• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Joy the Baker
Joy the Baker
  • Cookies
  • Bread
  • Cakes
  • Pies
  • Recipes
    • All Recipes
    • Cookies
    • Birthday Cake Recipes
    • Biscuits
    • Muffins
    • Cupcakes
    • Drinks
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Fruit
    • Nuts
    • Buttermilk
    • Chocolate
    • Vanilla
    • Holiday
    • Healthy
    • Gluten-Free
    • Vegan
  • Blog
    • Baking 101
    • Tips
    • Beyond the Kitchen
    • Let It Be Sunday!
    • New Orleans
  • Camp Joy
Watch VideoRead CommentsLeave a Review

Texas Sheet Cake Recipe

February 4, 2021 by Joy the Baker 56 Comments

Jump to Recipe

For the past few, oh I dunno…. decades the only real question for family gatherings is: who is going to make the Texas Sheet Cake? It’s goes without saying that this unassuming, pecan studded cake will be sliced up at the end of every family celebration. As sure as the sun will rise, ya know? So… who is going to make it? We take this Texas sheet cake recipe very seriously.

The steady Texas Sheet Cake bakers in our clan are my dad, mom, and aunt Judy.  Is one cake better than another? I’ll never tell but they all work from the same, chocolate-stained recipe card from our late Aunt Mary.  We’ve learned, after a few well intentioned deviations, not to mess with Aunt Mary’s recipe. Don’t go thinking you can add peppermint extract to the cake, walnuts to the frosting, or god forbid a… fruit. You don’t mess with a good thing and if you do… I mean we’ll still eat it but we’ll shake out heads about it after our plates are clean.

It’s a crime that it’s taken me so long to share this cake with you. It’s classic Americana. It’s classic Wilson family shenanigans.

A slice of Texas Sheet Cake on a plate dolloped with whipped cream

Let’s talk about a few things.

What is Texas Sheet Cake?

Texas sheet cake is a thin chocolate cake baked in a jelly roll pan.  The cake batter is thin, making for a light and tender baked cake.  What really sets a Texas Sheet Cake apart from other cakes is the stovetop cooked chocolate frosting made with melted butter, milk, chocolate, powdered sugar and, most importantly – pecans.  The warm frosting is poured over warm cake creating a fudgy, undeniably special chocolate cake.

Texas Sheet Cake is known by many other names. Southern Living touts it as a funeral cake, which made me do a double take and made me extra thankful that we don’t wait for a death in the family to enjoy this cake. Some people know it as a Chocolate Sheath Cake or with a touch of cinnamon as a Mexican Chocolate Cake. Some attribute the cake to Lady Bird Johnson. Some to the popularity of a German Chocolate Cake recipe printed in a Dallas newspaper in the 1950’s. Texas Sheet Cake is one of those recipes that, because of its ease and deliciousness (thank you pecans and chocolate), just got around through recipe cards and church cookbooks and imprinted itself into so many of our family recipe arsenals.

Ingredients for Texas Sheet Cake in small bowls.

Here’s what you’ll need to make this Texas Sheet Cake recipe:

It’s simple really:

• butter for the cake and frosting.

• cocoa for the cake and frosting.

• baking soda and salt

• buttermilk (though sour cream also works wonderfully) and eggs

• milk, any fat will do

• and chopped pecans

Dry ingredients for Texas Sheet Cake including flour, sugar, leavening and salt.

To start, whisk together the dry ingredients – flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda.  Set aside, we have a bit of stovetop work to get to.

Cocoa powder and melted butter in a pan for Texas Sheet Cake.

In a small saucepan, melt butter and whisk in cocoa and hot water.

I honestly love a stovetop cake.  See also: Neapolitan One Pot Chocolate Sheet Cake.

Melted chocolate stirred into a bowl with flour and sugar for Texas Sheet Cake.
Texas Sheet Cake batter in a pan ready to be baked.


Add the warmed cocoa/butter mixture to the dry ingredients and whisk to combine.

Add the buttermilk and beaten eggs and hand whisk the thin batter smooth.

Pour the cake batter into a greased jelly roll pan and carefully transfer to the oven (truly the hardest part of the recipe).

Can you make this Texas Sheet Cake recipe in a 9×13-inch pan?

Yes you sure can! The cake will be slightly thicker but equally delicious. Keep an eye on the cake as it bakes. If baking in a 9×13-inch pan you may need to bake for an additional 5-8 minutes.

Bake until the cake is gently puffed and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry or with just a few moist crumbs. If the toothpick still has sticky batter, the cake needs a few minutes more.

Cocoa powder in a pot with melted butter.
Pot with chocolate frosting and chopped pecans.


While the cake bakes… guess what? More chocolate.

