This chocolatey, rich Texas Sheet Cake is a decadent combination of chocolate sheet cake topped with irresistible chocolate and pecan icing. It is a Southern treat that will become a regular part of your dessert rotation.
This Texas Sheet Cake is a Southern classic that never gets old. It’s one of those recipes that everyone loves, but no one knows where it came from.
This is my personal adaptation of the Southern Living Texas sheet cake recipe from 2003. However, the original recipe goes back much further than that! I’ve seen many different variations in old Southern cookbooks, but this one has been a winner in my family!
You may be wondering, “Why is it called a Texas sheet cake? Is it from Texas?” No one can say for certain, though the name likely comes from the sheer size of the thing, big enough to feed a Texas-sized crowd. In the rural South, you’ll also hear it called funeral cake, since it’s the sort of recipe you’d make when you need to feed a big group of people. Whatever you call it, it’s a Southern tradition, and absolutely delicious.
This wonderful dessert features a layer that is rich and chocolatey with a lovely tangy flavor from the buttermilk. As if that wasn’t tasty enough, once it’s out of the oven, it’s covered with a rich, chocolatey frosting full of Southern pecans for the perfect amount of crunch. It’s absolutely irresistible! Just add a glass of milk, and you have the perfect dessert.
Recipe Snapshot: Texas Sheet Cake
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 20
Cuisine: Southern, Vintage
Cooking Method: Stovetop/Oven
Primary Ingredients: Sugar, flour, cocoa, buttermilk, butter, milk, powdered sugar, pecans
Skill Level: Easy
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WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING …
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“My mother used to make this. It was a family favorite. It takes me back in time.“
— Miranda
Ingredient Notes
- Shortening – My favorite shortening will always be Crisco. It’s dependable and always available.
- Unsweetened Cocoa – Hershey’s Unsweetened Cocoa Powder is available everywhere. Other brands work just as well. Choose your favorite.
- Buttermilk – Adds a very pleasant and unmistakable “tang” to the batter. It’s a very nice contrast to the sweet chocolate icing.
- Powdered Sugar – Also called confectioner’s sugar or 10X sugar. Domino brand is always dependable and easy to source.
- Pecans – One of our many Georgia agricultural products and my favorite nut for baking. If nuts are a problem, simply leave them out.
The complete ingredient list with detailed measurements is included in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
You’ll also find this recipe in my cookbook!
You can see this recipe on page 278 of my cookbook, My Southern Table! Get your signed copy today.
How to Make Texas Sheet Cake
Make the Chocolate Sheet Cake
STEP 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
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STEP 2. Grease and lightly flour a 15×10 inch jellyroll pan. Set aside.
STEP 3. Sift together sugar and flour in a large bowl; set aside.
STEP 4. Combine butter, shortening, cocoa, and water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.
STEP 4 (cont’d.) Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until butter and shortening melt.
Pro Tip
You may be wondering why the recipe uses both butter and shortening. Why not just one or the other? The reason is that when you combine the two different fats, you get a little of the best features of each. Butter gives that wonderful rich, dairy flavor while shortening keeps the cake from being too flat.
STEP 5. Remove from heat and pour over the sugar and flour mixture, stirring until dissolved. Cool slightly.
STEP 6. Stir in eggs, buttermilk, baking soda, and vanilla. Mix well.
STEP 7. Pour into the prepared jellyroll pan.
STEP 8. Bake at 400 F for 20 minutes.
STEP 9. Start making the icing when the cake has about 10 minutes left to bake.
Make the Icing
STEP 10. Combine butter, cocoa, and milk in a medium saucepan. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes or until margarine melts. Then, turn the heat up to medium and bring it to a boil.
STEP 11. Remove from heat and stir in sugar and vanilla.
STEP 12. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth, and the sugar dissolves.
STEP 13. Stir in pecans. Mix well.
STEP 14. Pour and spread icing over the top of the sheet cake.
When my sister makes this recipe, she cuts it into tiny little squares about 1.5 x 1.5 inches. Me? I make big old brownie-size squares. About, oh, 4×4. Of course, I’ve never been known for restraint in the kitchen 😆
However you slice it up, it serves a huge crowd of people. I made one for a neighborhood party recently, and my large slices filled two plates with slices stacked three deep.
