I have been coming back and forth from California to Texas for well over a decade. I have now lived in Austin for quite a while and in all this time I have never had a Texas Sheet Cake. And I probably would not have had one if it weren’t for Bake from Scratch magazine. Which I must say, I’m slightly obsessed with.
Since this is the first recipe from the magazine that I have tried and also my first Texas sheet cake, I left the recipe exactly as written. I wanted to see how their recipes were written, to know if they were easy to follow, and most importantly, if they worked.
This recipe did not disappoint. At first I thought it was just going to be too sweet. But the flavors all came together and it turned out to be a nice, rich, fudgy cake. Put on some warm chocolate frosting with a spread of toasted pecans…How could it really be bad?!?
I’m excited to report that the recipe worked, it was easy to follow and had no glaring errors. You know the kind… The ingredient list has listed 2 cups of sugar, but the directions to make the recipe only uses 1 cup of sugar. I have no doubt everyone reading this has experienced this at least once in his or her life. From my time at America’s Test Kitchen we saw that a lot when researching and testing recipes from other sources.
So I hope you like this cake as much as we did. I will say, it would make a great 4th of July dessert if you find yourself needing one. Please let us know if you make the recipe and how it turns out for you. We are going to continue with our Friday food reads, so please follow along as we work our way through our cookbooks to test and try recipes.
Texas Sheet Cake
Ingredients
Cake
Bake From Scratch
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup 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
- 1 cup chopped toasted pecans
Frosting
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup whole milk
- 1 pound confectioners' sugar
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° F. Spray a 15x10 inch jelly roll pan with baking spray and then dust with flour.
- In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, 1 cup water, oil, buttermilk, melted butter, eggs and vanilla until smooth.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Gradually add flour mixture to sugar mixture, whisking until smooth. Pour batter into prepared pan.
- Bake until cake springs back when lightly touched in center, about 20 minutes. Pour warm chocolate frosting over the cake, spreading with a spatula. Sprinkle with chopped pecans.
- Let cool completely before serving.
Frosting
- In a medium saucepan, combine butter and milk. Cook over medium low heat, stirring occasionally, until butter is melted. Whisk in confectioners sugar, cocoa, vanilla, salt and cinnamon until smooth. Use immediately.
43 comments… add one
Jillian January 3, 2018, 9:26 pm
I love Texas sheet cake but I may become addicted to this recipe!
serena January 3, 2018, 9:31 pm
I can’t believe I went all these years without it! I’m kinda addicted to it also 🙂
Marie January 3, 2018, 9:46 pm
Oh my! 🙂 This looks so fudgy and delicious. Love the addition of pecans on top for that tasty crunch!
serena January 3, 2018, 10:14 pm
Those pecans are a nice addition, and I think if I didn’t use them someone in Texas might kick me out of Austin 🙂
Natalie January 3, 2018, 11:46 pm
what a delicious cake! Looks so good!
serena January 4, 2018, 9:00 am
Thanks so much!
Michelle January 4, 2018, 1:54 am
Whoa, that’s one loaded cake! Looks incredible.
serena January 4, 2018, 9:00 am
Thanks so much 🙂
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry January 4, 2018, 3:31 am
This looks delicious – I don’t think I have ever tried Texas Sheet Cake before!
serena January 4, 2018, 9:01 am
This was the first for me also.
Taylor Aube January 4, 2018, 8:57 am
This sheet cake looks so yummy and sounds so easy to make. I really love pecans so that added touch really makes this quite the treat!
serena January 4, 2018, 9:02 am
The pecans are such a nice addition to this. Thanks 🙂
Cara @ Street Smart Nutrition January 4, 2018, 8:59 am
I remember growing up eating Texas sheet cake – I always looked forward to the end of the meal because I knew it was coming up next! And pecans are my favorite so I love that you piled them onto your version of this cake!
serena January 4, 2018, 9:02 am
It took me a while to develop a love for pecans, but now I use them all the time. yum!
