This Texas Sheet Cake recipe is THE ONE, you guys! As in, the only one you will ever need. Sour cream in the cake and the glaze, brown sugar, and extra cocoa make this the BEST chocolate sheet cake of your life!! Originally posted July 3, 2018
Here’s how my summer is going so far:
Morning time: Poke around the house with the kids until they start strangling each other.
Lunchish: Get kids out of the house to run errands. Forget to feed them lunch. (??? Okay I’ll be honest I think I was in denial about preparing another meal and just fled the house instead)
Target time: Party Poppers! Firework Oreos! Water balloons! So much fun stuff for the 4th, but the food court in Target (what do you call it? You know, where they have the pizza and popcorn.) was CLOSED. The guy’s walking off and I’m like hold up! And he’s like, naw I’m on my lunch break. (???)
Pool time: I promised the kids we would go to the pool in the afternoon, but it’s already 3pm and still no lunch. So I head to McDonald’s and get in the 100-car-length drive through line. Then I realize that the pool closes at 4 and if we don’t leave immediately we won’t get to swim. So we leave and go swim. My kids at this point have had nothing to eat since a 10am muffin. (That we made together!! Fun in the kitchen! See, sometimes I feed them!!)
McDonald’s time: When the pool closes at 4pm, I feel so bad that the kids haven’t eaten that I give in when they ask me to go to the slightly-farther-away McDonald’s that has a Play Place.
Nope: Play Place is closed. We don’t get our food until 4:45. (Why is there so much traffic in Sacramento??)
After that I took the kids to Costco for some stuff we needed, because I like to torture myself on days when I skip the baby’s nap and drag it out even longer. But they loved the samples! Making up for missed lunch.
Are you guys ready for the 4th of July?? I’m so excited. We will be making Nana’s Fall-Off-the-Bone Ribs and “Barb”-ecue Sauce, My Favorite Coleslaw, and Mexican Street Corn Dip. And of course this Texas Sheet Cake.
Recipe for Texas Sheet Cake
This Texas Sheet Cake recipe is perfect for big parties because it’s SUPER easy and makes a ton. I made this last week, and then immediately sent the leftovers to work with Eric.
Three days later I made it again because I was regretting sending it in to work. Had one piece and realized I had an entire cake to myself and that is bad news. I distributed between neighbors.
Then last week I was writing out the final recipe and was doing some serious Texas Sheet Cake pondering, and decided I wanted to add brown sugar and even more cocoa, so I started making it again. Eric heard me get the pan out and turn on the gas burner and said, “Again??” It was 10:30pm.
It was worth it guys. The final batch of this cake was definitely the best. Traditional Texas chocolate sheet cake calls for all white sugar and about 1/4 cup of cocoa. In this cake, we’re using half brown sugar and half white sugar, and doubling the cocoa. It makes it extra rich and chocolatey! And it’s so moist!
What is considered a sheet cake?
A sheet cake is a single layer cake baked in a large, flat pan, usually rectangular. It’s usually 2 inches deep, but as you can see in this recipe, the height of the cake will vary by the length and width of the pan you use.
What’s the difference between sheet cake and regular cake?
All sheet cakes are “regular” cakes, but not all “regular” cakes are sheet cakes. Sheet cakes have just one layer and are wide, thin, and rectangular. Think of a big rectangular grocery store birthday cake meant to serve a horde of hungry kids. When someone thinks of a “regular” cake, they might imagine a round cake with multiple layers, but technically that could be called a “layer” cake. Sheet cake, schmeet cake, I say – they’re all delicious!
Texas Sheet Cake Recipe Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need–simple ingredients you likely have in your pantry! (Ingredients listed again in the recipe below.)
- Butter. I used salted butter but unsalted butter is also fine.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Sour cream. A lot of recipes call for buttermilk, which would work great too, but I never have buttermilk on hand. I always have sour cream though. Sour cream adds the same tanginess that you’re going for. It’s perfection!
- Brown sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Flour. I used all-purpose flour.
