Texas Sheet Cake Recipe - Rachel Cooks® (2024)

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.

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 skinnied it up a bit too. 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 cake

What I like about this cake recipe is that:

1. 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.
2. 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
3. This recipe is pretty dang easy.

I’ll give you a quick overview so you know what you’re getting into but the complete recipe with measurements is at the end of the post as always.

What you need

• 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. You’ll also need Baking Soda and Salt.
• Cocoa Powder: 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 it

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 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 thin side which is good because you’re going to spread it on a hot cake.

Is your cake done yet? If it is, take it out of the oven and put the pan on a wire rack to cool. Pour the frosting out of the pan evenly onto the 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.

FAQs

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.

Make Ahead Ideas

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.

Storage Suggestions

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
• Rhubarb Instant Pot Cake (Rhubarb Upside Down Cake)
• Banana Chocolate Chip Cake with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
• Chocolate cake – seriously the easiest cake you’ll ever make
• Peach Coffee Cake Recipe