Aunt Dorothy’s Texas Sheet Cake Recipe
This classic Texas sheet cake is the absolute best and so easy to make. It’s a delicious chocolate cake recipe baked in a jelly roll pan and covered in a fudge-like chocolate frosting with chopped pecans. It’s rich and indulgent and perfect for feeding a crowd, which makes it a great choice for parties and potlucks, and it just so happens to be our family’s cake of choice for celebrating birthdays.
Many years ago, when my grandma passed away, friends and family members delivered food to my mom’s house. Among the fried chicken, roasted chicken, potatoes, deli platters, buns, and cookie trays was this new-to-me gem. My great aunt had whipped up and sent over a Texas Sheet Cake. I ate a little bit of it for days; it was amazingly delicious, and it soothed my soul. Once things had settled down, I made it my business to get this recipe from my aunt.
I’m so glad that it’s part of my recipe arsenal, and it will always remind me of celebrating my grandma’s life and all the love she gave.
I’ve made a couple of small tweaks to my aunt’s recipe over the years and have now settled on this fabulous version as our family’s absolute favorite.
Her original recipe called for vegetable shortening (which I think is customary in many original Texas sheet cake recipes), but I’ve replaced it with butter, added an extra tablespoon of cocoa powder in the cake and frosting, and upped the amount of butter in the frosting by a couple of tablespoons. Just a few minor modifications, but I think they make a world of difference!
Why is it called Texas sheet cake?
There is no definitive answer as to the history of the name “Texas sheet cake”, but there are a few theories floating around…
Some surmise that it’s because the cake huge like the size of Texas, while others maintain it’s because the cake is incredibly rich, and still others point to similarities to a recipe published in the Dallas Morning News in 1957 that became wildly popular.
The best pan to use
As its name suggests, we’re going to use a sheet pan to make this cake recipe. By definition, a “sheet pan” is any large rectangular cake pan, such as a jelly roll pan (which measures 10×15 inches) or a half sheet pan (which measures 13×18 inches).
For this particular recipe, we’re going to use a 10×15-inch jelly roll pan.
How to Make the Cake and Frosting
One of the hallmarks of Texas sheet cake is that part of the cake batter as well as the frosting is cooked in a saucepan.
Are you ready for the easiest cake-making ever? Here we go!
Make the Cake
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- In a saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the water and cocoa powder, increase the heat, and bring to a boil. Set aside.
- Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
- Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, add the eggs, sour cream, and vanilla, and whisk to combine.
- Add the chocolate mixture, then gently whisk to combine all ingredients thoroughly.
- Pour into the pan. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth into an even layer.
- Bake at 350 degrees F until a toothpick inserted in the center has moist crumbs attached, 18 to 22 minutes.
Make the Frosting
It’s important to begin the frosting as soon as the cake comes out of the oven. You want the warm frosting to be spread on the warm cake for the ultimate Texas sheet cake experience!
- In a saucepan, melt the butter over low heat.
- Add the milk and cocoa powder and bring to a boil, then remove from heat.
- Whisk in the vanilla extract and cocoa powder until smooth.
- Stir in the chopped nuts, if using.
- Spread in an even layer over top of the warm cake.
Recipe Tips
Below are some extra notes to make sure your cake turns out wonderfully!
- Cocoa Powder: You can use your favorite cocoa powder in this recipe. I always reach for my regular unsweetened cocoa powder, but Dutch-process cocoa would work, too.
- Sour cream: You can substitute buttermilk or plain yogurt for the sour cream.
- Nuts: Traditional Texas sheet cake contains chopped pecans, but walnuts are also a popular option. You can omit them entirely, as well.
- Storage: The cake should be covered and will keep at room temperature for up to 4 days, but can also be refrigerated (covered) for up to 1 week.
- Freezing Instructions: This cake freezes very well! Once you frost it and let it cool completely, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, then in aluminum foil and freeze for up to 1 month.
More Popular Chocolate Cake Recipes
- Coca-Cola Cake
- Flourless Chocolate Cake Recipe
- Triple Layer Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Frosting
- Traditional Devil’s Food Cake
- Wacky Cake
Watch How to Make Texas Sheet Cake
Many recipes, foods, and even smells can conjure up strong memories, and this cake will forever do that for me. I hope you’ll create special memories with it as well!
If you make this recipe and love it, I would so appreciate it if you would take a moment to leave a rating below. Thank you so much! ❤️️
Aunt Dorothy’s Texas Sheet Cake Recipe
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 1 cup (205 g) unsalted butter
- 1 cup (250 ml) water
- 5 tablespoons (4 tablespoons) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) salt
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup (115 ml) sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Icing:
- ½ cup (51.25 g) unsalted butter
- 6 tablespoons milk
- 5 tablespoons (4 tablespoons) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 cups (480 g) powdered sugar
- 1 cup (99 g) chopped pecans or walnuts, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 10×15-inch jelly roll pan.
- Make the Cake: In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the water and cocoa powder, increase the heat to medium, and whisk until the mixture reaches a bowl. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in the center, add the eggs, sour cream, and vanilla, and whisk them together. Add the chocolate mixture and gently whisk to combine all ingredients thoroughly.
- Pour into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs attached, 18 to 22 minutes.
- Make the Frosting: In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the milk and cocoa powder and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, whisk in the vanilla and powdered sugar until smooth. If using, stir in the chopped nuts.
- Immediately pour the frosting over the warm cake, using an offset spatula to gently spread it evenly over the surface. Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes so the frosting can set, then serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- Cocoa Powder: You can use your favorite cocoa powder in this recipe. I always reach for my regular unsweetened cocoa powder, but Dutch-process cocoa would work, too.