- Sugar
- Salt
- Baking soda
- Large eggs
- Water
Texas Sheet Cake Frosting Ingredients
- Butter. Again, salted or unsalted butter is fine.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Sour cream. Buttermilk can be substituted for sour cream if you prefer.
- Vanilla extract
- Powdered sugar
- Chopped pecans. (Optional.) Needs to be very chopped. Super chopped. You basically can’t over chop!
How to make a Texas Sheet Cake
Before we dive into details, here’s a basic overview. (Full instructions are included in recipe below!)
- Prepare a jelly roll pan (see pan size options below) by lining the pan with parchment paper, or spray well with nonstick spray.
- In a saucepan, bring the butter, water, and cocoa to a boil over high heat. Remove from heat.
- Stir in brown sugar and vanilla.
- Combine flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda and add dry ingredients to the saucepan. Stir until well combined.
- Stir in sour cream and eggs until lumps are gone.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly to the sides.
- Bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out of the center with no wet batter on it. The sides of the cake should just be starting to pull away from the edge of the pan. Don’t over bake!
Pan Sizes: (Ovens vary! Be sure to check your cake with a toothpick!)
- If you are baking this in a 9×13” pan, bake for 23-25 minutes.
- If you do a 10×15” pan, bake for about 20 minutes.
- If you bake it in a 12×18” pan, bake for about 18-20 minutes.
Next, the frosting. DON’T forget the frosting!
How to make Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake frosting
- Bring to a boil butter and cocoa over medium heat. Remove from heat.
- Add sour cream and vanilla extract.
- Use a whisk to stir in the powdered sugar.
- After cake has cooled for 15-20 minutes, pour glaze over the top.
What pan do you use for sheetcake?
The size of your jelly roll pan is a matter of debate. Here are the typical options:
- 9×13 inch pan. You probably call this a cake pan (results in thick cake),
- 10×15 inch jelly roll pan. Thin-ish cake.
- 12×18 inch half baking sheet. Thinnest cake.
The first time I made it, I did it in a 10×15, and found myself only wanting to eat the top half of my slice of cake so that there was a higher ratio of frosting. The 12×18 inch pan, also called a baker’s half sheet gives you the perfect ratio of cake to frosting in my opinion. There are baking times in the notes if you do want to make it in a smaller pan though. The photos on this page feature a cake that was baked in a 10×15 inch pan.
What makes Texas Sheet Cake different?
A regular chocolate cake is cocoa powder and other dry ingredients whisked together and then combined with wet ingredients like oil and egg.
Meanwhile, someone fancy in Germany melted real chocolate for a German chocolate cake, beating the egg white separately and creaming the butter. Delicious, yes. Easy, no.
Then . . . the Texas Sheet Cake fusion! It’s so easy, with its liquid ingredients being stirred together in one pot, but! It also dissolves the cocoa powder completely over heat, bringing out a rich flavor reminiscent of melted chocolate. I mean who can say no to that??
Why is it called a Texas SheetCake?
This cake is so grassroots, there’s no answer for how it got its name. Maybe the original bakers of this jelly-roll-pan-sized cake saw how large it looked and thought, “Well, everything’s bigger in Texas.” Or maybe a group of Texans loved it so much, they called it after their home state. Do you have a theory?
Whatever it’s called, it’s a great dessert to bring to a Fourth of July celebration or backyard cookout!
Does Texas sheet cake need to be refrigerated?
You’re going to want to store this well-covered on your counter top at room temperature. If you don’t seal it, it’s going to dry out faster than a scone from Starbucks. Don’t put it in the fridge, it will just dry out faster that way. Plus, who wants cold cake? Are you a monster? Texas Sheet Cake is meant to be served warm or room temp, y’all.
If you don’t have a lid that covers the pan above the frosting line, just wait until the frosting has cooled completely before covering. You can cover it with plastic wrap as soon as that “shell” appears on top of the frosting. If you do it while the frosting is hot, you will have a sad sticky mess.
