Sweet Things Remembered

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This rich and moist chocolate cake is baked in a large sheet pan and topped with a warm, fudgy chocolate frosting.

Texas sheet cake is not a dessert I ate very often growing up, but I do remember my grandma making it. I’m sure she made it for church potlucks, too, but I mostly remember her making it for family gatherings. My assumption on why she chose this dessert is that it’s easy to make and it makes a lot. I’ve probably said it before, but I come from a pretty large family, which means a Texas-sized dessert is a necessity for family gatherings. If she made it so often, though, why didn’t I have it much growing up? Simple. I didn’t like it. When I was younger, I didn’t have much of a taste for things that were really rich, like heavy chocolate desserts or ones that were chocolate and peanut butter. I have always leaned more toward vanilla and fruity flavored desserts, even now, so the chocolate cake with chocolate frosting was just a little much for me.

Thinking back, it seems like every time I remember my grandma making a Texas sheet cake, I would mistake it for brownies. Because the cake is thin, it looks a lot like brownies when cut, so I can see why I always thought that. I liked brownies, so I would get excited to have one, and then be so disappointed to learn it was really Texas sheet cake. As an adult, I do not feel that way. Now, I find that I can handle and enjoy a rich dessert every now and then, so I was more than happy to make and share this recipe for my post. The cake is moist and rich, but not as rich as kid me thought it was. The icing is fudgy and makes the perfect topping. Even though this isn’t brownies, I hope you enjoy, hopefully with others because it’s a big dessert, Texas sheet cake.

Ingredients

For the Cake:

• Butter – My grandma’s handwritten recipe actually calls for oleo, which is margarine, but I only keep butter on hand, so that’s what I used. If you prefer margarine, feel free to use that instead.
• Oil
• Cocoa Powder
• Water
• Granulated Sugar
• All-Purpose Flour
• Baking Soda
• Eggs
• Buttermilk – If you do not have or do not want to buy buttermilk, you can simply make a soured milk. This recipe calls for ½ cup, so you would just need to use ½ cup of regular milk and add ½ tbsp of white vinegar or lemon juice. Stir it together and let it sit for about 5 minutes before using.
• Vanilla Extract

For the Icing:

• Butter
• Cocoa Powder
• Regular Milk
• Powdered Sugar
• Vanilla

Measurements are included in the recipe card below!

Equipment

• Saucepan
• Spatula
• Measuring Cups and Spoons
• Mixer (optional)
• Large Baking Sheet – My grandma’s recipe had 14×20 listed as the size to use. I did not have that, so I used a 12×17 inch pan and it worked perfectly. Any pan between those two sizes would work just fine. The largest one in this set would be perfect!
• Offset Spatula (optional) – This makes spreading the icing out so much easier!

How to Make Texas Sheet Cake

• Step 1: Preheat oven to 400° and grease and flour a large baking sheet (12×17 or 13×18).
• Step 2: In a saucepan, add ½ cup butter (1 stick), ½ cup oil, 4 tbsp cocoa powder, and 1 cup water. Stir together and bring to a boil.
• Step 3: In mixer bowl, combine 2 cups sugar, 2 cups all-purpose flour, and 1 tsp baking soda.
• Step 4: Add the hot cocoa mixture to the mixing bowl and mix well.
• Step 5: Add in 2 eggs, ½ cup buttermilk, and 1 tsp vanilla, and mix until well combined.
• Step 6: Pour the batter into the baking sheet and bake at 400° for 20 minutes. Test with toothpick when done.
  • While the cake bakes, make the icing. Try to time it so that your cake is removed from the oven and still hot as you are finishing up the icing. You pour the warm icing over the hot cake, so you don’t want either one to have too much time to cool in between.
• Step 7: In a saucepan, add ½ cup butter (1 stick), 4 tbsp cocoa powder, and 6 tbsp of milk. While stirring, bring the ingredients to a boil.
• Step 8: In mixer bowl, add 3½ cups powdered sugar and the hot mixture, and 1 tsp vanilla. Mix until well combined.
• Step 9: Immediately pour the icing over the hot cake and spread evenly. Let cool and enjoy!

Questions You May Have

Texas Sheet Cake

Recipe by rebekahdearmondDifficulty: Easy

Servings

24

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Baking time

20

minutes

Ingredients

• For the Cake:

• ½ cup butter (1 stick)

• ½ cup oil

• 4 tbsp cocoa

• 1 cup water

• 2 cups granulated sugar

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 2 eggs

• ½ cup buttermilk

• 1 tsp vanilla

• For the Icing:

• ½ cup butter (1 stick)

• 4 tbsp cocoa

• 6 tbsp milk

• 3½ cups powdered sugar

• 1 tsp vanilla

Directions

• Preheat oven to 400° and grease and flour a large baking sheet (at least 12×17, max 14×20)
• In a saucepan, add ½ cup butter (1 stick), ½ cup oil, 4 tbsp cocoa powder, and 1 cup water. Stir together and bring to a boil.
• In mixer bowl, combine 2 cups sugar, 2 cups all-purpose flour, and 1 tsp baking soda.
• Add the hot cocoa mixture to the mixing bowl and mix well.
• Add in 2 eggs, ½ cup buttermilk, and 1 tsp vanilla, and mix until well combined.
• Pour the batter into the baking sheet and bake at 400° for 20 minutes. Test with toothpick when done.
  _{While the cake bakes, make the icing. Try to time it so that your cake is removed from the oven and still hot as you are finishing up the icing. You pour the warm icing over the hot cake, so you don’t want either one to have too much time to cool in between.}
• In a saucepan, add ½ cup butter (1 stick), 4 tbsp cocoa powder, and 6 tbsp of milk. While stirring, bring the ingredients to a boil.
• In mixer bowl, add 3½ cups powdered sugar and the hot mixture, and 1 tsp vanilla. Mix until well combined.
• Immediately pour the icing over the hot cake and spread evenly. Let cool and enjoy!