Texas Sheet Cake

By Amy Flanigan

Updated

Prep 15 minutes
Cook 20 minutes
Servings 16

By Amy Flanigan

Updated

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The reigning king of all sheet cakes, this easy recipe for Texas Sheet Cake is a chocolate cake lovers dream. A rich, fudgy, moist crumb made with buttermilk and coated in warm chocolate frosting, then sprinkled with toasted pecans. The best!

square slice of texas sheet cake on plate with fork

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I’ve tried my fair share of recipes for Texas Sheet Cake over the years. And honestly, I have never had a bad one. I mean, what’s not to love? Moist chocolate cake, coated in thick warm chocolate frosting, and sprinkled with chopped nuts. It’s seriously so irresistible.

There are about as many Texas Sheet Cake recipes in existence as there are chocolate chip cookies. But this particular recipe is the bee’s knees, made with buttermilk, cinnamon, toasted pecans, and no need to make the frosting on the stovetop, so less dishes to clean!

Why We Love this Texas Sheet Cake Recipe:

  • Single layer for the win. Because it’s flat, the cake cooks evenly all around. And it’s modest 1-2 inch height makes it easy to frost. Nothing a mile high, fancy, or complicated.
  • Sheets cakes are extremely portable. You don’t need to worry about them falling over on that long car ride to Aunt Betsy’s. And if your jelly roll pan comes with a lid, even better! They’re the perfect dessert to take to any potluck. 
  • The frosting. Goodness, THAT frosting. It’s like nothing else, and what really separates Texas Sheet Cake from other chocolate cakes. With most cakes, you need to wait for them to cool completely before frosting, but not with a Texas Sheet Cake. This baby requires the cake and the frosting to still be warm, or you won’t be able to spread it. The frosting actually acts as a barrier, protecting the cake from air and moisture, allowing the cake to sit out at room temperature (wrapped and covered) for about 4 days and still be delicious and safe.
5 from 2

The Best Texas Sheet Cake

Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Cool: 10 minutes
Total: 35 minutes
Servings: 16
square slice of texas sheet cake on plate with fork
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This easy Texas Sheet Cake recipe is a rich, fudgy, moist crumb made with buttermilk and coated in warm chocolate frosting, then sprinkled with toasted pecans. A a chocolate cake lovers dream!

Ingredients 

For The Cake

  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 cup warm water
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 1/2 cup whole buttermilk
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

For The Chocolate Frosting (makes 2 cups)

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 1/3 cup whole milk
  • 4 cups (1 pound) powdered sugar
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Topping

  • 1/2 cup finely chopped toasted pecans

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Butter and flour a 15×10-inch jelly roll pan.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, water, oil, buttermilk, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla until blended and smooth.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add flour mixture to sugar mixture, whisking until combined and smooth. Pour batter into prepare pan.
  • Bake until edges of cake pull away from the pan and the cake springs back when lightly touched in the center, about 18-20 minutes.
  • Let cool in pan for 8-10 minutes.
  • During the last few minutes of the cake cooling, make the frosting (don’t do this in advance, because the frosting will harden.) In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and milk. Add in the powdered sugar until combined. Whisk in the cocoa powder, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon, until fully incorporated. Immediately pour over the warm cake and spread evenly with an offset spatula. Sprinkle with the pecans.
  • Let cool completely.
  • Slice, serve, and enjoy!

Video

Notes

Do not make the frosting in advance. The frosting hardens fast! So don’t make that in advance. I suggest whipping it up right before you’re going to use it, then pour and spread with even strokes, followed by immediately sprinkling the pecans on top.
Let the cake cool a bit before frosting. While it is important to pour the frosting over a warm cake, I prefer to let the cake cool for 8-10 minutes beforehand, otherwise the frosting completely absorbs into the cake and doesn’t leave that awesome thick, fudgy layer that is such a key component.
The size of your jelly roll pan does matter. A 13×9 pan will render a thicker cake, 18×12 (which is a half baking sheet) a super thin cake, and a 15×10 is perfect IMHO! Not too thick, not too thin. Baking times, if using something other than the 15×10 in this recipe, will vary.

Nutrition

Calories: 483kcal | Carbohydrates: 70g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 58mg | Sodium: 164mg | Potassium: 110mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 55g | Vitamin A: 415IU | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 1.5mg

Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and any changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are very important to you, I would recommend calculating them yourself.

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close up baked chocolate cake crumb

What is Texas Sheet Cake?

I assumed it originated in Texas…because DUH. But after some Google research, it wasn’t entirely clear.

Some say it’s simply because the cake is large, like the state of Texas. Others say it’s because of the addition of buttermilk (a Texan’s favorite ingredient), and pecans in the icing (which are native to south central North America, Texas in particular.) The recipe is also similar to one featured in the Dallas Morning News in 1957 that ended up taking the country by storm. It has also been suggested that Lady Bird Johnson was involved somehow, but historians combed the LBJ archives in Austin and couldn’t find any evidence of this.

The cake became popular in the South in the 1950’s just after German’s Chocolate Cake became well known. The Texas Sheet Cake is similar in flavor, but way easier to prepare, making it gain huge popularity nationwide.

So who really knows. Some history is concrete, some not so much. I say it’s a called a Texas Sheet Cake because it’s rich, bold, and cannot be ignored when entering a room – like a Texan! HA.

Proper Storage

  • Does Texas sheet cake need to be refrigerated? Unless your kitchen is hot and humid, the cake can sit out at room temperature, wrapped and covered, for up to 4 days. After that it needs to be refrigerated.
  • Can I freeze Texas sheet cake? Yep! You can freeze the cake after it has been made and iced. Leave the cake in the baking sheet, let it cool completely. Then cover with plastic wrap, then in foil. It can be frozen for up to 1 month. Thaw in the fridge overnight.

More Must-Make Chocolate Recipes:

More sheet cake recipes we love include our Caramel Apple Sheet Cake and Brazilian Carrot Sheet Cake.

I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!

overhead square slice of frosted chocolate cake with pecans

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About Amy Flanigan

Well, hey there! Amy here, founder and COO at BellyFull. If you’re looking for tried and true, fuss-free, budget-friendly, delicious, every day recipes, you’ve come to the right place.

More of Amy's Recipes

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3 Comments

  1. Nancy says:

    5 stars
    The touch of cinnamon adds a bit of zing to this beautiful cake. Delicious!!

    Reply
  2. Diane Giardina says:

    5 stars
    This is the best Texas sheet cake recipe as stated in the title. It’s the only Texas sheet cake recipe I’ll use from now on.

    Reply
  3. Mom says:

    I, too love sheet cakes using the 15×10 pan. It’s just the perfect height for cutting, serving and eating! This Texas Sheet Cake mouth watering.

    Reply