Does Texas Sheet Cake freeze well?
For leftovers, yes! Freeze your sheet cake. Just make sure the cake is completely cool, then use plastic wrap and foil to completely seal the cake. You could also transfer the cake to a tupperware and freeze the whole thing.
If you plan to make this recipe ahead for a party, I recommend freezing the cake by itself and making the frosting on the day of the party. You want that glaze to be shiny and new.
Speaking of parties, what else is on your menu? If you’re entertaining enough people to warrant a Texas sheet cake, you might need other ideas for a large crowd!
Great party dishes for large crowds
- The Best Cheese Sauce Ever (Shake Shack Copycat) << The best cheese sauce for fries, roasted potatoes, broccoli, asparagus, nachos, burgers, hot dogs, enchiladas, burritos, the list is endless!
- Carol’s Legendary 7 Layer Dip << Spicy bean dip on the bottom plus sour cream, guacamole, tomatoes and cheese . . . you just can’t beat it.
- Easy Baked Meatballs << Perfect for making ahead and freezing.
- Best Hummus << from Love and Lemons.
- Mexican Street Corn Dip (Elote) << The perfect combo of sweet corn and savory tart cheese.
- Easy Cheeseburger Sliders << Soft Hawaiian rolls stuffed with extra cheesy beef and topped with a butter and mustard glaze.
Update! I’ve become slightly obsessed with sheet cakes. Here’s a White Texas Sheet Cake that you are going to love!
More sheet cakes you won’t be able to resist!
- Lemon Sheet Cake with Lemon Glaze << based off the original chocolate version!
- Mississippi Mud Cake << kinda like Texas Sheet Cake…except there’s also a layer of marshmallow cream.
- Almond Sheet Cake << this is one of my personal favorites!! You could decorate the top of this with strawberries and blueberries for your 4th of July festivities this week.
- Chocolate Cherry Sheet Cake with Fudge Frosting << this is stupid easy.
- Texas Cowboy Cookies << one of the top recipes on the blog! I know this isn’t a sheet cake, but it is a TEXAS recipe, so I feel like I need to include it :)
- Banana Chocolate Chip Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting << from A Family Feast.
- Pumpkin Sheet Cake with Caramel Frosting << from Bless This Mess.
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Texas Sheet Cake
Ingredients
For the cake
- 1 cup salted butter, 2 sticks
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 large eggs
For the glaze
- 1/2 cup salted butter, 1 stick
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 6 tablespoons sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 & 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a jelly roll pan* with parchment paper, or spray well with nonstick spray.
- In a medium or large saucepan, add 1 cup butter, 1 cup water, and 1/2 cup cocoa. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Once it boils, take it off the heat.
- Let it cool for a minute or two, then stir in brown sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla.
- Meanwhile in a medium bowl combine 2 cups flour, 1 cup granulated sugar, salt, and baking soda.
- Add the dry ingredients to the saucepan. (Then wipe out the bowl and put it back in your cupboard.)
- Stir well, then add 1/2 cup sour cream and eggs. Blend well until all the lumps are gone.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly to the sides.
- Bake at 350 for about 18-20 minutes* (check times below), until a toothpick comes out of the center with no wet batter on it. The sides of the cake should just be starting to pull away from the edge of the pan. Don’t over bake!
- Meanwhile, make the frosting. Clean out the saucepan you used for the batter** and add 1 stick of butter and 1/4 cup cocoa. Stir together over medium heat until it comes to a boil, then remove from the heat.
- Add 6 tablespoons sour cream and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
- Use a whisk to stir in the powdered sugar. If your cake is not done baking when you finish the glaze, stir it every now and then to break up the hardened shell on top.
- When the cake is done, take it out of the oven and let cool for 15-20 minutes. Spread the glaze over the cake.
- Serve this with milk. No, seriously.
Notes
If you do a 10×15, bake for about 20 minutes.
