need the cooking time adjusted.
A fork or a wooden barbecue skewer is the perfect width for the holes in the cake.
When you’re pouring the cream into the holes, tap the pan on the counter a few times to get rid of any air bubbles and make sure the frosting fills the holes completely.

Nutrition

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This recipe was developed, tested, cooked and photographed by the Spaceships Kitchen. From our dinner table to yours, we hope you think it's out of this world!

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