Table of Contents
  1. More Cake Recipes
  2. Watch how to make this chocolate Texas sheet cake:
  3. Have I Convinced You to Make This Recipe?
  4. Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake Recipe

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I love cake – moist layers with frosting in between and on top – how could that not be good?! Layer cakes are beautiful and fun, but sometimes they just aren’t practical. Large potlucks, family gatherings, picnics, or feeding a child’s teammates call for a quicker cake that can serve a lot but be just as delicious (or what I call a basic go-to cake). For me, this is the Texas sheet cake I grew up with. Mom would make this when we had a church potluck and my mouth would be drooling as I could hardly wait for the potluck to come! This is simple and practical, but something your family will want time and again!

Frosting the cake while it’s hot creates that fudgy layer between the cake and frosting that is so iconic in Texas sheet cakes!

More Cake Recipes

Watch how to make this chocolate Texas sheet cake:

YouTube video

Have I Convinced You to Make This Recipe?

I hope you make this recipe and put some food on your table. Leave a comment and share a star rating so you can let others know how much you love this recipe. This helps show others that this is a recipe they, too, can make, enjoy, and love!

A slice of chocolate cake sits on a plate.

Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake

5 from 3 votes
This homemade cake is a simple yet delicious dessert that's fit for any occasion. Chocolate and buttermilk form a moist cake while smooth and fudgy icing on top finishes off this exceptional treat.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 22

Ingredients

For the sheet cake

  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • ¼ tsp kosher salt
  • 16 tbsp (2 sticks) unsalted butter
  • 3 tbsp Dutch-process cocoa powder
  • 1 cup water
  • ½ cup buttermilk
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

For the chocolate frosting

  • 8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter
  • 6 tbsp whole milk
  • 3 tbsp Dutch-process cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 ½ cups sifted powdered sugar

Instructions
 

For the sheet cake

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add water and cocoa and bring to boil. Set aside.
    16 tbsp (2 sticks) unsalted butter, 1 cup water, 3 tbsp Dutch-process cocoa powder
  • Sift sugar, flour, and salt into a large bowl (I sift directly into the bowl of my stand mixer). Pour hot butter, water, and cocoa mixture over dry ingredients and mix well to incorporate. Add eggs, buttermilk, baking soda, and vanilla extract and mix.
    2 cups granulated sugar, 2 cups all-purpose flour, ¼ tsp kosher salt, ½ cup buttermilk, 2 large eggs, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • Pour into greased jelly roll style pan. Bake in preheated oven for 28-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in cake comes out clean with a few moist crumbs. While the cake is baking, prepare the frosting.
  • Let cool for 5 minutes, then frost with the following frosting.

For the chocolate frosting

  • In a small saucepan, melt butter with milk and cocoa and bring to boil. Pour into a large bowl and add vanilla extract and powdered sugar. Mix slowly to incorporate sugar, then on high to achieve a smooth frosting.
    6 tbsp whole milk, 3 tbsp Dutch-process cocoa powder, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 3 ½ cups sifted powdered sugar, 8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter
  • While the cake is still warm, pour frosting over the top and spread evenly.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 313kcal
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Difficulty Intermediate
Method Baking
A slice of chocolate cake with ice cream on top.
A slice of chocolate cake on a plate.

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Kaleb

Kaleb Wyse is a New York Times bestselling author behind the popular Wyse Guide website. Living on his fourth-generation Iowa farm, he loves sharing recipes and gardening tips that come from traditions that feel comfortably familiar. His down-to-earth style makes sustainable living and farm life feel like home!

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5 from 3 votes (1 rating without comment)

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6 Comments

  1. Kaleb, I love your videos! Watching them makes me want to bake. You make everything seems so easy and relaxing:)

  2. Can’t wait to make your recipe, will be my first Texas sheet cake! Would you mind sharing your jelly roll pan dimensions? I’m afraid my half sheet pan will be too large at 17.6 x 13, but I may have an old pan of my mom’s that will work. Thank you, dear Kaleb!

    1. Hello! I used a traditional Jelly Roll size of 15.5″ x 10.5″, I do think a half sheet would be slightly too large resulting in a flatter cake.

  3. 5 stars
    First received this as an untitled recipe in 1974, always good, served it many times. Serving a club group picnic, but need to transport so baked this in 10X14 pan so frosting isn’t disturbed. Came out of oven perfectly with a few minutes extra time. Made full batch frosting but only used 1/2 or less which will be best for this group of thin friends always watching their sweets. I’ve collected several flavors of sheet cake from-scratch recipes that includes this, white, golden, silver, strawberry, and lemon so far.

  4. 5 stars
    I finally made this delicious cake for myself for my birthday! My family loved it too, such moist chocolate flavor. We can’t decide if we like it better room temp or cold straight out of the refrigerator! Bought a jelly roll pan and the cake came out perfect. Thanks again!