If you bake it in a 12×18, bake for about 18-20 minutes. All of these times are going to vary because everyone’s oven is different. ** I actually never do this. I just start making the frosting in the same pan without washing or even wiping it out. The danger is that the remaining batter up the sides of the pan that you couldn’t scrape out all the way could scorch. I use the butter to rub the sides of the pan occasionally to avoid this. I can’t even believe I added this note, probably washing the pan is easier! These are the kind of risks that make me feel like I’m living a dangerous life.
This was so good! I have My mom’s recipe that I have used for years but it calls for buttermilk. I mean really after you use it in a recipe what do you do with the rest of it! Note to dairy farmers: pint size cartons! But I digress. This recipe was so easy and delicious! It was a big hit. That frosting though!!
Okay seriously though, why are there not pint size buttermilks?? I never even thought about that!! GET WITH IT DAIRY PEOPLE!! ;) I’m so glad you liked the recipe Linda, thanks for sharing your review!!
You can just make buttermilk by adding lemon to milk=easy.
What to do with leftover buttermilk? Use it in muffins; pour into a smoothie instead of yogurt. One of my favorites is to soak chicken pieces in it, with some salt and pepper, to make the most tender fried chicken, or oven fried chicken, ever! That said, go for the sour cream in this one!
ooh I like the idea of a buttermilk smoothie! Great tips Nancy! :)
I’m so glad I came across your recipe/site. I was actually trying to find a black forest cake recipe but think I’m going to make your Texas Sheet Cake instead. Would it be work to combine two of your recipes? That is, make the REAL cake but add some cherries like the recipe you post that uses a cake mix? I refer a scratch cake but wouldn’t want to ruin those great ingredients if adding some poached sour cherries would do that.
Hey Carlee, sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner! Did you try it out? I think it would work fine. I haven’t tried it, and baking something new is always an experiment, but I think it would be okay. Let me know!
I adore your website – very easy to work with SOME aren’t! I have been making Texas Sheet Cake since the 1960s when I was a little kid. My favorite and yours is a great recipe – SOME aren’t! The only thing I do different is add a smidge of cinnamon to cake and frosting, it really adds a lot. But I can’t wait to try some of the others you have linked above.
I love the idea of adding cinnamon Nancy! That’s a great idea! I’m so glad you are enjoying the blog, thank you for telling me :)
Super YUMMY! I subbed out regular flour for Namaste’s gluten free flour blend and it was super good. My son was verrrrrry happy to get to try this finally. I did add 1 tablespoon of instant coffee powder to the mix. i think that deepened the cocoa flavor. I gave a huge wedge to a friend to try and I’m waiting to hear her comments. I will definitely remake this recipe. I will also try others of your recipes. Thanks for this adorable post too.
Ooh, good to hear that this cakes works well with a gluten free flour blend! Thanks for the tip Elizabeth! And good idea using coffee, I’m sure it amps up the flavor even more. Thanks for the review!!
Finally a texas sheet cake with rich flavor! I live in ohio, and i’ve only had a sheet cake once at a funeral when i was young. It was so good! But that has been my only expectation of what it’s supposed to taste like. Every recipe i’ve tried was just okay or somewhat bland or dry. But THIS recipe is exactly what i was hoping for! I didn’t think of substituting water for coffee, but i did add espresso powder to the cake and frosting for a rich flavor. Using a 10×15 pan was perfect for me. Thanks for the recipe!
I’m so glad you found the perfect recipe Jessica! Good idea using espresso powder, I think that sounds perfect. Thanks for commenting!!
yes I wanted to ask I want to add coffee to the cake in the batter and in the frosting how much would I add
Hey Pamela! I’ve never tried baking with coffee, but I imagine you could replace some of the water in the cake with coffee. I don’t know how much to tell you since I haven’t tried it. Sorry I can’t be more helpful!
I substituted coffee for all the water in the cake recipe and it was delicious!
ooh genius Gisele!! Thanks for chiming in!
