This is the best Texas Sheet Cake, it’s a rich chocolate sheet cake covered in the best chocolate glaze icing. Perfect for a crowd.
Texas Sheet Cake is a thin and moist chocolate cake that is topped with a layer of chocolate icing, that is poured over the top when warm. It can be made with pecans or walnuts in the icing, or without. It’s an easy cake to make, it’s baked up in only 20 minutes, using a bunch of pantry staples. That’s a win in my book!
Texas sheet cake is a southern specialty, although it’s unclear whether it actually started in Texas, it has become a symbol of Texan hospitality, and is widely popular across the southern United States.
This sheet cake recipe is perfect for a party or potluck because it’s cooked up in a jelly roll pan. The pan I used is a jelly roll pan which is 10×15. The cake makes enough for about 20 to 24 pieces, but you can cut them even smaller if you’d like to serve more people. Just make sure you save a big piece for yourself at least 😉
If you want the cake a little thinner you could also cook it in a baker’s half sheet (like the one’s you probably bake cookies on), which would be 13×18.
Or the cake can also be baked in a traditional 9×13 pan, if you want a thicker cake. Though personally I really like the cake to frosting ratio that you get from the thinner cake.
This cake has so much chocolate in every bite. It’s rich and so delicious, and it’s perfect served with a glass of cold milk. It’s like a mix of cake and brownies, and honestly that’s the best of both worlds if you ask me. (Cue Hannah Montana music 😉 )
How to make Texas Sheet Cake?
In a large bowl, mix together your dry ingredients; this time that’s your flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. Set aside for just a few minutes.
In a large sauce pan mix together your butter, water, and cocoa powder. Bring it to low boil, and once it’s boiling, remove it from the heat. Just make sure the butter is melted fully, and cocoa powder is dissolved..
Pour your hot water and butter over your dry dry ingredients and stir them together till nice and smooth. Then you’ll add your sour cream, eggs, and vanilla extract into the batter. Mix them till smooth, but stop once it’s all mixed. If you don’t have sour cream on hand you can also use plain greek yogurt.
Spread the cake mixture into a greased 13×18 sheet pan and bake for 16-20 minutes until the cake is done, and a toothpick comes out clean. But you don’t want to over bake it – you want this cake to be nice and moist! Let the cake sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes, then start making your frosting.
You’ll make the frosting kind of like you started the cake, you’ll heat up butter, cocoa, and milk over low heat until the butter is melted. Then raise the heat and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat once boiling and pour it over your vanilla and powdered sugar in a medium sized bowl. Stir until you get a nice and smooth frosting.
Pour the frosting over the cake and spread it smoothly and evenly over the top of the cake.
If you want to add pecans or walnuts to the cake you can add them on top of your frosting after it’s on the cake, or you can mix them in with your frosting to pour over the cake.
The cake can be served immediately warm, though it might be a little messy, or you can let it cool and let the icing set before slicing it up and serving.
Now who else is ready to sink your teeth into a big piece of this delicious texas sheet cake?!
Looking for more chocolate recipes:
- Chocolate Brownies
- Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Poke Cake
- Chocolate Bundt Cake Recipe
- Chocolate Fudge Brownie Ice Cream
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Texas Sheet Cake
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Sheet Cake:
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 cups white granulated sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 4 TBS cocoa powder
- 1 cup butter (2 sticks)
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the Chocolate Icing:
- 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 TBS cocoa powder
- 6 TBS milk
- 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
Equipment
- Large Mixing Bowl
Instructions
For the Chocolate Sheet Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Farenheit.
- Spray a jelly roll pan (10x15 inches) with nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Whisk them together.
- Add your cocoa powder, butter, and water to a medium sized sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Remove from heat once the butter is melted and the cocoa powder can be stirred to be dissolved.
- Pour the cocoa powder mixture into the flour mixture, and stir until combined.
- Add in the eggs, sour cream, and vanilla extract and stir it all together till just combined.
- Pour the chocolate cake batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake the cake for 16-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool the pan for 15 minutes at room temperature, then start to make the icing.
For the Chocolate Icing:
- Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract to a large bowl.
- Add the cocoa powder, milk, and butter to a medium sauce pan and cook over low heat until the butter melts.
- Raise the temperature to medium heat and bring to a boil.
- Pour the chocolate mixture over the powdered sugar, and whisk together till it's nice and smooth.
- Pour the icing over the warm cake, and spread evenly.
- Allow the cake to cool, and the icing to set then slice and serve.
Judy says
I made my cake and made chocolate ganache frosting on it. Everyone loves ganache and tried it on cake and that’s what my family wants now. Yummy!!!
Aimee says
That sounds delicious!