White Buttermilk Texas Sheet Cake

This decadent version of the classic sheet cake recipe is hard to beat! It's moist with an amazing, white-fudgy frosting and it feeds a crowd of hungry people.

Don't want to scroll through the page to get to the recipe? Use the table of contents to click on the section you want.

🗝️ Key takeaways

• Easy, delicious, and done in under an hour!
• I love this for potlucks, church picnics, family gatherings... anytime I need something unique and delicious that feeds a crowd.
• You'll learn to make an old-fashioned poured icing for this cake. Keep it in mind for other delicious desserts!

This rich white Texas sheet cake is moist and flavorful with just a hint of coconut.

It's topped with a fudgy, candy-like white icing that's studded with toasted pecans -- almost like eating fudge at Christmas time.

This thin, white bite of scrumptious is full of homemade-from-scratch flavor and is even better the next day.

If you like traditional Texas sheet cake you'll love this yummy twist.

🧾 White Texas sheet cake ingredients

It's so weird how a few simple ingredients can end up being such an amazing cake.

What to do with leftover buttermilk....

📖 Variations

Honestly, I wouldn't change too much about it!

• You can substitute almond flavoring for coconut flavoring if you prefer.
• You can substitute sour cream for the buttermilk - use an equal amount.
• Use another type of nut.
• You can melt the butter and let it turn golden brown before adding the water. It gives it a nutty flavor that is delicious.
• Use an equal amount of sour cream for the buttermilk.
• Try almond extract instead of coconut flavoring.
• Some people leave out the pecans. You *could* do that but it will make any Texans in the room twitch.

I'm telling y'all this version of Texas sheet cake is so good! It's become on of my favorite cakes and even my dyed-in-the-wool chocolate lovers are obsessed with it!

🔪 Instructions

Note: This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the green recipe card below.

1. Mix the dry ingredients in the large bowl of a mixer. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl whisk the flavorings, eggs, and buttermilk together. Set aside.
3. Melt 1 cup butter in a large saucepan on top of the stove. Add the 1 cup water and bring to a boil.
4. Pour the hot butter mixture over the flour mixture in the bowl beating on low. Add the buttermilk mixture. Beat for one more minute then pour the cake batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes.

1. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add the buttermilk. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally.
2. Remove from heat and add the Confectioner’s sugar, pecans, coconut flavoring, and vanilla.
3. Mix quickly and spoon over warm cake.
4. Smooth to cover the whole top.

🥫 How to store leftovers

Cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and store at room temperature for up to about 5 days (I can't imagine it not being gone within hours but that's my house).

You can store it in the refrigerator if you want but I think it has the tendency to dry it out.

You can also wrap it in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. The day you plan to serve it let it thaw at room temperature.

I like to cut it into squares and freeze it in small Ziploc bags or in an airtight container with parchment between the layers.

It's perfect for tossing into school lunches!

💭 Things to know

Expert tip: The frosting should be almost pourable and goes directly on the warm cake. If you have to spread it too much the top is going to tear. Spoon it on and move it around gently.

• You might want to sift the powdered sugar if it seems to have lumps.
• It's a good idea to use everything at room temperature. If your eggs are cold put them in hot water for a minute or two - not hot enough to start them cooking just hot like hot dishwater.
• Toast the pecans lightly. I like to chop them and then toast them because that way all the sides get toasted. The flavor is out of this world and every time I make something with pecans people wonder what I've done differently than they did. It makes a huge difference.
• Use a heavy cookie sheet with sides or a 15x10-inch jelly roll pan. This should not be much more than an inch thick. If you end up with a cake 3 inches thick it wasn't made by a Texan!
• I use salted butter in this. I like the flavor it gives.
• If you can stand to do it, cover the finished cake and let it hang out on the counter overnight. The flavors really develop.
• I've seen people sprinkle the nuts on top of the frosting. Ummm - no. Stir them in so they are part of the frosting not an addition to it.
• Like the classic southern dessert, Coca Cola cake, Texas sheet cake is never served with buttercream frosting. Just no.

👩‍🍳 White Texas sheet cake FAQs

Here are the questions I am most frequently asked about this recipe.

📚 Related recipes

More decadent cake recipes...

• Potluck Desserts: 50 Easy Recipes to Feed a Crowd - If you've got a potluck or church picnic... or even a family movie night coming up you'll find just about any kind of easy dessert you could want right here.
• Boston Cream Poke Cake - baked in a 13x9-inch pan, poked with holes, covered in vanilla custard, and then topped with a shiny ganache. You may want to consider keeping this one for yourself.
• Chocolate Sheet Cake - This easy chocolate cake has a whipped chocolate frosting that's thick enough to get lost in. One of my top picks for a birthday party cake.
• Old Fashioned Gingerbread is a must around the holidays.
• Lemon Cream Cake - Tangy lemon with a whipped lemon frosting is impossible not to like. This one comes with smiles.
• Pig Pickin' Cake - Oddly enough there are literally no pigs in this delicious dessert. Another southern classic that'll do your kitchen proud.
• Holy Cow Cake - This concoction will make you say "Holy COW!" or Holy S*** depending on whether you were raised with a bar of soap in your mom's apron pocket or not. Moist chocolate cake soaked in Eagle Brand, covered in caramel, topped with chopped Butterfingers, covered in whipped cream, and sprinkled with more Butterfingers. I don't care HOW good skinny feels - this tastes better.
• Pineapple Upside Down Cake is an old-fashioned favorite that feeds a crowd!