We’ll whisk together a warm chocolate and pecan glaze on the stovetop.  Butter, cocoa, milk, powdered sugar, vanilla, and chopped pecans. It’s beyond. It’ll take all you’ve got to not eat the frosting with a spoon before the cake comes out of the oven.

Texas Sheet Cake baked and frosted in a pan.

When the baked cake emerges from the oven it’s topped with warm chocolate pecan frosting and as it all cools, the most magical thing happens.

The cake and frosting become one. There’s this perfectly  tender cake topped with a chocolate pecan shell. In the center, where the cake and frosting meet is a fudgy equator that, as far as I can tell, is a thing of dreams (or, if you’re lucky, a thing of every family gathering).

A slice of Texas Sheet Cake on a plate dolloped with whipped cream


You should need no further convincing.

In our family, this was the sort of cake that lived awkwardly in the pan, tilted and teetering in the refrigerator, for a day and a half. Each member of the family stealing moments at the open refrigerator to peel back the plastic wrap and sneak slivers with a butterknife.

I secretly hope this cake feels as nostalgic for you as it does me. If it doesn’t, maybe all this chocolate talk is enough to inspire a new tradition.  Either way, I sincerely hope this cake finds it’s way into your oven.

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
A slice of Texas Sheet Cake on a plate dolloped with whipped cream

Wilson Family Texas Sheet Cake

★★★★★ 4.9 from 18 reviews
  • Author: Joy the Baker
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: Serves 8 if not more 1x
Pin Recipe
Print Recipe

Description

An American classic. A thin layer of chocolate cake topped with warm chocolate pecan frosting.


Ingredients

Scale

For the Cake:

  • 2 cups (254 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups (400 grams) granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter
  • 1 cup boiling water
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk or sour cream
  • 2 large eggs, beaten
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the Frosting:

  • 3/4 cup (100 grams) finely chopped pecans
  • 2/3 cups (151 grams) butter
  • 4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 6 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 1/2 cups (312 grams) powdered sugar

Instructions

  1. Place rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour an 18×13 sheet cake pan.
  2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
  3. In a small saucepan, melt butter. Add cocoa. Stir together. Add boiling water, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Pour warm chocolate over flour mixture, and stir lightly to cool.
  4. In a large liquid measuring cup,  whisk together the buttermilk, beaten eggs, and vanilla. Stir buttermilk mixture into butter/chocolate/ flour mixture. Pour into sheet cake pan, spread evenly and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs not wet batter.
  5. While cake is baking, make the icing. Chop pecans well. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add cocoa, stir to combine, then turn off heat. Add the milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar and stir until smooth. Add the pecans.
  6. Pour the warm frosting over the warm cake. Allow to cool and set for at least 30 minutes. Cut into squares and enjoy! To store, wrap the cake in plastic wrap or foil and keep in the refrigerator or at room temperature.

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag us — we can't wait to see what you've made!

Previous PostNext Post

Categories: Birthday Cake Recipes, Buttermilk, Cakes, Chocolate, Nuts, Recipes

Previous Post: « Let It Be Sunday, 307!
Next Post: Let It Be Sunday, 308! »

Reader Interactions

All Comments
I Made This
Questions
  1. Chris

    August 22, 2023 at 5:45 pm

    Hi Joy, I came across The Pioneer Woman’s magazine and there was an article about old recipes and you had one for a Texas sheet cake from an Aunt Mary so I went to your website and you do have one which says it is Aunt Mary’s but don’t mess with it but the ingredients aren’t the same. . Is there a huge difference from using sour cream to using buttermilk?
    Thank you!

    Reply
    • Joy the Baker

      August 24, 2023 at 9:44 am

      Hi Chris,
      I’m glad you found me! There’s not a huge difference using buttermilk or sour cream. I know in my family, we always have buttermilk (because that’s what we use in pie crusts), but don’t always have sour cream in the refrigerator. I prefer to use sour cream as it adds more fat (because most buttermilk is low fat milk), and creates a slightly more tender crumb. Buttermilk also makes for a fantastic cake so there’s really no wrong answer here. Hope this helps! Happy Baking!

      Reply
  2. Lanelle Hack

    April 15, 2023 at 3:34 am

    MY sweet mother made this cake and it was always great. Sometimes she would add a layer of white mini marshmallows to the cake when the cake out of the oven and before she put the chocolate icing on it… That made it EXTRA sweet – but us kids loved that part of it.. Oh sweet memories!
    I’ve made this for 56 years now and still love it. And it’s so easy to bake and take to church suppers, funerals, etc…This is a Winner and it always has been..

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  3. Eileen

    August 8, 2022 at 12:49 pm

    Yum, thanks. Came out exactly as described and the texture of the icing reminded me of my grandmother’s chocolate drop cookies. The cake was moist and light with a buttery brownie-like flavor. The icing was quite sweet but I liked it. The only variation I might try is replacing the pecans with finely chopped almonds and moist coconut flakes. The cake was quite soft and the icing was very moist (didn’t harden). I’m not sure if that’s typical but it made packing up leftovers a bit challenging (oh well, more for me). I did use 1.5 TBS raw Cocao because I ran out of Dutch Cocoa. Perhaps substituting some dark bakers chocolate would fix that?

