One of the easiest chocolate cakes to make, Texas sheet cake has a hint of cinnamon and is topped with chocolate frosting laced with toasted pecans.
Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: Who doesn’t love a chocolate cake that’s easy to make?
How long it takes: 32 minutes plus cooling time
Equipment you’ll need: jelly roll pan, whisk, bowl, electric mixer, small saucepan
Servings: 24
With fudgy nutty frosting that almost saturates the top layer of this cake, a Texas sheet cake is always a hit. One of the few cakes that you frost while it’s still warm, it can be made in a hurry. It’s easy, too.
One of the unique features of this recipe is that it’s made in a somewhat smaller sized pan than a normal Texas sheet cake. Sometimes you just don’t need a gigantic cake. This recipe still makes plenty of cake but you won’t be eating it for a week and a half!
PS: I’ve made the recipe a bit more healthy. This cake is made with half the butter you’ll find in most recipes. You won’t miss it a bit! I guarantee it. This cake is Texas-sized good eating!
About this Sheet Cake Recipe
What I like about this cake recipe is that:
- It’s almost fool-proof. I admit, I’ve had my share of cake flops. I flop them, try again, and sometimes flop them again, but that’s so you don’t have the same problems.
- You can frost it as soon as it comes out of the oven. That’s a huge advantage in my book because it seems like a cake takes f-o-r-e-v-e-r to cool completely
- This recipe is pretty dang easy.
Ingredient Notes
- Flour: Just regular all-purpose flour is all you need.
- Sugar: Again, nothing fancy here, granulated white sugar is perfect. You’ll need confectioner’s sugar for the frosting.
- Cinnamon: A teaspoon of cinnamon imparts the flavor unique to a Texas sheet cake.
- Baking Soda and Salt: The baking soda leavens the cake; salt enhances the flavor.
- Cocoa Powder, Water, Butter: Unsweetened baking cocoa powder gives the cake chocolatey goodness. The cocoa powder is heated with water and butter to “activate” the cocoa.
- Eggs, Buttermilk, and Vanilla Extract: These three ingredients keep the cake nice and moist, and add flavor and richness.
- For the Frosting: The simple cooked frosting is made up of Butter, Milk, Cocoa Powder, Powdered Sugar, Vanilla Extract, and Chopped Pecans. You can leave the pecans out if you want, we tested it that way as well, and it’s just as delicious!
How to make Texas Sheet Cake
In a big bowl, mix the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. You may be tempted to add the cocoa powder here since it’s also a dry ingredient but don’t do it!
In a saucepan, bring the water, butter (just one stick!), and cocoa powder to a boil.
Meanwhile, measure out the buttermilk in a measuring cup, and add the eggs and vanilla to the cup.
Get out your hand mixer or be ready to do some stirring. Pour the hot cocoa mixture into the bowl with the flour and blend it together. Add the buttermilk mixture and beat well.
Pour the batter into a jelly roll pan that’s been sprayed with cooking spray and dusted with flour. Pop it into the oven. It won’t take long to bake because it’s a pretty thin cake, only about 17 minutes.
While the cake is baking, use the same saucepan that you used for the cake to make the frosting. Heat butter, milk, and cocoa powder in the saucepan until it comes to a boil. Stir in the powdered sugar until the frosting is smooth; then fold in the vanilla extract and pecans.
The frosting will be kind of on the runny side which is good because you’re going to spread it on a hot cake.
Frost the cake. When the cake has finished baking, take it out of the oven and put the pan on a wire rack. Pour the frosting out of the pan evenly onto the hot cake. Start in the middle of the cake and work your way to the edges. A little frosting may run off the edges but that’s okay. (I think my new oven isn’t quite level so my cakes are always a little bit high on one side.)
Allow the cake to cool a little before digging in, okay? Well, just a little while anyways…
Serve this cake with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream, double chocolate ice cream, or a plop of whipped cream, if you like.
The ingredients are mixed in one bowl. You won’t have to cream butter and sugar, then add eggs, etc. etc. etc. What makes a Texas sheet cake different? It’s EASY!
It’s all in the pans. The cake batter can be similar but sheet cake is baked in a larger flat pan so the cake is larger and flatter. A regular cake is baked in a 9 x 13 pan or two round pans so it’s thicker and taller.
Sheet pans come in a variety of sizes so use the size called for in your recipe. A quarter sheet pan is 9 x 13 inches, a half sheet pan is 18 x 13 inches, and a full sheet pan is 26 x 18 inches. A jelly roll pan is 15 x 10 inches.
