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    Home » Recipes » Cake

    Best Texas Sheet Cake Recipe (with Video!)

    Updated: Feb 7, 2020 • Published: Jan 16, 2020 by Sam Merritt • 117 Comments

    This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure policy.
    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video
    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! 
    4.96 from 47 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Servings: 15 slices
    Calories: 493kcal
    Author: Sam Merritt
    YouTube video

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter cut into 8 pieces
    • 1 cup (235 ml) water
    • ⅓ cup (33 g) cocoa powder
    • ½ cup (125 g) sour cream
    • 2 large eggs room temperature
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
    • 1 ½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
    • ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar, firmly packed
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • ¾ teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon instant coffee optional

    FROSTING

    • 6 Tablespoons whole milk
    • ½ cup (113 g) salted butter cut into pieces
    • 6 Tablespoons natural cocoa powder
    • 4 cups (500 g) powdered sugar sifting is recommended (after measuring) to avoid any lumps
    • ¾ 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.
      1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, 1 cup (235 ml) water, ⅓ cup (33 g) cocoa powder
    • While butter/cocoa mixture is cooling, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and instant coffee in a large bowl.
      2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour, 1 ½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ¾ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon instant coffee, ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar, firmly packed
    • In another bowl, whisk together sour cream and eggs and vanilla. Stir this into your dry ingredients until combined.
      ½ cup (125 g) sour cream, 2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 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.
      6 Tablespoons whole milk, ½ cup (113 g) salted butter, 6 Tablespoons natural cocoa powder, 4 cups (500 g) powdered sugar, ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
    • Pour over cake while cake is still warm. If using pecans, sprinkle over frosting now.
      1 cup toasted pecans
    • 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

    Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.

    Tried this recipe? Show me on Instagram!Mention @SugarSpun_Sam or tag #sugarspunrun!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Keturah

      August 04, 2020 at 9:56 am

      5 stars
      These were amazing! I will forever be using this recipe whenever I make Texas Sheet cake!

      Reply
      • Sam

        August 04, 2020 at 11:53 am

        I am so glad you enjoyed it so much! 🙂

        Reply
    2. Mary

      June 19, 2020 at 4:10 pm

      I made this today (Friday) to serve on Sunday for Fathers Day. Does it need to be refrigerated til then or store on counter?
      Looks delicious!

      Reply
      • Sam

        June 19, 2020 at 7:56 pm

        Hi Mary! If it’s not too hot/humid where you are, I’d just leave it covered/wrapped on the counter. Enjoy! 🙂

        Reply
    3. Sarah

      May 11, 2020 at 1:11 am

      4 stars
      Such a yummy moist cake. My frosting also came out very thick….I followed recipe to the T. I will use more milk next time in the frosting.

      Reply
      • Sugar Spun Run

        May 11, 2020 at 7:41 am

        I am so glad that you enjoyed it, Sarah! Thanks for trying my recipe and for commenting. 🙂

        Reply
    4. Tina

      May 04, 2020 at 3:59 pm

      I
      Tried your Texas chocolate sheet cake on Sunday for my family and no leftovers. Love it and easy to make. Plan to bake again for Mother’s Day. Thank, Mahalo. Hawaii

      Reply
      • Sugar Spun Run

        May 04, 2020 at 4:05 pm

        I am so glad that your family LOVED it, Tina! It is a personal favorite of mine too. I hope that you have a nice Mother’s Day and enjoy your cake. Thanks for commenting. 🙂

        Reply
    5. Veronica

      April 10, 2020 at 12:39 pm

      5 stars
      My 5 year old said this is the best cake he’s ever had and my Texan husband said it tastes like his childhood cakes his mother would bake. Mom win!! Thank you. Sugarspunrun.com is my #1 go-to site for baking recipes. Always so happy with the results. For this sheet cake, because we are in a lockdown situation here in California, and I didn’t have sour cream on hand, I substituted with what I had.. unsweetened greek yogurt. I can’t wait to try it with sour cream! My husband has been doing the grocery shopping and I told him about my substitution. It wasn’t on the list, but he just came home with sour cream, so I’m thinking this is a hint to make it again! Be well!