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  4. Sarah

    April 23, 2022 at 12:36 pm

    This is the cake my husband wants every year for his birthday. I had never made it before we started dating and had no clue what made a “best” Texas sheet cake.
    Every year I try a new recipe. This was the recipe I went for this year and it got the stamp of approval from both of us. A really nice tender cake with a really tasty icing. I did put a little less powdered sugar in than what it called for- so my only suggestion would be if you don’t like a super sweet icing to maybe drop it down by a half cup. But sooo yummy!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  5. Robin

    April 22, 2022 at 2:11 pm

    I made this cake today. DID NOT turn out. I don’t know if it was due to the S.E. Texas humidity or what. I do keep my house at about 78 degrees. But the butter, cocoa, and boiling water mixture that was to cook for 30 minutes completely separated. I did this recipe exactly to the directions. The icing did the exact same thing. Separated. The icing didn’t even give me enough for the whole cake and I had a 18 x 13 pan. The cake batter itself was very thick. It took forever for me to get the chocolate mixture incorporated into the flour mixture. When the cake was finally frosted I had to go over with paper towels to soak up some of the butter. I make coca cola cakes all of the time and never have had one come out anyways but perfect! I don’t know what could have happened here!!
    It was delicious though but just didn’t look great! Any ideas of what may have gone wrong!

    Reply
    • Kerry Kresse

      April 22, 2022 at 3:12 pm

      You don’t boil anything for 30 minutes. You boil the butter and cocoa for about 30 seconds for both the cake and the frosting. That may have been your problem. I’ve made this and it’s wonderful.

      Reply
      • Robin

        April 24, 2022 at 12:52 pm

        Oh, Kerry. Thank you very much! That’s exactly what I did. I thought it said “minutes” and not seconds. Thank you so much for figuring this out .I read through this recipe so many times and never picked up on that. I better slow down reading! Again, Thanks so much. I appreciate you!!

        Reply
  6. Shon

    March 2, 2022 at 2:22 pm

    Do you sift the flour

    Reply
    • Joy the Baker - Founder

      March 3, 2022 at 9:08 am

      You can but it’s not entirely necessary!

      Reply
  7. Mindy

    January 25, 2022 at 7:01 pm

    Perfect! We’re a household of two so I halved the recipe and baked in a quarter sheet pan. It’s been years since I’ve made this cake and have no idea what recipe I used to use, but it doesn’t matter because this one will go in the permanent file! Thank you!!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Sherri Robinson

      February 18, 2022 at 11:37 pm

      Thank you for the recipe!! It was a hit! Turned out perfect! I’ve never made one so it was a lot of fun ?

      ★★★★★

      Reply
  8. Cheryll P

    January 12, 2022 at 8:58 pm

    Due to a slight miscalculation, I thought my jelly roll pan was the one that was smaller than my half-sheet pan (I may have too many pans), and my batter went all the way to the top… and then I still added the frosting, thinking maybe it would settle in. Oops, it was a bit of a drippy mess, but the taste was incredible! Adding this one to the “keep forever and teach it to my kids” file. Thank you SO much!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  9. Sally

    March 2, 2021 at 9:32 pm

    My grandmother–whose last name was also Wilson!–made amazing Texas Cake, but I lost the recipe years ago. This one tastes exactly the same! I was so happy to find it. Thank you!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • joythebaker

      March 3, 2021 at 11:57 am

      I’m so happy this recipe made its way back to you!

      Reply
      • Merindy

        May 15, 2022 at 7:59 pm

        My icing turned out very oily can you tell me what I have done wrong? Thanks so much.

        ★★★

        Reply
  10. Agnieszka

    March 1, 2021 at 3:01 am

    Thank you for this recipe. I made it yesterday for the first time for my husband’s b-day to share with friends during a picnic in a park. It was a great hit, both adults and kids really enjoyed it. Really easy to make and turns out great. I cut it into 24 squares and it was perfect size. Great cake to share easily. I will definitely be making it again.

    Reply
    • Elize Ackhurst

      February 19, 2022 at 3:44 am

      Hi my cake out perfect but the sugar taste gritty. I may mention that we had a power falure for about 2 hours. I then just carried on with the recipe. Except for the sugar gritty taste it is delicious. Just how long must the sauce etc boil?