WOW! Start to finish in just under an hour. I had a friend ask me to bring a Texas Sheet Cake to a dinner; I’d never even heard of it! Delicious. Just a perfectly easy cake to whip up. I did not ven have to go to the store; anyone with a well stocked kitchen probably has all ingredients on hand.
My kitchen smelled heavenly before I put the cake in the oven! Very nice recipie find. I will make this cake again.
I’m so glad you know what a Texas Sheet Cake is now!! It’s the best! I’m glad you liked it, thanks for commenting Carolyn!
I’ve been wanted to try this for awhile now, and today was the day! I followed the instructions exactly (largest pan) and the cake is really delicious! It was fully cooked after about 16 minutes in the oven. My daughter commented that the texture was surprising – she was expecting it to be dense and brownie-like, but she was pleasantly surprised by how light and moist it is. The only thing I did differently from the recipe was to put the icing on after only about 5 minutes cooling time. Thanks for a great recipe!
I’m so glad the sheet cake was a success Gisele! I love how light and moist this cake is, it’s perfect. Thank you for coming back to leave a comment, I love hearing from you!
Mmmmmmmm….I made this tonight in the 12×15 pan and it turned out perfect! Moist and delicious! I think some of us have different results with different size pans because of the difference in our ovens :) My mother and grandmother got this recipe from my Aunt Mary Elizabeth Carver in Tulsa, OK in 1967. They made it all the time! I still have the recipe in my grandmother’s handwriting somewhere! It was always my fave chocolate cake when I was a child. Thank you for this delicious rendition of the classic sheet cake. Down here in the South, some call it “sheath” cake. We mess language up…a lot LOL!!!
Sheath cake, haha!! That’s not messing it up, that’s just giving it character ;) I’m so glad you commented Lisa, it’s good to hear from another Texas sheet cake lover. This cake just never gets old!
Sheath cake is better than what my boyfriend thought we were saying lol
HAHA!!!! That’s hilarious!!
I have made the Texas sheet cake twice now. First time I used the largest pan, 12×18, I found the cake to be a little dry. The second time I used the 10×15 pan, we Loved it. For us the smaller size was preferred. The flavors are fantastic. I’ve made many of your recipes, they have all been delicious.
How deep should the he baking pan be for this cake? Thanks!
Hey Joanne! Check the notes on the recipe, there are lots of different sizes you can use. I prefer 12×18 inch sheet pan. Thin cake=more frosting ratio :)
The sheet cake caught my attention and decided to make it (while salivating) BUT! Where I live we don’t have sour cream!! :-(( Now all I can substitute is plain yogurt. What do you think? would it come out as yummy? OR, maybe I can play around with some recipes to make my own sour cream but I KNOW it will not be the same quality we buy at the store. Any suggestions or thoughts?
Hey Oya! Yogurt might work. Make sure you use full-fat. If you can get your hands on some buttermilk though, that would be even better. Where are you from? You could also try using cream or half-and-half, and add a little vinegar or lemon juice to it to make it curdle a bit (that’s how you make homemade buttermilk). Let me know how it goes!!
I add a teaspoon of espresso powder and one teaspoon of cinnamon each to the cake and icing. And extra cocoa too.
I’ve heard espresso powder is a great way to bring out chocolate flavor Cathy! Great idea, thanks for the tip! I love the cinnamon idea too. I used Mexican Vanilla in this recipe, and that gives it a very light cinnamon flavor too. I love it!
More a question than comment…how many days will this last? And can it be frozen and then iced at a later time?
Thanks!
Hey Janet! This cake is best on day one, great on day two, and just okay on day three. I have never tried freezing it but I have frozen other cakes before, and it worked great. Frost it as usual, cover tightly, and freeze. Let it thaw on the counter until room temperature. Enjoy!
I never wash the saucepan before making the glaze either! The sour cream for buttermilk is genius! Can’t wait to make this version. Happy Fourth!!
I’m so glad we’re on the same page as far as dishes go Lisa. NEVER wash a dish unless you absolutely HAVE TO. haha!! Enjoy the cake, happy fourth of July!!