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You are here: Home / Desserts / Cake / Best Texas Sheet Cake Recipe (with Video!)

Best Texas Sheet Cake Recipe (with Video!)

January 16, 2020 Updated February 7, 2020 BySam 49 Comments

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Texas sheet cake on white plate

Extra moist, richly chocolatey, smothered with a glossy fudge frosting, this Texas Sheet Cake recipe takes the classic you know and love and amps it up a notch. I’ve tweaked this recipe to absolute perfection and I think you’ll love my take on this well-loved sheet cake. Recipe includes a how-to video! 

Texas sheet cake in jelly roll pan

I originally shared this recipe for Texas Sheet Cake over on Spend with Pennies!

I’m so in love with this cake. The tender chocolate crumb, the sleek, fudgy, shiny frosting, how simple it is to make…

Chocolate lovers, you’re going to want to try this one.

Chances are you’ve had or at least heard of Texas sheet cake before (fun fact: Texas sheet cake didn’t actually originate in Texas, just like German chocolate cake isn’t from Germany!). It’s a southern classic, baked in a jelly roll pan and perfect for bringing to a party or potluck. Or polishing off by yourself, I don’t judge.

Slice of chocolate sheet cake on white plate

Texas sheet cake is a classic, and the age-old recipe was almost perfect as-is. Almost. You know I can’t resist tweaking anything I try, and this recipe was no exception. I wanted the crumb to be just a bit softer, moister, more flavorful, and richer than the original, and oh did we get there. I took a few notes from my (best ever) chocolate cake recipe:

  • Brown sugar in addition to granulated adds both moisture and a depth of flavor.
  • A splash of vanilla extract, for added flavor of course.
  • A sprinkle of instant coffee enhances the chocolate flavor without making the cake taste like coffee.
  • Extra cocoa powder, for an even more intense chocolate flavor.

These small modifications make this cake a chocolate-lover’s dream.

Pouring the chocolate frosting over chocolate sheet cake

And that frosting! That beautifully glossy blanket of chocolate fudge frosting is simple to make and absolutely heavenly. It’s made on the stovetop like a ganache, but it’s not quite as heavy, instead it’s light and melts in your mouth, giving way to that perfect chocolate crumb.

Storing

Chances are you won’t have any leftovers. But just in case you want to make it in advance:

Texas sheet cake can be stored covered or in an airtight container at room temperature for several days. It will keep longer in the refrigerator, but keep in mind that the fridge tends to dry out cakes, even if they are covered. This cake can also be frozen. Allow it to cool completely and then cover tightly with plastic wrap and freeze for up to 2-3 months.

Slice of Texas sheet cake with bite out of it to show moist interior

Enjoy! For a peanut buttery variation, try my peanut butter sheet cake!

More Chocolate Recipes to Try:

  • Hot Chocolate Cake
  • Dark Chocolate Cupcakes
  • Chocolate Cupcakes
  • Chocolate Truffles
  • Easy Fudge Recipe

Let’s bake together! Head on over to my YouTube channel where I’ve already uploaded over 200 recipe videos that you can watch for free!

texas sheet cake on white plate

The Best Texas Sheet Cake Recipe

Extra moist, richly chocolatey, covered in a shiny chocolate fudge frosting, this Texas Sheet Cake recipe takes the classic you know and love and amps it up a notch. I've tweaked this recipe to absolute perfection and I think you'll love my take on this well-loved sheet cake.
Check out the how-to video just below the recipe! 
4.72 from 7 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: best chocolate cake, sheet cake, texas sheet cake
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 15 slices
Calories: 493kcal
Author: Sam Merritt

Ingredients

  • 1 cup unsalted butter cut into 8 pieces (226g)
  • 1 cup water (235ml)
  • 1/3 cup cocoa powder (33g)
  • 1/2 cup sour cream (125g)
  • 2 large eggs room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour (250g)
  • 1 ½ cups granulated sugar (300g)
  • ½ cup light brown sugar, firmly packed (100g)
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon instant coffee optional

FROSTING

  • 6 Tablespoons whole milk
  • 1/2 cup salted butter cut into pieces (113g)
  • 6 Tablespoons natural cocoa powder
  • 4 cups powdered sugar sifting is recommended (after measuring) to avoid any lumps (500g)
  • 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup toasted pecans optional, see note

Recommended Equipment

  • Jelly Roll Pan

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and thoroughly grease and flour a 10x15 jelly roll pan (or spray with baking spray).
  • Combine butter, water, and cocoa powder in a medium-sized saucepan over low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the butter is melted. Increase heat to medium and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool for 15-20 minutes.
  • While butter/cocoa mixture is cooling, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and instant coffee in a large bowl.
  • In another bowl, whisk together sour cream and eggs and vanilla. Stir this into your dry ingredients until combined.
  • Once the chocolate mixture has cooled for at least 15 minutes, stir into your flour/sour cream mixture until mixture is smooth and completely combined.
  • Spread batter into prepared jelly roll pan and bake on 350F (175C) for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
  • Once cake has finished baking (or several minutes before), begin preparing frosting.