Krystal Butherus January 4, 2018, 11:26 am
I’m always interested in recipes that are simple to make, looks good and tastes good. This looks like it does not disappoint!
serena January 4, 2018, 8:46 pm
Nope it didn’t. Definitely a tasty cake
Melissa Chapman January 4, 2018, 12:08 pm
That sheet cake looked amazing and I love nuts on my desserts. I think that cake goes well in any season so I will consider it now while we are snowed in.
serena January 4, 2018, 8:47 pm
I’d definitely consider it while snowed in. Great way to take your mind off the yucky weather
Maria Katsulos January 4, 2018, 7:08 pm
I’ve lived in Texas for my whole life and I’ve never even heard of this, OMG. But I see pecans and I click, LOL. Definitely have to try this!!
serena January 4, 2018, 8:48 pm
I thought the same thing? I was wondering if I was the only person out there that lived in TX and hadn’t heard of it. Glad I’m not alone 🙂
Cindy Ingalls January 4, 2018, 9:34 pm
Love the addition of the pecans!
serena January 5, 2018, 8:38 am
Yes, it’s really a nice combo
Hirra Pervaiz January 5, 2018, 3:34 am
I always wanted to try Texas Sheet cake. Your recipe seems easy to follow. I’m definitely trying it out soon.
serena January 5, 2018, 8:40 am
Thanks! Yes, it’s super simple
BRIANNE January 5, 2018, 7:14 am
What a delicious cake. I don’t think I’ve ever had this before but now want to try it!
serena January 5, 2018, 8:41 am
It’s a super tasty cake. Definitely worth a try
Terri Steffes January 5, 2018, 7:38 am
I can honestly say that the Texas sheet cake is probably my all time favorite dessert, especially served warm with good vanilla ice cream!
serena January 5, 2018, 8:37 am
YUM! Going to have to give that a try!
kimberly lewis January 5, 2018, 10:16 am
this looks so good! can you deliver to Utah? lol
serena January 7, 2018, 12:35 pm
LOL! Nope but you can easily make it 🙂
Erica January 5, 2018, 1:23 pm
Am I the only one who had never heard of Texas sheet cake? I was totally expecting to see a pic of a vanilla cake in the shape of Texas. Haha. So I looked it up online after I read your post and now realize this is totally a thing. And it looks so good! I love chocolate nutty cake. Yum!
serena January 7, 2018, 12:36 pm
LOL! I had no idea either!
BRittany January 5, 2018, 6:17 pm
I grew up on sheet cakes! I have been making a bunch of them lately and I would love to try this one out! My kids would flip!
serena January 7, 2018, 12:37 pm
It’s delicious and super easy to make. Enjoy 🙂
Jeanine January 6, 2018, 8:10 am
Yum! I have never had a sheet cake before. This looks and sounds amazing though and like something my whole family would rather enjoy!
Jean January 6, 2018, 9:26 am
What a great recipe! I have never heard of this type of cake before, but now I totally want to give it a go! I could do with a slice right about now with a nice cup of tea 🙂
Jessica Terry January 6, 2018, 7:00 pm
I have never done a sheet cake before. This looks like something easy enough to do and I am sure my whole family would love it!
serena January 7, 2018, 12:33 pm
It’s super simple and delish. Enjoy 🙂
Renee @ The Good Hearted Woman January 6, 2018, 9:50 pm
Texas sheet cake is always trouble. First you take one tiny little piece, and then another tiny little piece, and pretty soon if you’re not careful, you’ll have pieced and slivered your way through a quarter of the cake! (Seriously, this looks delicious! Love the pecans.)
serena January 7, 2018, 12:33 pm
You are so correct! That’s exactly what happened!
ayana pitterson January 7, 2018, 7:16 am
I have never had one before either. I am honestly not a sweets fan but everyone in the family is for sure. I do like the simplicity of the recipe though and might give this a try.
Nailil January 8, 2018, 6:43 pm
This looks absolutely delicious. I love the big chunks of nuts on top. And the recipe doesn’t seem so hard to make. I need to try this.
Sara January 9, 2018, 9:49 pm
I’d never heard of Texas cake before, but man does it look glorious, I could have the whole thing.