      Reply
      • Sugar Spun Run

        April 10, 2020 at 2:24 pm

        Congrats on your win, Momma! I am so happy to hear that everyone enjoyed it. This recipe is a personal favorite of mine too. Thank you so much for trying it and for being a fan of my site. I appreciate your feedback and I hope that your second cake (hint hint lol) turns out even better! 🙂

        Reply
    6. Jessica

      March 23, 2020 at 1:55 pm

      This cake is so good! I was planning on baking it but I’m low on flour. I do have a brand new box of cake flour. How can I use this up in this recipe, or any of your other recipes?

      Reply
      • Sugar Spun Run

        March 23, 2020 at 2:42 pm

        Hi, Jessica! You are in luck, cake flour will work. If you are measuring by weight it will be a 1:1 substitution. If you are measuring in cups, you use 1 cup + 2 Tbsp of cake flour for every cup of all-purpose flour that is called for. I hope that helps! 🙂

        Reply
        • Jessica

          March 23, 2020 at 3:50 pm

          Perfect. Thank you!

    7. Derrick Stewart

      February 24, 2020 at 9:12 pm

      5 stars
      My daughter, my grandmother, and I love this recipe! Ours has a hint of toffee flavor which was a bonus! Outstanding recipe and so moist and creamy, thank you!

      Reply
      • Sugar Spun Run

        February 24, 2020 at 9:51 pm

        I am so glad that the texas sheet cake was such a hit, Derrick! Thanks for trying my recipe and for commenting. 🙂

        Reply
        • Judy

          March 16, 2020 at 5:28 pm

          I wonder what toasted pecans and toasted coconut mixed into icing would taste like. It sounds yummy ,has anyone tried this?

    8. Alan

      January 27, 2020 at 2:41 pm

      5 stars
      Wow, an excellent recipe! It has a very soft texture for such a thin cake. Thank you for sharing it!

      Reply
      • Sugar Spun Run

        January 27, 2020 at 2:53 pm

        I am so glad that you enjoyed the texas sheet cake, Alan! Thank you so much for trying my recipe and for the feedback. 🙂

        Reply
    9. Larry

      January 25, 2020 at 4:04 pm

      I made this chocolate cake but all had was a 9×13 pan. Also I crushed some Oreo cookies in a food processor for a topping on top of the chocolate frosting and it turned out amazing. Thanks for the recipe.

      Reply
      • Sugar Spun Run

        January 25, 2020 at 4:24 pm

        I am so glad that you enjoyed the texas sheet cake, Larry. Crushed oreo topping sounds delightful. Thanks for commenting. 🙂

        Reply
    10. Helen Arano

      January 20, 2020 at 8:55 am

      5 stars
      Made this with my 3.5 years old grandson, it was not only fun to make, the family rated it five star and took the recipe home with them.

      Reply
      • Sugar Spun Run

        January 20, 2020 at 9:01 am

        I love it, Helen! Thank you so much for sharing your story with me. I am so happy that you had a great time making it with your grandson and that your family loved the texas sheet cake. Thanks for commenting. 🙂

        Reply
    11. Michele

      January 19, 2020 at 9:35 am

      Just made this cake. The whole house smells delicious! The cake looks perfect. I had the same issue as Bitsie and the frosting was too thick for spreading so I added milk. It came out perfect. Thank you!!

      Reply
      • Sam

        January 19, 2020 at 2:02 pm

        I’m so glad you enjoyed! I’m not sure why the frosting is coming out thick for some people (I’ve made it probably a dozen times by now 😂 and haven’t had this happen) but I think I’m going to use this as an excuse to make it again to see if I can troubleshoot why this might be happening. Thanks for commenting, Michele! 🙂

        Reply
        • Joyce Stewart

          March 31, 2020 at 9:51 pm

          Rather than just heating the milk & butter just until the butter melts, you probably let it boil a bit…this will cause the thick frosting because some of your milk has evaporated through boiling. Make sure it heats JUST until the butter melts.
          Another recipe I make I have the same problem if I let the milk boil.

    12. Ami

      January 17, 2020 at 4:20 pm

      Going to make this tonight…the closest size pan I have is a 11×15. Will this make the cake too thin? Would I need to decrease the baking time any?