Often a Texas sheet cake is baked in a half sheet pan but this recipe makes a smaller cake, 15 x 10 inches (jelly roll pan).
A cookie sheet is a flat baking sheet without a rim. It usually has a small raised edge on one side for easy grasping.
A sheet pan has a one inch edge all the way around the pan. Can you bake cookies on a sheet pan? Certainly!
Check out this website if you still have questions.
Need a Jelly Roll Pan?
Looking for the perfect pan for this cake? Try this 15 x 10 inch pan from OXO.
How to make this cake your own
- Omit the pecans, if desired, or substitute another nut of your choice.
- If you don’t care for the cinnamon, just leave it out.
If you want to save time, you could mix up the dry ingredients up to 3 days in advance and store in a covered container.
Texas sheet cake won’t stick around long, I’m almost sure of that. Leftover cake, covered with plastic wrap, can be stored at room temperature for a day but if it’s going to be much more than that, you probably should put it in the fridge, where it will keep up to four days.
This cake can also be covered with plastic wrap, then foil, and frozen for up to a month. However, the texture may change slightly and it is best eaten fresh.
More Cake Recipes
I’ve rounded up (get it? Texas? cows?) a few more cake recipes for you:
- Classic Pound Cake Recipe (loaf or bundt!)
- Apple Spice Cake with Bourbon Glaze
- Pumpkin Poke Cake (with real pumpkin, not canned!)
- Coffee Cake Recipe with Streusel
- Flourless Mexican Hot Chocolate Cake
- Banana Chocolate Chip Cake with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
- Chocolate Cake – seriously the easiest cake you’ll ever make
- Peach Coffee Cake
Texas Sheet Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup water
- ½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
Frosting
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup milk
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup chopped pecans, toasted
Instructions
Cake:
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Prepare a 15 x 10-inch jelly roll pan by spraying lightly with cooking spray; dust with flour. Set aside.
- In large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, ground cinnamon, and salt.
- In large measuring cup, measure out buttermilk, and add vanilla and beaten eggs.
- Combine water, butter, and cocoa in a small saucepan; bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Pour into flour mixture. Beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add buttermilk mixture; beat well.
- Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 17 to 18 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Frost immediately.
Frosting:
- While cake is baking, combine 6 tablespoons butter, milk, and ¼ cup cocoa in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Gradually stir in powdered sugar; stir in vanilla and pecans.
- Spread frosting over hot cake. Cool cake completely in pan on wire rack.
Notes
- If desired, you can omit the pecans or substitute another nut of your choice.
- If you don’t care for the cinnamon, you can leave it out.
- Storage: Leftover cake can be covered with plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for a day, or in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
My mom pass’s away in 2013 and two years ago my brother asked for her Chocolate Cinnamon sheet cake for his birthday. On her recipe card she didn’t include all of the measurements so I hunted around & found a Texas sheet cake recipe similar to hers. It was good, not the same. I found your recipe this year and minus the Crisco from my mom’s recipe (thank you), yours turned out PERFECTLY just like mom’s. Food is a comfort and I wanted to thank you for giving my family such a wonderful memory back of our precious mom.
Comments like yours are why I do what I do! I’m so happy I could help you bring back this memory and I’m honored that you took the time to let me know. Next time I make this cake, I’ll be thinking of your mom ❤️
Really good! I’m thinking of adding a bit more cinnamon because my hubby requested a bit more cinnamon. Personally, it rates delicious just the way the recipe is written.
Thanks for such an easy, quick and delicious chocolate cake recipe!!
Thank you for leaving a review! I’m glad you liked the recipe.
My family loved this cake, was really my first time making it!!! Tastes great cold or warm!!
I’m so glad to hear that! Thank you for leaving a review!
Very good & simple recipe. I added 1/4 cup cold brew coffee & 1/4 brown sugar with an extra 2 pinches of baking soda! PERFECT! As you can see…..less than 30 minutes out of the oven & it’s almost gone BEFORE dinner! DELISH!
So glad you enjoyed it!
Can you make this in a bunt cake pan?
I don’t think it would work in a bundt pan, sorry! I think it would be too fragile.
Can you make it in a 9×13 instead?
I haven’t tested it that way, but I think it should probably work okay. Let me know if you try it!
This was my first time making a sheet cake and wow it was delicious. Everyone loved it – thank you!
So glad your first experience was a success! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!