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Texas Sheet Cake is a moist, rich cake with a fudgy, decadent frosting. It is easy to make and it can feed a crowd the size of Texas!
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This Texas Sheet Cake recipe is quite possibly the perfect dessert to serve at any party or gathering. Who doesn’t love a slice of velvety chocolate cake with a layer of fudge-y frosting? This dessert takes center stage at all of our family Memorial Day picnics, Fourth of July barbecues, Halloween parties, or just a Sunday afternoon treat. And it’s really easy to make. You cook ALL the ingredients in a saucepan on the stove; no mixer required for the cake OR the frosting!
Ingredients for Texas Sheet Cake
This cake comes together with just a few pantry staples (and sour cream, of course!) so it’s the perfect dessert to whip up anytime. Here’s all you need for the cake:
Whisk together the dry ingredients in a bowl, then add the flour mixture to the water and melted butter.
- Butter – I generally use unsalted butter to control the sodium amount in the cake but you can use whatever you have on hand.
- Water
- Cocoa powder
- Sugar
- All purpose flour
- Salt
- Eggs – 2 large eggs or three medium eggs
- Sour cream
- Baking soda
The Secret Ingredient
This is probably the most moist (say that 10x fast) cake I have ever tasted. It melts in your mouth! The secret ingredient is sour cream! It may sound weird, but sour cream takes Texas Sheet Cake to the next level. Not only does it add so much richness to the texture, you also can’t even taste the sour flavor at all. Plus it gives the cake an extra boost of calcium. Some recipes call for buttermilk, but overall I like the flavor and texture of the sour cream better. All of the best cakes, in my opinion, have sour cream in them! However, my personal favorite is our Chocolate Chocolate Chip Nothing Bundt Cake….SO GOOD!
Texas Sheet Cake Frosting
Texas Sheet Cake frosting is so divine, you will look forward to licking the spoon! It whips up in just moments, and is poured over the cake while it’s still warm. No waiting for the cake to cool, no using an electric mixer, and no crumbs in your frosting either! Start cooking the frosting while the cake has about five minutes left in the oven. It sets up quickly, so make sure to keep a constant stir going at medium heat until you pour it over the cake. For easy frosting spreading, use a rubber spatula. Of course, don’t hesitate to lick the excess! It’s so yummy! Some people like to mix chopped pecans in with the frosting before pouring it over the cake. Here’s all you need for the frosting:
- Butter
- Baking cocoa – use cocoa powder or squares of baking chocolate
- Milk
- Powdered sugar – make sure to sift the confectioners’ sugar before adding it to give the frosting a silky smooth texture.
- Vanilla extract
Tips for Serving and Storing
Pour the batter into a greased jelly roll pan and bake according to the directions below. To cool, leave it in the sheet pan. Don’t try to transfer to a wire rack. When you serve this Texas Sheet Cake recipe, it is best to remember the popular saying, “Some like it hot, some like it cold.” I love to eat this cake right out of the oven! It is warm and gooey and delicious! BUT, it is also so good to eat after it’s cooled for a while, OR after it has been in the fridge. Enjoy it your way! Store leftover cake in an airtight container at room temperature on the counter for up to a week. You can also store it in the refrigerator too. You can half this recipe and bake in a half-sheet pan for smaller crowds.
More Decadent Cake Recipes
If you love our Texas Sheet Cake, we’ve got more delicious cake recipes for you!
- Strawberries and Cream Cake– Strawberries and Cream Cake is a great summer dessert, loaded with fresh strawberries in both the cake and frosting! Perfect for a family get together.
- Cinnamon Swirl Cake– This Cinnamon Swirl Cake is one of my favorite desserts because it’s quick, easy and so yummy! It’s like a cinnamon roll in a cake, and everyone loves it!
- Flourless Chocolate Cake– This Flourless Chocolate Cake is by far the easiest version I have ever made and it tastes just as good as more difficult recipes. It is light and decadent and has a rich chocolate flavor. Additionally, spread over the top is a silky smooth chocolate ganache.
- Orange Pineapple Cake– Orange Pineapple cake is a light, fruity cake with an island flair. You will love the delicious whipped creamy topping! Perfect for potlucks and parties!
- Coconut Cream Cake with Coconut Frosting– This Coconut Cream Cake is a coconut lovers dream! It is a coconut infused cake, with a rich and creamy coconut cream cheese frosting, sprinkled with even more toasted coconut.
How to Make Texas Sheet Cake
Texas Sheet Cake
Video
Equipment
- Baking Sheet
- Sauce pan
Ingredients
Cake:
- 1 cup butter (2 sticks)
- 1 cup water
- 4 tablespoons baking cocoa
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Frosting:
- 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
- 4 tablespoons baking cocoa
- 6 tablespoons milk
- 1 pound powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
Cake:
- Heat butter, water, and cocoa in pan until butter is melted.
