Texas Sheet Cake

If you're looking for a recipe that is moist, rich, and will please any crowd…look no further than this Texas Sheet Cake Recipe. Texas Sheet Cake is a classic southern recipe that's easy to make and full of flavor. This cake has all the features of your favorite chocolate sheet cake with an extra sweet and crunchy touch from toasted pecans on top! The perfect dessert for your next party or family get-together.

What is a Texas Sheet Cake?

There are a lot of stories about the origin of Texas Sheet Cake, but many indicate a similarity to a recipe that appeared in the Dallas Morning News in 1957. Of course, its name is also likely inspired by the cake's large size. It seems that everything is bigger in Texas--cake included. Cooked in a massive jelly roll pan this cake is perfect for serving at large gatherings.

My First Sheet Cake

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?!?

Ingredients for The Cake

Just like the cake, this is a sizable list of ingredients, but you should have most in your pantry and the whole thing comes together very easily.

• Granulated Sugar
• Water
• Canola oil
• Whole buttermilk
• Unsalted butter
• Eggs
• Vanilla
• All-purpose flour
• Unsweetened cocoa powder
• Ground cinnamon
• Baking soda
• Kosher salt
• Toasted pecans
• Whole milk
• Confectioners sugar

How to Make Texas Sheet Cake

• In a bowl: Mix together sugar, water, canola oil, buttermilk, butter, eggs, and vanilla.
• In a second bowl: Mix together cocoa powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
• Combine: Gradually add flour mixture to sugar mixture.
• Pour into sheet pan: Pour mixture into prepared sheet pan and spread with a spatula.
• Bake: At 400° for about 20 minutes, until cake springs back when lightly touched.

How to Make the Frosting

• In medium saucepan: Combine butter and milk cooking slowly until butter is melted.
• Whisk in: Powdered sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla, salt and cinnamon.
• Pour over: The chocolate cake while still warm. Spread with spatula and top with chopped pecans.

Is a Sheet Cake the Same As a Regular Cake?

Close but not the same. The main difference is the size of the pan. A sheet cake is usually cooked in a 15 x 10 jelly roll pan. A regular cake is usually cooked in a 9 x 13 cake pan.

Do You Need to Refrigerate The Cake?

No it's not necessary. It may last a little longer if covered and stored in the refrigerator. Now if you actually live in Texas where it is warm and humid, I'd suggest the refrigerator.

More Cake Recipes To Try

• Chocolate Cake with Earl Grey Buttercream
• Simple & Easy Sugar Cookies
• Red Wine Chocolate Cupcakes
• S’mores Cake

Would I Make It Again?

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. If you are looking for other simple and quick recipes you could try Apple Cinnamon Muffins or even more simple are our Special K Bars. If it's summer and it's just too hot to turn on your oven, you could always go with Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream.

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.

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Texas Sheet Cake

Moist chocolate cake is topped with creamy, fudgy chocolate frosting and chopped pecans. This Texas-sized cake is perfect for large gathering and will satisfy any chocolate-lovers cravings.

5 from 12 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 11 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cooling Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 1 minute minute

Servings: 35 pieces

Calories: 176kcal

Author: Serena

Ingredients

Cake

Bake From Scratch

• ▢ 2 cups granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 cup water
• ▢ ½ cup canola oil
• ▢ ½ cup whole buttermilk
• ▢ ½ cup unsalted butter melted
• ▢ 2 large eggs lightly beaten
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 2 cups all purpose flour
• ▢ ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ 1 cup chopped toasted pecans

Frosting

• ▢ ½ cup unsalted butter
• ▢ ⅓ cup whole milk
• ▢ 1 pound confectioners' sugar
• ▢ ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ ¼ 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.

Notes

Recipe Source: SerenaLissy.com

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database via Spoonacular API, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators. While this information can be helpful in estimating the nutritional information of a recipe, it is by no means accurate or official and is not evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.

 

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Nutrition

Serving: 1Piece | Calories: 176kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 74mg | Potassium: 58mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 187IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 1mg

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