      Thanks

      Reply
      • Sam

        January 17, 2020 at 11:02 pm

        Hi Ami! An 11×15 will work, the cake will be a little bit thinner but it shouldn’t be too thin. It will probably need to bake for just a little less time because it will be thinner, just keep an eye on it. 🙂

        Reply
    13. Tami Child

      January 17, 2020 at 12:24 pm

      I love my original Texas sheet cake recipe from my Mom that has buttermilk in the cake and frosting. I usually add a bit more Cocoa powder like you and top with chopped pecans. This made me crave it, now I must make it today.

      Reply
      • Sugar Spun Run

        January 17, 2020 at 12:38 pm

        Sounds delicious, Tami! Happy Baking. 🙂

        Reply
    14. Bitsie

      January 16, 2020 at 6:10 pm

      Hello Sam! I know that I always ask for this sort of information, please see it as a compliment as I really do enjoy your recipes and my family love eating the results! What is the weight of the butter used for the cake? Also for the icing, what is the g equivalent to half a cup of butter and for the 4 cups of powdered sugar? As you know, on this side of the pond we don’t use cups as a measurement very often and I also understand that US and UK cup sizes differ…… Thank you so much for your time, I look forward to trying this one out! Bitsie

      Reply
      • Sam

        January 16, 2020 at 9:58 pm

        Hi Bitsie! I’m sorry about that, I always like to include weight measurements in my recipe and have all the weight measurements for this cake so I’m not sure why I didn’t have those in there originally. I just went in and added them so you should see all measurements with weights now! I really hope that helps, and thank you for bringing that omission to my attention. I hope you love the Texas sheet cake 🙂

        Reply
        • Bitsie

          January 17, 2020 at 2:57 am

          Thank you so much Sam for taking time out to do this! I shall be baking this cake later on today and will let you know how I get along. Although, I haven’t yet failed to delight some serious cake lovers when I follow your recipes. My family really do appreciate you!!

        • Sugar Spun Run

          January 17, 2020 at 6:40 am

          Thank you so much, Bitsie! I hope that this cake is a hit with your family. Keep me posted. Happy Baking. 🙂

        • Bitsie

          January 17, 2020 at 9:47 am

          Just finished baking, the sheet cake is cooling on the rack, iced and looking good!! However, despite following your recipe exactly, the icing was much, much thicker than yours was. I certainly could not pour it over the cake. I have had a sneaky taste – who doesn’t lick the spoon when the task is done? And it tasted just fine. Where do you think that I went wrong? Should I try more milk or less powdered sugar next time?? Thank you again Sam.

        • Sam

          January 17, 2020 at 1:27 pm

          I’d try just a bit more milk, that should do the trick! Not sure why it came out so thick for you though. I’m glad it still tasted good and hope you love the cake 🙂

        • Cindy

          October 15, 2021 at 8:18 am

          Hi! I was wondering if I. CAn use a half sheet pan? Should I do incresethe recipe by half? or do you think the recipe as written will still work? I need 36 pieces so I am planning on doing two sheets. Thanks!

        • Emily @ Sugar Spun Run

          October 15, 2021 at 11:52 am

          Hi Cindy! If you’re trying to make two half-sheet pans, you will want to double this recipe. We hope that helps! 😊

    15. Lucky Mashaba

      January 16, 2020 at 12:43 pm

      I will try this recept

      Reply
      • Sugar Spun Run

        January 16, 2020 at 4:55 pm

        I hope that you love it! Let me know how it turns out. 🙂

        Reply
        • Becky

          January 16, 2020 at 6:36 pm

          What if you do t have a sheet pan I only have a round cake pan?

        • Sam

          January 16, 2020 at 9:55 pm

          It depends on the size of the cake pan. I would imagine the cake pan would be smaller in area, which would mean the cake would be thicker and the icing would be as well. The cake would also likely need to bake longer.

      • Cindy

        August 18, 2021 at 10:05 am

        Hi Sam,
        I have a 10x15x2 pan. I’m pretty sure you used a 10x15x1 pan. Can I still use the thicker pan? Can’t wait to make this!

        Reply
        • Sam

          August 18, 2021 at 9:41 pm

          Hi Cindy! Your deeper pan should work just fine. 🙂

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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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