Chocolate Texas Sheet Cake

This Texas sheet cake recipe produces an extremely moist cake that is richer in chocolate flavor than other versions and so easy to make!

This cake is so easy and uses pantry-friendly ingredients, which means it is the perfect cake to make anytime, anywhere! Plus, you don’t need a stand mixer or any fancy equipment to make it.

Texas Sheet Cake Recipe Ingredients:

The method for making Texas sheet cake is different from classic chocolate cake in that the butter, cocoa powder and water are brought to a simmer on the stovetop before being stirred into the dry ingredients.

Here’s a rundown of the ingredients needed for this cake:

• Flour: regular all-purpose flour; don’t sub in bread flour or cake flour.
• Granulated sugar
• Baking soda: don’t replace the baking soda with baking powder; the baking soda is needed to interact with the buttermilk for a fluffy cake crumb.
• Eggs: the eggs can be room temperature or cold from the refrigerator.
• Buttermilk: if you don’t have buttermilk, use half milk/half sour cream as a substitute.
• Vanilla extract

The batter is quite thin and may have tiny bubbles throughout. That is totally normal!

Texas Sheet Cake Frosting

While the cake bakes, start making the frosting. The frosting is also cooked on the stove (like the first step of the cake batter). And it is imperative that the frosting be warm when frosting the cake.

For the frosting:

1. Simmer the butter, milk and cocoa powder.
2. Off the heat, whisk in the powdered sugar until the frosting is smooth and lump-free.

The magic occurs when the warm frosting is poured over the warm cake. It is important for both the cake and the frosting to be warm when the cake is frosted.

After the cake cools and the frosting sets up a bit, the frosting forms a delightfully thin layer of chocolate frosting on top of the rich, chocolatey, indulgently soft cake.

In the pictures above, those small spots are bubbles, not lumps. If you sift the cocoa powder and sift the powdered sugar, there won’t be any lumps in the cake. The bubbles smooth out easily when spreading the frosting over the cake.

This Texas sheet cake is incredibly delicious served warm, at room temperature, or chilled. It is one versatile cake.

Which means…you can add chopped pecans to the top of the cake, if you desire. Because I have some resident nuts-in-desserts haters around here (sometimes, that’s me 😬), I serve chopped pecans on the side so everyone can add them if they like.

What size pan is best for Texas sheet cake? 

Texas sheet cake is classically baked in a half sheet pan (i.e. the large, rimmed baking sheets about 11X17-inches in size). This is the best pan for making Texas sheet cake.

FYI: even though the term “jelly roll pan” is thrown around a lot to encompass any large-ish, rimmed baking pan, it is NOT the same as a half sheet pan. A jelly roll pan is 15X10 inches, which is several inches smaller than a half sheet pan.

If using another size or type of pan for this cake, ensure the sides are tall enough that the cake batter doesn’t overflow.

A Bit More Chocolate in This Version

This cake is a huge favorite for my family, Brian in particular. I’d like to think it’s because he grew up in Texas, but funny enough, he wasn’t introduced to this cake while living there.

I heard once that this cake is called Texas sheet cake simply because of the large sheet pan size rather than it actually originating in Texas.

The recipe below is superior because it has just a touch more cocoa powder in both the cake and the frosting. It’s a small tweak, but it makes a huge difference in making an already beloved cake even more delicious.

This is EXCELLENT! I made it exactly as the recipe is written and will add this to my prized recipe stash. It is just like the awesome chocolate cake served in my highschool lunchroom. 

—Laura

Texas Sheet Cake

Yield: 15 Servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 20 minutes mins

Total Time: 40 minutes mins

4.78 stars (140 ratings)

Print Pin Rate Save Saved!

Ingredients

Cake:

• 2 cups (424 g) granulated sugar
• 2 cups (284 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (227 g) salted butter
• 1 cup water
• 5 tablespoons cocoa
• ½ cup (113 g) sour cream or buttermilk
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Frosting:

• ½ cup (113 g) salted butter
• 5 tablespoons cocoa
• ⅓ cup milk or buttermilk
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• 3 ½ cups (397 g) powdered sugar, sifted to avoid lumps
• Chopped, toasted pecans (optional)

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions 

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a half sheet pan (a rimmed baking sheet measuring 11X17-inches). Set aside.
• For the cake, in a large bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, flour, baking soda and salt.
• In a medium saucepan, add the butter and water. Sift in the cocoa to avoid lumps. Bring the mixture to a boil. Pour over the dry ingredients and stir until combined.
• Add the buttermilk, eggs and vanilla and mix until well-combined.
• Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the cake is evenly baked and springs back lightly to the touch (watch closely; it is a thin cake and bakes quickly).
• While the cake bakes, make the frosting. In a medium saucepan, combine the butter, cocoa, milk (or buttermilk), vanilla and salt. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly.
• Immediately remove from the heat and add the sifted powdered sugar a cup at a time, whisking in between additions and mixing until the frosting is smooth. Keep the frosting warm if the cake is not finished baking.
• Pour the warm frosting over the warm cake and spread evenly. Top with chopped pecans, if desired. Let the cake cool to room temperature. Serve at room temp or chilled.

Notes

Cocoa Powder: Natural, unsweetened cocoa powder (i.e. Hershey’s) works great for both the cake and the frosting. As a slight variation, I’ll often sub in 1 tablespoon Dutch-process cocoa in both the cake and the frosting for a deeper, richer chocolate flavor.

Pan Size: while a half sheet pan (11X17-inches) is commonly used for Texas sheet cake, you can also bake the cake in a jelly roll pan (15X10-inches) or a 9X13-inch cake pan for thicker cake and frosting layers (increase baking time as needed). If using a jelly roll pan, make sure the sides are high enough so the batter doesn’t overflow. 

Author: Mel

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Method: Bake

Serving: 1 Piece, Calories: 294kcal, Carbohydrates: 44g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Cholesterol: 47mg, Sodium: 183mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 34g

Recommended Products

Cookie Sheet {Half Sheet Pan}

Cookware

Wire Whisk

Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe (from my old recipe binder put together by my Aunt Marilyn 20 years ago)

Recipe originally posted September 2018; updated Jan 2023 with new photos, recipe notes, etc.

Other Recipes Like This:

Glazed Lemon Yogurt Sheet Cake

White Texas Sheet Cake

Peanut Butter Texas Sheet Cake

Pumpkin Pie Sheet Cake