      Reply
« Older Comments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating ★ 5 Stars ☆ ★ 4 Stars ☆ ★ 3 Stars ☆ ★ 2 Stars ☆ ★ 1 Star ☆

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

RELATED POSTS IN Cakes

ice cream cones on a wooden board surrounded by coffee beans
My Favorite Coffee Ice Cream Without An Ice Cream Maker

Let’s make the easiest coffee ice cream! It’s creamy and scoopable, made with roasty-toasy coffee and a mega amount of crumbled chocolate cookies.  This is the dessert of summer that also sometimes doubles as dinner. Just here to introduce you to your newest kitchen superpower: ice cream without an ice cream maker. Really, this should…

Read More

finished 4th of July cake with a Texas flag
The (Texas) Flag Cake made with Cream Cheese Pound Cake and Frosting

A classic American flag cake made with a cream cheese sheet cake and light cream cheese whipped frosting.  This is a perfect 4th of July cake topped with fresh berries and, if you’re feeling particularly Texan, decorated as the Texas flag. It turns out, the amount of GIANT Texas flags that dot the interstate across…

Read More

close up shot of birthday cake recipes with a lit candle on top
The Distinguished Guest Birthday Cake

I flipped through an old vintage cookbook to find one of my favorite birthday cake recipes. A light and tender white cake filled with an easy almond-studded butterscotch caramel, topped with smooth mocha buttercream.  A cake made for a “Distinguished Guest” as Martha Meade suggests is indeed also perfect for a Distinguished Birthday. Forgotten in…

Read More

Primary Sidebar

Fresh baked emails, delivered to your inbox

Jump to Recipe

Receive recipes from Joy the Baker and updates on events at The Bakehouse.

HI! I’M JOY!

Jump to Recipe

Welcome! This has been my little corner of the internet since 2008!

I’m a baker, photographer, cookbook author and teacher.  I live laugh love in New Orleans. 

MORE ABOUT JOY AND THE TEAM

BOOKS + Magazines

Jump to Recipe

2023 CAMP JOY SUMMER ZINE – get it here!

JOY THE BAKER 2022 SUMMER MAGAZINE

JOY THE BAKER 2021 HOLIDAY MAGAZINE

JOY THE BAKER 2020 HOLIDAY MAGAZINE

HOMEMADE DECADENCE

OVER EASY: SWEET AND SAVORY RECIPES FOR LEISURELY DAYS COOKBOOK

JOY THE BAKER COOKBOOK

MY FAVORITE CAMPING GEAR

Jump to Recipe

SHOP MY FAVORITE GEAR HERE! 

Jump to Recipe
joy the baker on facebook joy the baker on twitter pinterest-social instagram-socialbloglovin-social

DRAKE ON CAKE

Jump to Recipe

Passionate from miles away since 2015.

CHECK IT OUT ON INSTAGRAM

Drake on cake instagram.

 

BREADS YOU’LL LOVE

Apple Butter and Cream Cheese Kolaches

close up of strawberry shortcake recipe with soft whipped cream

Dad’s Biscuits Make The Best Shortcake

jambalaya buttermilk biscuits in a row

Smoked Sausage Jambalaya Buttermilk Biscuits

LET’S MAKE COOKIES!

Candy Corn and Salted Peanut Rice Krispie Treats

a stack of white chocolate macadamia nut cookies with a bite taken out of the top one with milk

Classic White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

wider shot of lemon bars stacked on a plate with a bite taken out of one lemon bar

My Favorite Classic Lemon Bars Recipe

Footer

Instagram

joythebaker

📚Baker, author of books, lover of butter
🎂Creator @drakeoncake
📝Inquiries megan@underscoretalent.com

joythebaker
Baking 101: The Difference Between Light and Dark Baking 101: The Difference Between Light and Dark Brown Sugar. Pssst: it’s molasses and a little crystal forming science!
I just love that each one of these Eggnog Iced Oat I just love that each one of these Eggnog Iced Oatmeal Cookies looks like a moon 🌖🌗🌘 in a solar system of holiday cookies. ✨ I’ll leave the full recipe for these beauties linked in the bio!
I made @wyseguide’s Sausage Stuffed Dates and I’m never going back. ✨ This is your holiday appetizer - the full recipe is linked in my bio!
💖🎄Raspberry Lemon Linzer Cookies🎄💖✨⁣
⁣
On a steady diet of holiday cookies starting now. Full recipe for these gems linked in the bio! Xo
Making a case of 🧀🧀🧀 in pie crust because Making a case of 🧀🧀🧀 in pie crust because salty sweet is my favorite 🍎🍎🍎 pie! 
Apple Cheddar Pandowdy recipe linked in the profile.
T minus three days until we eat the most important T minus three days until we eat the most important pie of the year! Dad’s Sweet Potato Pie. There’s no more perfectly spiced pie! If you know you know and if you don’t? I’ll leave the recipe linked in the bio!
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2023 · Joy the Baker
All rights reserved. Violators will be whupped and sent to bed with no dessert · Privacy Policy

Scroll Up