This authentic recipe is the best for taming a fierce sweet tooth!
Table of Contents
❤️ Why you'll love it
- A classic recipe made easily in a jelly roll pan
- Topped with a warm chocolate frosting and addictively buttery pecans
- A decadent crossover between a fudgy brownie and dense chocolate cake
Whether you're a life-long Lonestar state resident or you live very far away, this Texas sheet cake recipe is a must-try!
The dense, ultra-moist sheet cake is complemented with a warm frosting, so good your family will fight over who gets to lick the spoon! (My vote's for you since, well, you actually baked the cake and all.)
🧾 Ingredients
This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
🔪 Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page.
To make the best chocolate sheet cake:
- Brown the sticks of butter in a small saucepan.
- Whisk in the cocoa powder and water.
- Blend together the flour mixture, chocolate mixture, and remaining wet ingredients.
- Pour cake batter into the prepared pan and bake.
While the cake bakes, prepare the Texas sheet cake frosting:
- Brown the butter in a large saucepan.
- Add the milk and cocoa; boil.
- Mix in the powdered sugar (AKA confectioners' sugar) and pecans.
- Pour over top of the warm cake.
🥫 Storage
We would eat this whole cake in one sitting even if it was the size of Texas, but if you happen to have leftovers, they save well.
Simply cover the cake pan tightly with plastic wrap and leave it at room temperature for up to three days. (Alternatively, place slices into an airtight container.) Just make sure you set it somewhere out of any direct sunlight.
You can enjoy leftovers at room temperature or pop a slice in the microwave for a few seconds to rewarm that yummy chocolate glaze.
Some people are tempted to put Texas sheet cake leftovers in the fridge—unless otherwise instructed, don't do that! Any good cake recipe will warn you that refrigeration actually dries out a classic cake sponge.
📖 Variations
- Instead of (or in addition to) the pecans, add chopped Heath bars to the frosting before pouring it over the cake.
- Try substituting Dr. Pepper or hot coffee for the water in the recipe to add a subtle depth of taste and enhance the chocolate flavor.
- A teaspoon of cinnamon and/or chipotle powder mixed in with the dry ingredients adds some more Southern style to the cake!
💭 Things to know
Expert Tip: I use extra dark cocoa powder (like Hershey's Special Dark) to make this cake extra chocolatey! On that note, don't skip the step where you bloom the cocoa in boiling water. It helps brings out the chocolate flavor!
- Pecans add an ideal level of buttery, nuttiness to the sheet cake frosting. I don't recommend using another variety of nuts unless you want to ruin the perfect cake. (Just kidding about that last part! Sort of...)
- Don't change the pan size. A 13x9-inch pan messes with the pan-to-cake ratio, requires a different bake time, and creates a thicker, drier cake.
- Let the hot cake cool on a wire rack only for a few minutes before digging in. Texas chocolate sheet cake is best served steaming warm! Preferably with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.
- Your toothpick may have some moist crumbs on it when testing for doneness and that is A-okay. Also, don't mistake the creamy chocolate frosting for uncooked batter—you don't want to overcook this cake!
- Don't use anything but pecans. No, walnuts will not substitute.
- Nuts are not optional unless (1) you are allergic (2) you absolutely gag at the thought of them.
- Macadamias either. Don't even think about hazelnuts or Brazil nuts.
- Don't use a 13x9 inch pan...the texture will be wrong.
- Don't experiment with flavor. Sometimes things should just be left alone. This is one of those things.
- Don't cool the cake. Be sure the cake is still quite warm when you put the frosting on.
- Don't drink sweet tea within three hours of eating this cake. The sugar jolt will have you zipping around like the Roadrunner. Beep Beep.
I use high sided cookie sheets. You can use a jelly roll pan but the cake comes out a little thicker - and I like mine to be on the thin side - baked it's about an inch thick.
The main thing is that the baking sheets have to be heavy gauge stainless and not thin aluminum or something.
👩🍳 FAQs
To make a substitute for one cup of buttermilk, mix ¾ cup sour cream with ¼ cup water in a small bowl. Then, use this mixture in place of the buttermilk measurements in the recipe.
While you can't swap buttermilk with whole milk, you can make homemade buttermilk. Add one tablespoon of lemon juice to one cup of whole milk. Mix and let the milk sit for 10 minutes. Use exactly as directed in the recipe.
It doesn't matter! Avid bakers will usually tell you that the difference between salted and unsalted butter is difficult to notice in a cake. If you're nervous to use salted butter but it's all you have, simply omit the quarter-teaspoon of salt in the recipe ingredients.
No, not easily, at least. Each ingredient plays an important role in a cake. Because cocoa needs water for blooming, adds a slight acidity to the batter, and absorbs more liquid than flour, I don't recommend turning the chocolate sheet cake into white. This famous original recipe is tried 'n true for a reason! You can use this white Texas sheet cake recipe if you want.
Nope! Wrap it tightly and store it on the counter for up to 3 or 4 days. I can't tell you exactly because it doesn't last more than two days here. And that was only because several of the kids were out of town.
📚 Related recipes
- Double Chocolate Coca Cola cake is super moist and topped with a crackly chocolate frosting, just like Cracker Barrel's!
- Mocha buttercream and a moist chocolate cake—it's the secret title ingredient that makes this Chocolate-Mayonnaise Cake so soft and tender.
- Holy Cow Chocolate Cake is exactly what you'll exclaim when you bite into the moist cake topped with Butterfinger candy, hot fudge, caramel sauce, and whipped cream!