Still not what you're looking for? How about these white cupcakes with whipped cream cheese frosting?

🍽️ Serve with...

• Try this with a scoop of homemade chocolate ice cream.
• Cinnamon gelato works really well, too.
• If you're doing a dessert bar why not do the chocolate flavor original Texas sheet cake recipe as well?

📞 The last word

Thanks to the melted butter this is an ultra moist cake...tender and perfectly delicious with a delicate coconut flavor.

The icing is like biting into vanilla coconut fudge with pecans. It's southern sweet - pairs perfectly with black coffee and neighborhood gossip.

Or... take it to a potluck and become instantly known as the "cake lady" (or "cake man" - we don't discriminate here).

Next time try this bourbon bundt cake recipe!

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 star rating! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📖 Recipe

White Texas Sheet Cake

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White Texas sheet cake is made with buttermilk to keep it extra moist. It has just a touch of coconut flavor. This easy dessert is topped with fudgy white icing generously studded with toasted pecans. A quick from-scratch cake that's perfect for potlucks, casual get-togethers, and bake sales.  Takes just a little over 30 minutes!

Course Dessert - Cake

Cuisine American - Southern

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings:36

Calories:309

Author:Marye Audet-White

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 cup butter
• ▢ 1 cup water
• ▢ 2 cups sugar
• ▢ 2 cups all purpose flour
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon coconut flavoring, you may substitute ½ teaspoon almond extract
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• ▢ ½ cup buttermilk, you may substitute sour cream
• ▢ 2 eggs

Texas White Sheet Cake Frosting

• ▢ ⅓  cup  buttermilk
• ▢ ½  cup  butter, browned until golden
• ▢ 3 ¾ cups  confectioner's sugar, ( powdered sugar) sifted
• ▢ 1  teaspoon  vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 teaspoon coconut flavoring
• ▢ 1 ½  cups  pecans, toasted and chopped

Instructions

Step one: Cake

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Grease a high sided cookie sheet (approx 18x13-inches) or jelly roll pan (10x15-inches) and line with parchment. Or spray it with cooking spray.
• Grease the parchment paper.
• Set aside.

Step two

• Mix the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of a mixer.
• Set aside.
• In a small mixing bowl whisk the flavorings, eggs, and buttermilk together.
• Set aside.
• Melt the butter in a heavy sauce pan on top of the stove.
• Add the water and bring to a boil.

Step three

• Pour hot butter mixture over flour mixture in the bowl beating on low.
• Switch to medium and beat for 1 minute.
• Add the buttermilk mixture.
• Beat for one more minute then pour batter into prepared pan.
• Smooth the batter out evenly.
• Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.

Step four: Icing recipe

• Melt butter in a small saucepan.
• Add the buttermilk.
• Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally.
• Remove from heat and add the Confectioner’s sugar, pecans, coconut flavoring, and vanilla.
• Mix quickly and spoon over the hot cake.
• Smooth to cover the whole top.
• Cut in squares to serve.

Notes

Storage:

Cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and store at room temperature for up to about 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

You can store it in the refrigerator if you want but I think it has the tendency to dry it out.

Tips:

• The pan size is not exact because cookie sheets are different sizes. The cake, when baked, should be about 1 to 1-½ inches thick. The pan sizes in the instructions should work fine.
• Use everything at room temperature. If your eggs are cold put them in hot water for a minute or two - not hot enough to start them cooking just hot like hot dishwater.

• Toast the pecans lightly. I like chop them and then toast them because that way all the sides get toasted. The flavor is out of this world  and every time I make something with pecans people wonder what I've done differently than they did. It makes a huge difference.
• Use a heavy cookie sheet with sides. It should not be much more than an inch thick. If you've got a 3 inch thick Texas sheet cake it wasn't made by a Texan.
• I use salted butter in this. I like the flavor it gives.
• If you can stand to do it, cover the finished cake and let it hang out on the counter overnight. The flavors really develop.
• I've seen people sprinkle the nuts on top of the frosting. Ummm - no. Stir them in so they are part of the frosting not an addition to it.
• Texas sheet cake is never served with buttercream frosting. Just no.
• The frosting should be almost pourable and goes directly on the warm cake. If you have to spread it too much the top of the cake is going to tear. Spoon it on and move it around gently.
• Substitute almond extract for the coconut and almonds for the pecans... if you must.

You'll find more helpful tips and variations in the body of the post.

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 309kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 169mg | Potassium: 60mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 35g | Vitamin A: 265IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 0.6mg

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.

This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.

First published March 9, 2018. Last updated August 6, 2023- minor updates and grammar corrections plus more tips and info.