FROSTING

  • Combine milk and butter in a medium-sized saucepan and cook over medium/low heat until butter is melted. Once butter has melted, remove from heat and whisk in cocoa powder until combined. Add powdered sugar and vanilla extract and whisk until smooth.
  • Pour over cake while cake is still warm. If using pecans, sprinkle over frosting now.
  • Allow frosting to harden (about one hour) and then slice and serve!

Notes

Some people like to top their Texas Sheet Cake with toasted pecans. You can omit them as I often do, or add them whole or chopped after pouring the frosting. Alternatively you can sprinkle the chopped pecans over the cake before pouring the frosting.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 493kcal | Carbohydrates: 75g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 82mg | Sodium: 269mg | Potassium: 120mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 59g | Vitamin A: 666IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 38mg | Iron: 2mg
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Comments

  1. Arron says

    October 21, 2020 at 7:54 pm

    I’ve never made Texas Sheet Cake before but I have someone requesting it for their birthday and I have yet to have one of your recipes disappoint. My question is, do you think this would work if I tried to do 9 inch round cakes and stack them? Any suggestions on making it work?

    Reply
    • Sam says

      October 21, 2020 at 9:45 pm

      Hi Arron! It is a super moist cake so it tends to fall apart when baked that way. I have baked it in a 9 x 13 and it was just pretty crumbly so I’m not sure it would end up being stackable. You could use my chocolate cake. It’s an excellent cake. 🙂

      Reply
  2. Bina says

    August 20, 2020 at 9:35 pm

    4 stars
    I halved the recipe and made it in a 7″x10″ pan. It seems a bit thicker than the cake in the pic but it is delicious! I just had three pieces :-/ The cake itself is moist and nice and the frosting decadent. I will say that like some other reviewers, I had to add more water (I ran out of milk) in the frosting to make it pourable. I also did not end up using all the powdered sugar (which is good, since I had three pieces of cake in one sitting) because the consistency was fine and the sweetness was fine too. I think I used 2/3 or 3/4 of the actual amount. I topped it with chopped walnuts — yummy!!!

    Reply
    • Sam says

      August 23, 2020 at 10:57 am

      I am so glad you enjoyed the cake so much! 🙂

      Reply
      • Bina says

        August 23, 2020 at 12:32 pm

        Actually, make that four pieces :-/ I made myself give some to neighbors and a friend so I wouldn’t finish the rest of it. They all enjoyed it.
        Quick question… I want to make it again for a family get together but a few of the family members do not eat eggs. I first was thinking about using an egg substitute but then I came across a very similar recipe to yours that did not use eggs at all. Thoughts on this? Do you think I can just leave them out or would you recommend I sub something else for the eggs? If so, what?
        Thanks for your help!

      • Sam says

        August 27, 2020 at 9:35 pm

        I definitely have had to give stuff away so I stopped eating it so you aren’t alone! Unfortunately I am not quite sure how make this egg free. If you do try a substitute and it works I would love to know what you did. 🙂

      • Bina says

        August 31, 2020 at 10:17 am

        Me again. I left the eggs out but followed everything else the same. The batter was quite thick but the cake turned out pretty yummy (texture was a touch off, but not that noticeable). It will work for the family get together for the egg-free peeps. I wonder if I should add more water or a touch more sour cream to make the batter easier to spread?

      • Sam says

        August 31, 2020 at 1:02 pm

        Unfortunately I don’t know how adding more will liquid will work here. 🙁

  3. Rose Ruble says

    August 11, 2020 at 2:21 pm

    I made this cake today for my daughter’s 50th Birthday. It’s been a long time since I’ve made this cake. I noticed in some of the recipes it calls for buttermilk, is there a difference in taste????

    Reply
    • Sam says

      August 12, 2020 at 8:08 pm

      Hi Rose! Some recipes rely on chemical reactions from the buttermilk. I am sure there are taste differences, but you can’t go wrong with this one. 🙂

      Reply
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The author (Sam) in blue shirt holding donut Hi, I'm Sam! I'm dedicated to bringing you sweet, simple, and from-scratch dessert recipes. My life may or may not be controlled by my sweet tooth. Send help (or chocolate). Read more about me.

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