Texas Sheet Cake

At a glance

What stands out: One of the easiest chocolate cakes to make, Texas sheet cake has a hint of cinnamon and is topped with chocolate frosting laced with toasted pecans. This cake recipe is always a hit, serves a crowd, and can be frosted while the cake is still hot!

How long it takes: 32 minutes plus cooling time
Equipment you’ll need: jelly roll pan, whisk, bowl, electric mixer, small saucepan
Servings: 24

Texas Sheet Cake

A standby (straightforward!) frosting. With fudgy nutty frosting that almost saturates the top layer of this cake, a Texas sheet cake is always a hit. This is one of the few cakes that you frost as soon as it comes out of the oven. That’s a huge advantage in our book because it seems like a cake takes f-o-r-e-v-e-r to cool completely. This Texas sheet cake can be made in a jiffy!

Almost fool-proof. We admit, we've had our share of cake flops. We flop them, try again, and sometimes flop them again, but our failures mean you won’t have the same problems because we've already ironed them out for you.

Not as big as Texas! One of the unique features of our Texas sheet cake recipe is that it’s made in a somewhat smaller-sized pan than a normal Texas sheet cake. Sometimes you just don’t need a gigantic cake. This recipe still makes plenty of cake but you won’t be eating it for a week and a half!

A lighter upgrade. We've made a simple change to the classic Texas sheet cake recipe to make it a bit more lighter. This cake is made with half the butter you’ll find in most recipes. You won’t miss it a bit (we guarantee it).

Gabby Said:

“This was our first time making a sheet cake and wow it was rich. Everyone loved it – thank you!”

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What goes in

• Flour: Just regular all-purpose flour is all you need.
• Sugar: Again, nothing fancy here, granulated white sugar is reliable. You’ll need confectioner’s sugar for the frosting.
• Cinnamon: A teaspoon of cinnamon imparts the flavor unique to a Texas sheet cake.
• Baking Soda and Salt: The baking soda leavens the cake; salt enhances the flavor.
• Cocoa Powder, Water, Butter: Unsweetened baking cocoa powder gives the cake chocolatey goodness. The cocoa powder is heated with water and butter to “activate” the cocoa.
• Eggs, Buttermilk, and Vanilla Extract: These three ingredients keep the cake nice and moist, and add flavor and richness.
• For the Frosting: The simple cooked frosting is made up of Butter, Milk, Cocoa Powder, Powdered Sugar, Vanilla Extract, and Chopped Pecans. You can leave the pecans out if you want, we tested it that way as well, and it’s just as rich!

How it comes together

Whisk dry ingredients. In a big bowl, mix the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. You may be tempted to add the cocoa powder here since it’s also a dry ingredient but don’t do it!

Activate the cocoa. In a saucepan, bring the water, butter (just one stick!), and cocoa powder to a boil.

Blend wet ingredients. Meanwhile, measure out the buttermilk in a measuring cup, and add the eggs and vanilla to the cup.

Combine. Get out your hand mixer or be ready to do some stirring. Pour the hot cocoa mixture into the bowl with the flour and blend it together. Add the buttermilk mixture and beat well.

Bake the cake. Pour the batter into a jelly roll pan that’s been sprayed with cooking spray and dusted with flour. Pop it into the oven. It won’t take long to bake because it’s a pretty thin cake, only about 17 minutes.

Make the frosting. While the cake is baking, use the same saucepan that you used for the cake to make the frosting. Heat butter, milk, and cocoa powder in the saucepan until it comes to a boil. Stir in the powdered sugar until the frosting is smooth; then fold in the vanilla extract and pecans.

The frosting will be kind of on the runny side which is good because you’re going to spread it on a hot cake.

Frost the cake. When the cake has finished baking, take it out of the oven and put the pan on a wire rack. Pour the frosting out of the pan evenly onto the hot cake. Start in the middle of the cake and work your way to the edges. A little frosting may run off the edges but that’s okay. (we think our new oven isn’t quite level so our cakes are always a little bit high on one side.)

Allow the cake to cool a little before digging in, okay? Well, just a little while anyways…

Serve. Serve this cake with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream, double chocolate ice cream, or a plop of whipped cream, if you like.

What is Sheet Cake?

Perhaps you’re wondering what the difference is between a sheet cake and a regular cake. The batter is slightly different but it’s more about the pan you use to bake the cake in. A sheet pan cake is baked in a larger flat pan so the cake is larger and flatter. A regular cake is usually baked in a 9 x 13 inch pan or two round pans so it’s thicker and taller.

Need a Jelly Roll Pan?

To make this cake, you’ll need a jelly roll pan, which is 15 x 10 inches. Often a Texas sheet cake is baked in a half sheet pan (18 x 13 inches) but this recipe makes a smaller cake. We use this 15 x 10 inch jelly roll pan from OXO.

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Straightforward Recipe Variations

• Nuts. You can omit the pecans, if desired, or substitute another nut of your choice.
• Flavoring. If you prefer a straight-up chocolate cake, just leave the cinnamon out. You could also substitute strong brewed coffee or espresso for the water for a chocolate mocha flavor.

Keeping leftovers

Room temperature/Refrigerate: Texas sheet cake won’t stick around long, we're almost sure of that. Leftover cake, covered with plastic wrap, can be stored at room temperature for a day but if it’s going to be much more than that, you probably should put it in the fridge, where it will keep up to four days.

Freeze: This cake can also be covered with plastic wrap, then foil, and frozen for up to a month. However, the texture may change slightly and it is best eaten fresh.

• Yield: 24
• Prep: 10 minutes
• Cook: 17 minutes
• Total: 32 minutes

Ingredients

Cake

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• ¾ cup water
• ½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
• ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Frosting

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ⅓ cup milk
• ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• ¼ cup chopped pecans, toasted (optional, or substitute walnuts)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Prepare a 15 x 10-inch jelly roll pan by spraying lightly with cooking spray; dust lightly with flour. Set aside.
2. In large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, ground cinnamon, and salt.
3. In large measuring cup, measure out buttermilk, and add vanilla and beaten eggs.
4. Combine water, butter, and cocoa powder in a small saucepan; bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Pour into flour mixture. Beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add buttermilk mixture; beat well.
5. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 17 to 18 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Frost immediately.
6. While cake is baking, combine 6 tablespoons butter, milk, and ¼ cup cocoa in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
7. Remove pan from heat. Gradually stir in powdered sugar; stir in vanilla and pecans.
8. Spread frosting over hot cake. Cool cake completely in pan on wire rack.

Notes

Nuts: If desired, you can omit the pecans or substitute another nut of your choice.

Flavor variations: If you prefer a straight-up chocolate flavor, you can omit the cinnamon. You can make a chocolate mocha cake by substituting strong brewed coffee or espresso for the water.

Storage: Leftover cake can be covered with plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for a day, or in the fridge for up to 4 days.