- Add sugar, flour, and salt and mix well.
- Beat in eggs, sour cream, and baking soda.
- Pour into a 12×18 cookie sheet pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
Frosting:
- Melt butter, cocoa, and milk in a sauce pan, then bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in powdered sugar and vanilla.
- Spread frosting on warm cake.
- Serve warm or let cool. Serve with ice cream if desired.
If I were to replace sour cream with buttermilk…what would be the butter milk quantity?
In place of the 1 cup of sour cream, you can use 3/4 cup buttermilk PLUS 1/3 cup butter. Thanks for asking!
My step-mother use to make this for every family and church gathering, and we were always around to lick the spoon!
Like someone else mentioned, she used buttermilk instead of sour cream, and also sometimes added walnuts, sometimes not. I can almost taste this cake as I’m typing this, and thinking my boys would adore it!
If you poke holes in the cake when it comes out of the oven, then pour the icing over it while warm, it oozes through the cake….even better!
It looks good
My recipe has a tsp of cinnamon in it and I used to think that’s sounded weird, but started adding it and it tastes amazing.
Great idea! We will have to try it!
What is the benefit of buttermilk rather than sour cream?
you can probably use sour cream– the buttermilk just gives it a richer flavor in my opinion. Give it a try and see which way you like best (you may not even notice a difference)
Hi , I can only fit a 9×14 pan in the oven. Can I use the whole recipe or half the recipe?
I would definitely half the recipe. Or make it in 2 9×13 pans.
This is a GREAT cake that feeds a huge crowd. I used buttermilk instead. I added pecans to the icing. The mixure was really runny and I was afraid it would not bake right but with a little more time in the oven, it was perfect. I will also flour the baking pan before baking which the recipe did not require. The cake was so moist, it didn’t come out of the pan as easily. This will be my go-to cake for large events.
I also use buttermilk in both the cake and the icing. I make my own by adding about 1 T. of lemon juice or vinegar to the milk and letting it sit for about 10-15 minutes. Yummy icing!
What kind of flour all purpose or self rising?
All purpose flour works great!
We have made this for a very long time, the only difference is we used buttermilk instead of sour cream, and we put chopped walnuts in the frosting just before spreading it out.
yum! Great ideas! Thanks for sharing!
what is a stick of butter equal to ?1 cup
a “stick” of butter is the same as 1/2 c.
I simply love these recipes but have a problem because it always says 2 sticks of butter. I live in South Africa and our butter comes in 250gr and 500gr packs. So what does a stick of butter weigh. Please can to put the weight next to the butter otherwise we have to guess and its not easy. Thank you and love this site.
ONE stick of butter is 4oz. or 113gr. (so for 2 sticks we are looking at 8oz. or 226g) — hope this helps!
so, for us non-americans 🙂 how much are “two sticks butter”??
And a “c.” is a cup?
Cheers!!
Caroline
A stick of butter is 1/2 cup or 4 oz. (you 2 sticks is 1 cup or 8 oz.) –, and yes, c. is for “cup”. 🙂 Hope this clears things up a little bit!
How much butter in a stick please?
a stick is 4 oz. or 1/2 cup — hope this helps!
This isn’t the Texas Sheet Cake I know and love, my recipe calls for buttermilk not sour cream and has cinnamon in the batter, that’s what gives such a unique and really great flavor!
I would like your recipes.
That’s how we’ve always made it with buttermilk.
Sounds great! What size sheet pan do you recommend? Thanks!!
11×17 is the size we use
What size pan did you use?
I need a tall cold (very cold) glass of milk and I could eat the entire sheet of cake…Love it!!
I love this stuff! I've made PW's version and I can't. stop. eating it!
I'll bet the sour cream really adds a nice touch.
shoot. I hate this. Not this recipe, but this site. Okay, not really… actually I love it. But I hate that I can't decide what to make first! My recipes need a serious revamp, and this is the site to do it on… but WHERE TO START?? I'm gonna go insane…
Ahhh, a recipe that I know! I love it with raisins in the frosting. You could only put them on 1/2 if some people don't like them. BUT this is one of my favorites, thanks for sharing!
My Mom made this cake throughout my childhood (I’m 55) I always thought it was her recipe. Lol
She always used sour cream and this is the recipe she has written down.
I made it for a pool party yesterday and it was gone in a blink.
Unfortunately,I have left over sour cream and I’m in the midst of making another.
Oh boy! So good. ☺
So glad this recipe brings back so many fond memories! I’m happy to hear it was such a hit at your pool party. This would be the PERFECT poolside treat! Thanks for taking the time to come back and comment!