- Sour cream: You can substitute buttermilk or plain yogurt for the sour cream.
- Nuts: Traditional Texas sheet cake contains chopped pecans, but walnuts are also a popular option. You can omit them entirely, as well.
- Storage: The cake should be covered and will keep at room temperature for up to 4 days, but can also be refrigerated (covered) for up to 1 week.
- Freezing Instructions: This cake freezes very well! Once you frost it and let it cool completely, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, then in aluminum foil and freeze for up to 1 month.
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
[Photography by Dee of One Sarcastic Baker]
This recipe was originally published in 2012 but has been revised with the modifications noted in the post above.
Did I miss in the instructions when you add the white sugar to the cake? I had it in the pan and fortunately I’m a spatula licker. Didn’t take long to figure out the problem
There is an error in your instructions for the frosting (not the recipe portion — step 3 of the instructions). You mention adding cocoa powder but I believe you meant to say powdered sugar. Trying to be helpful; not directive here. I enjoy following you. All the best!
This is one of my favorite recipes from your site. Thank you!
Easy, quick, delicious, and the perfect size for our small family.
The unnecessary whisking in this recipe created frustration along with waste and extra cleanup. There was a giant ball of heavy, thick ingredients trapped inside of the whisk after adding wet ingredients to so many dry ingredients and required a lengthy effort to release it using more tools. A nearly identical recipe in my Southern Cooking cookbook is so much easier, calling for whisking only once compared to the five times in this recipe. Whisks are great, but they’re not always the right tool. The cake is still cooling on the counter. It smells wonderful and looks good.
Your video says baking powder but the recipe says baking soda. Can you clarify please !
Made it. Loved it and will make again. So easy and delish!
Hi – I think there is an error in the recipe for the sheet cake icing. Should line #3 in those instructions read “powdered sugar” instead of “cocoa powder”?
Hi Bonnie, It’s written correctly… you first whisk in the cocoa powder, then the powdered sugar off the heat.
Bonnie is right. When you first discuss the recipe (before the part where you list exact ingredient amounts) it says:
2. Add the milk and cocoa powder and bring to a boil, then remove from heat.
3. Whisk in the vanilla extract and cocoa powder until smooth.
I was confused until I read the full recipe and saw it written there as “whisk in the vanilla and powdered sugar.” You might want to fix that to eliminate confusion. :)
Omitted milk from frosting and only used ½c powdered sugar too . Turned out very well otherwise 😌
I HAVE TRIED MANY VERSIONS OF THIS CAKE AND “YOURS” RANKS THE BEST!!
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I made it for my son’s 10th birthday recently as we celebrated with some family members. It was a big hit! It tasted like a brownie type cake, which was delicious. I didn’t put nuts on top as my son doesn’t like them. But it turned out exactly as in the video and pictures. I will be making it again for sure. 🥰
I have the recipe but without the sour cream. I am adding sour cream to my next cake – can only make is better.
I love your original version of Texas sheet cake but I can no longer find it on your website…even the link from the Coca-Cola cake links to this new version. Can you please repost the original? Thanks.
We too use this recipe for birthday celebrations, only we use m&m’s on the top to make it festive! I love your idea of using Sour Cream, my recipe uses buttermilk. Can’t wait to try your version! :)
I’m new to baking but so far as I can tell I followed this recipe exactly but the cake just falls apart. I have no idea what I did wrong.
It took longer than 22 minutes in the oven to have it dry enough inside for a knife to be clean after having been inserted into the cooked cake. In fact, I wound up cooking it for perhaps 10 minutes longer than the recipe says and still it all falls apart.
On the positive side, it does taste really good and it was fairly simple even for a novice like me to put together, but before tossing it and cleaning up the pan, I’m still stuck on what I did wrong with it. A friend suggested that perhaps the baking soda I used was too old or had been exposed to the air (it came in a box for the fridge); I thought perhaps it was my adding pecans to the cake itself as I didn’t want icing.
Any ideas?
Oh so glad to see you upgraded to butter! That is what I did as well since I don’t keep shortening in the house anymore. Love love love this recipe! I use coffee instead of water also. I make this recipe often since I found it here. Everyone loves it!!! Half a recipe works great too.
Btw, in the cake instructions it says “bowl” instead of “boil”. We know what you mean tho!
Our Texas Sheet Cake has a bit of cinnamon in the cake and a bit of coffee on the frosting. The combo of chocolate, cinnamon and coffee are just right.
Hi Julia, That sounds fantastic! Going to try that next time!
In this recipe..baking powder or baking soda??? U have both written in different places..help
Hi Josephine, It is baking soda. I’ve corrected the error.
I love Texas Sheet Cake, and it was my grandmother’s signature dessert too! Often I will make a white version – substitute the cocoa with the same amount of flour in the cake batter and powdered sugar in the frosting. I love chocolate, but the white version is a whole new level – so buttery rich, and disappears so fast whenever I take it somewhere (pre-covid 19 days!). And FYI: a 9×13 inch pan works great for half a recipe.
I’m going to try that white version very soon, thank you for sharing!!
Hi Michelle! Texas sheet cake is one of my hubby’s very favorite desserts so I made it my business to try this recipe you have shared quite some time ago and it has a prime spot in my printed book of favorites (and is a hubby favorite also). The only variation I make from this recipe is to replace the water with fresh brewed coffee to complement the chocolate. This recipe is simple and the result is an absolutely delicious treat. Love it with a scoop of ice cream or as a snack cake. Great with pecans or no nuts at all. It’s a winner anyway it is served!
Hi Maryann, I love that coffee substitution, amazing idea!