- Beer is the perfect complement to deep, sweet chocolate cake and is what makes this Chocolate Beer Bundt so unique.
- If you love chocolate these Mexican hot chocolate cupcakes are a must try!
🍽️ Serve with...
- Homemade Jack Daniels Caramel Sauce
- Chocolate Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
- Honey Buttermilk Bread (a great way to use up your leftover buttermilk!)
📞 The last word
This classic Texas sheet cake is kryptonite to me!
I can't resist a taste of the warm chocolate frosting, a nibble of the dense, moist cake, or a forkful of the whole thing when it's done. Try it - you'll see what I mean.
Classic chocolate Texas Sheet Cake is dense and thin - similar to a brownie. The moist cake is so fudgy and sweet it will scare away chocolate cravings that are lurking around. Tons of pecans are stirred into the shiny chocolate icing so it's like biting into the chewiest brownie you ever tasted with square of homemade fudge on top! Don't let anyone fool ya, this is the BEST because it's the real deal.
O.k.. You probably have everything on hand. You know what that means? You are about forty five minutes away from the best cake of your life.... if you hurry.
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need. Don't forget that you can click on "add to collection" to save it to your own, private recipe box!
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake
Print Pin Recipe SaveIngredients
Cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup water
- ⅓ cup dark cocoa powder, I prefer Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa for this)
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Texas Sheet Cake Frosting
- ⅓ cup buttermilk
- ⅓ cup dark cocoa powder, Hersey's Special Dark is the preference
- ½ cup butter, browned until golden
- 3 ¾ cups confectioner's sugar, sifted to remove lumps
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 ½ cups pecans, toasted and chopped
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Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Grease a jelly roll pan and set aside.
- Melt the butter until it is a golden brown in a heavy pan. Do not let it burn.
- Add the water and the cocoa and stir until smooth.
- Bring to a boil, stirring.
- Remove from heat.
- Mix flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
- Beat in eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk.
- Stir in cocoa mixture and stir until smooth.
- Spoon into jellyroll pan, smoothing out evenly.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
- Remove from oven.
Texas Sheet Cake Frosting
- About 5 minutes before the cake is ready to come out of the oven melt the butter in saucepan until golden brown.
- Add the milk and the cocoa.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring smooth.
- Remove from heat and add the Confectioner's sugar, pecans and vanilla.
- Mix quickly and spoon over the warm cake.
- Cut in squares to serve.
Notes
- Don't use anything but pecans. No, walnuts will not substitute. Macadamias either. Don't even think about hazelnuts or Brazil nuts.
- Don't use a 13x9 inch pan...the texture will be wrong.
- Don't experiment with flavor. Sometimes things should just be left alone. This is one of those things.
- Don't cool the cake. Be sure the cake is still quite warm when you put the frosting on.
- Don't drink sweet tea within three hours of eating this cake. The sugar jolt will have you zipping around like the Roadrunner. Beep Beep.
- Have cold milk or hot coffee at the ready.
- Share with someone. This cake is friendly. Take some to a neighbor or a co-worker.
- Add chopped Heath bars to the frosting
- Substitute hot coffee for the water in the recipe
- Subsitute Dr. Pepper for the water in the recipe.
- Add a teaspoon of cinnamon and/or chipotle to the cake batter
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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We'll never share your email or send you spam. Pinkie swear.First published November 2014. Last updated June 5, 2022 for better images and more information.
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Angela
What size pan should I use?
Marye
About 13x18 with 1-1/2 to 2 inch high sides
Beth Thomas
I made this Texas sheet cake recipe of yours 4 our fourth of July celebration which included my youngest daughter's birthday and my birthday both before and after. So we were celebrating a lot of important events and needed to find the recipe that are grandmother used to make.
One of our guests, in her mid-50's, said that when she bit into this cake it took her back to the days of her childhood when her Meema in Bell County, Texas, would make this Texas Sheet Cake on a hot summer day and serve with homemade hand cranked vanilla ice cream.
Food isn't just a part of a celebration, food is long ago memories brought back to life. I love that you are preserving all the antique recipes. This one is a wonderful keeper!
Marye Audet
Aww thanks Beth! I am so glad that she enjoyed it. 🙂
Barbara Johnson
Can’t wait to try it out!
Marye Audet
Let me know what you think!
Cynthia | What A Girl Eats
Ok, I've never had a Texas sheet cake, but I think I need to! Don't worry about the nuts, I love pecans…and plenty of them! Looks delish!
laura@motherwouldknow
I know nothing about Texas traditions but I'm definitely going to adopt this one!
Marye Audet
Oh this is a really good one to adopt!
Catherine
Dear Marye, this brownie crossover looks like a fabulous treat. I love to indulge in rich chocolaty treats. Save a slice for me. xo, Catherine
Marye Audet
Thank yoU!
Kim R.
Wow! My Dad's side of the family is from Texas and my aunts ALWAYS make this cake when we get together. I have asked my sassy southern belles many times if they would PLEASE give me the recipe for this chocolate perfection, and what I usually hear in response is, "well, it's just a little of this and a pinch of that...really nothing to it at all," or, "I'll have to get around to writing that down sometime!" Thank you, thak you for posting this! I am going to make it right away and pretend I'm at the farm for our family reunion!
Jim Mosier
I see you have been very naughty this morning. That looks incredible. Especially since it's lunchtime and all I've had is about a half cup of granola and a handful of yummy vitamins.
maryeaudet
LOL Jim... ummm actually I was naughty yesterday... we had steaks and then this for dessert. However, I am about to be naughty again and go eat another piece... just because I can.