Classic Texas Sheet Cake Recipe

close up of a slice of chocolate sheet cake

Classic Texas Sheet Cake Recipe

Perfectly moist Texas sheet cake covered in a gooey, warm chocolate glaze. This cake recipe is often passed down through generations and is perfect for serving at large gatherings, parties, weddings, and BBQs.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Servings servings

Calories 298kcal

Author Elizabeth Marek

Equipment

13"x18" sheet pan with 2" sides

Ingredients

10 ounces all purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
7 ounces sugar
7 ounces brown sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 ounce natural cocoa powder Like Hershey's
8 ounces unsalted butter room temperature
6 ounces coffee or water
2 large eggs
4 ounces buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Chocolate Glaze

4 ounces unsalted butter
1 ounce natural cocoa powder like Hershey's
2 ounces buttermilk
16 ounces powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For The Texas Sheet Cake

Preheat your oven to 375ºF and prepare your half sheet pan with cake goop or whatever pan release you like.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, soda, cinnamon, white and brown sugar, and set aside.
In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, milk, and vanilla and set aside.
In a saucepan, combine the cocoa powder, butter, and coffee over medium heat. Heat until the mixture begins to simmer, stirring ocassionally to prevent burning. Once it begins to boil, remove it from the heat.
Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and mix until combined.
Add the chocolate mixture to the flour and milk mixture and mix until combined.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out from the center with just a few sticky crumbs.
While the cake is baking, prepare your glaze.

Texas Sheet Cake Glaze

In a saucepan, combine the butter, cocoa, and the buttermilk. Whisk them together and bring it to a boil over medium heat. Stir occasionally to prevent burning.
Add the sugar, salt, and vanilla to the warm mixture and whisk until smooth.
Once the cake comes out of the oven, let it cool for 5 minutes, and then pour the chocolate glaze over the cake. The cake and frosting should both still be warm. The glaze soaks into the warm sheet cake making it super moist!
Serve the cake directly on the sheet pan. Store leftovers at room temperature in an air tight container.

Notes

If your glaze is too thick, you can add in 1-2 Tablespoons of water to thin it out to the desired consistency.

Feel free to add in toasted pecans to your Texas sheet cake

If you don't have a sheet pan you can use any kind of cake pan, cupcake or even a loaf pan.

A half sheet pan is typically about 13" wide by 18" long and is about 2" tall. You can also use a cookie sheet or jelly roll pan as long as it has sides. You may have to slightly adjust your batter recipe, baking times, or bake leftover batter as cupcakes if you're using a smaller pan.

Nutrition