Texas Sheet Cake Recipe (2024)

My mother used to make this for me in Ohio. She said it was called Texas Cake because it was big and flat like Texas. She would use walnuts, stirred into the frosting. But most importantly, she would cut the cake before she poured the frosting on it, so some of the frosting would seep into the cake.

The Texas Sheet Cake I've been eating for 50 years always contains a bit of cinnamon, 1 tsp in the cake. The cinnamon and the fudge frosting (spread on the hot cake, as done in this recipe) are what make the cake distinctive. Pecans also belong only in the frosting (either mixed in or on top, but never in the cake) and are strictly optional.

Just a note on the pecans: even though they appear in the midst of the ingredients for the cake, they are added with/on top of the frosting AFTER the cake is baked, not in the cake batter. I personally prefer walnuts though they might be less proper for Texas cake. Also I stir most of the nuts right into the frosting mix and leave a few, say 1/2 cup, to garnish the top - the article that appears in the Times to accompany this recipe shows the frosting being poured out that way.

As a native Texan who has been making and eating sheet cakes for many years, the two comments from others that are spot on are (1) the nuts should be mixed in the frosting before it is poured over the cake (and we use pecans in Texas, not Walnuts as some suggest), and (2) cinnamon should be added to the cake recipe. Some of us add Ancho powder as well.

I have only ever used buttermilk when I make this cake. As with many baking recipes, yogurt, sour cream, and buttermilk are largely interchangeable, though the looseness of the batter will vary slightly.

I made this cake this afternoon and it is chocolate heaven. My finicky family raved about it. I didn't have any sour cream so I used cream cheese and it seemed to work just fine.

Like other reviewers, I prefer walnuts to pecans when making a Texas sheet cake. Also, for those people who don't like nuts, or can't eat them, the cake is still great without them. This is an amazing cake. It can also be considered a brownie. Years ago, I took the blue ribbon when I entered it under the "brownie" category at the county fair.

Been making this for years now. Homesick Texan’s recipe, identical, for the most part to this one. Add cinnamon to the frosting, will be better. Also, Skip the whole milk, just use straight buttermilk for everything. Oh, add some cayenne or ancho powder to the batter.

Ms. Ko's recipe is correct as written. Deb is referring to a picture of Ms. Lopez making her cake, which results in a slightly "soggy" nuts. As Ms. Ko notes in her intro, some recipes include pecans in the icing, but her "version keeps them on top of the cake so they stay crisp." So, you have a choice: somewhat soggy nuts using Ms. Lopez's method or lots of crispy nuts using Ms. Ko's method.

Of course, you can use gluten-free flour for this recipe. Best to use the weight measurement rather than the cup measurement. I recommend Namaste Perfect Blend All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour if you can find it.

Texas Sheet Cake has been my favorite for decades, and my preference is using buttermilk and cinnamon. However...in regard to the nuts...too many arguments about right or wrong! What makes any recipe variation "right" is making it the way you like it. Unless you have to meet specific guidelines for a contest or something, there are rarely any "wrongs" in recipe variations. Personally, I skip the nuts altogether and just savor the luxurious chocolatey-ness of the cake and icing. Mmmmm...

Buttermilk in the cake and 2T in the frosting!An alternative, I bake it in a 9x13 pan, spread about 1 1/2C of warm crunchy peanut butter, then the warm icing. Baked in the smaller pan makes it fudgey. Watch eyes roll back in ecstasy!

I agree 100% with Maggie: cinnamon is essential.

This recipe is absolutely marvelous. I added 1/4 teaspoon of Cinnamon. It added another dimension of deep flavor without being overpowering. The hot coffee is key! It just makes the chocolate taste more chocolate-eeee! I chose to sprinkle the toasted pecans over the top of the frosted cake leaving a section available for those who do not like nuts. This cake tastes amazing and stays moist for days. . .if it lasts that long. Thank you for a great recipe.

I have been making this for 2 decades and it is missing cinnamon and the sour cream MUST be swapped for full fat buttermilk!

On a more recent recipe for this Texas cake, it says to cook it only for 20 to 18 minutes way too short of time! It also says to ice it while the cake is still warm. I don’t know how to do that without taking it out of the pan and if you take it out of the pan while it’s still warm, it’ll crumble so somebody needs to check that recipe!

This recipe was spot on! Exactly how I remembered sheet cake tasting at many church gatherings growing up in Texas. So chocolaty and so nostalgic. I made this recipe as is, but halved it (metric) and it came out perfectly in a quarter sized sheet pan. A shorter bake time due to the smaller pan and I did mix my toasted pecans into the frosting because that is how I always remembered it being served. A super simple unfussy and delicious bake.

This tastes a lot like the Texas sheet cake I had as a child, only better – I think it's the addition of the coffee to the batter, and I added a few extra ounces. The only other change I made was to mix half the pecans into the frosting and sprinkle the other half over the top, then to shower some flaky sea salt over the cake after it was frosted. Next time I will bake this in two quarter sheet pans so I can freeze one because a half sheet pan makes a lot of cake! A .

So delicious!! Really sweet, but the pecans really balanced out the sweetness. Also the plus of being able to feed a ton of people without doubling the recipe!

Followed the recipe with a couple of exceptions. Used a 9x13 glass pan, used buttermilk instead of sour cream in cake and buttermilk instead of milk in icing, added some cinnamon, and used hot coffee as suggested. Cut the cake in squares and poured icing on top. It is scrumptious!

At the risk of being heretical, I'll mention that I ran out of vanilla extract for the frosting so subbed almond extract and it was a nice touch!

2nd time is perfect Add cinnamon to dry powders — just enough for a fragrance and visible addition to whisked Coffee also is the answer (partners beans were great) For icing — double everything but confectioner sugar (3cups)

Sunday School Cake is what we affectionately called this recipe. It’s a classic in Texas, but extremely, dangerously addictive!

Easy, fast, delicious. I omitted nuts and sprinkled Maldon salt on the icing. A keeper.

My recipe for this, which I’ve used for years now, has pecans, buttermilk, cinnamon and Dr. Pepper. No coffee or sour cream.

This cake will have the wrong texture. Texas sheet cakes (called 30-minute sheet cake in actual Texas) are buttermilk cakes. I can see replacing the margarine with butter, but replacing the buttermilk with sour cream isn't going to work right. Texas sheet cake doesn't contain coffee -- it DOES contain cinnamon (1/2 to 1 tsp depending on recipe). Make the icing while the cake is in the oven, using the same pan you used to melt the butter and chocolate for the batter itself.

I’m not sure what pecans are “crisp” other than the dreadfully dry, stale, bagged pecans found in most grocery aisles. Any pecan that’s going to sit atop a cake like this one should be moist, meaty, and chewy—IOW: Fresh!

Yummy. Will try adding dark chocolate to cocoa

Great recipe. I added 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne just for fun. Very subtle until you were eating, then you felt a little heat afterwards.

The frosting in the recipe did not work for me, so I would personally recommend using a chocolate ganache instead. It might be less traditional, but I think it’s easier and it adds more to the presentation value.