How to Serve
I usually serve it in squares with nothing more than a choice of milk or coffee. If I’m adding it to a dessert table, I sometimes serve it alongside another chocolate favorite like my chocolate coconut cake, or something a little lighter for contrast like double chocolate chunk cookies. A scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream is always a good idea.
Storing Leftovers
This cake can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the fridge (recommended) for up to 5 days. Make sure that it is completely covered and stored in an airtight container. It also freezes very well in a tightly sealed container for up to three months.
Questions and Answers: Texas Sheet Cake
- What makes Texas Sheet Cake different from any regular chocolate cake?
It’s all about the icing! The topping for this cake has an almost fudge-like texture and is crammed full of pecans for a delicious nutty flavor and crunchy texture. It’s just amazing! - Can I make this the day before I want to serve it?
Sure! I typically make it the same day I plan to serve it. However, it keeps really well and is a great option for a make-ahead dessert. - Does this Texas sheet cake really make 20 servings?
I do actually get 20 servings from this recipe, but it all depends on how you cut it! You can get many more if you cut the servings smaller. - Doesn’t Texas sheet cake have cinnamon in the recipe?
Some cooks do include cinnamon in Texas sheet cake, and it’s a wonderful addition. My recipe doesn’t call for it, but a lot of old family versions add about a teaspoon to the batter for a warm, subtle background flavor you can’t quite put your finger on. If your family made it that way, go ahead and add it. It certainly won’t hurt anything!
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Recipe
Texas Sheet Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake Layer:
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup butter or margarine
- ½ cup shortening
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa
- 1 cup water
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
For the Chocolate Icing:
- ½ cup butter or margarine
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa
- ⅓ cup milk
- 16 ounces powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
Make the Cake Layer:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Grease and lightly flour a 15×10 inch jellyroll pan. Set aside.
- Sift together sugar and flour in a large bowl; set aside.2 cups sugar, 2 cups all-purpose flour
- Combine butter, shortening, cocoa, and water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until butter and shortening melt.½ cup butter or margarine, ½ cup shortening, ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa, 1 cup water
- Remove from heat and pour over sugar and flour mixture, stirring until dissolved. Cool slightly.
- Stir in eggs, buttermilk, baking soda, and vanilla. Mix well.2 large eggs, ½ cup buttermilk, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Pour into the prepared jellyroll pan.
- Bake at 400 F for 20 minutes.
- Start making the icing when the cake has about 10 minutes left to bake.
Make the Chocolate Icing:
- Combine butter, cocoa and milk in a medium saucepan. Cook over low heat 5 minutes or until margarine melts. Then turn the heat up to medium and bring to a boil.½ cup butter or margarine, ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa, ⅓ cup milk
- Remove from heat and stir in sugar and vanilla.16 ounces powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth and the sugar dissolves.
- Stir in pecans. Mix well.1 cup chopped pecans
- Pour and spread icing over the top of the sheet cake.
Notes
- Use a 15×10 jelly roll pan for this recipe. A 9×13 works in a pinch, but the cake rises more in the center and turns out thicker.
- The recipe uses both butter and shortening on purpose. Butter adds rich flavor, and shortening keeps the cake from being flat.
- Start the icing when the cake has about 10 minutes left to bake, and pour it over while the cake is still warm so it spreads smoothly and sets into a fudgy layer.
- Leave the pecans out if nuts are a problem. The cake is just as good without them.
- Store at room temperature for up to 2 days, or refrigerate for up to 5 days, in an airtight container. It freezes well for up to three months.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
Try adding a tsp of cinnamon
I have had it with cinnamon and it’s just the right touch to the delicious cake that I first had in the 70s
When I make this cake I add 1/2 cup sour cream to both the cake and the frosting, makes it even tastier. Great cake!! Addictive too!
That sounds like a great addition, Linda. I’m definitely going to try it next time!
When my Aunt Darlene first made this so long ago, the cake and the icing called for a little cinnamon to be added. It really gives depth of flavour to the recipe.
Yes, I’ve had it with the cinnamon as well. You’re right it does add to the flavor, but I think it’s still delicious either way!
I have an old Farm Journal’s Country Cookbook, copyright 1959, 1972 which has this recipe. It is called “Cinnamon/Chocolate Cake”. If anyone has this cookbook, it is on page 356.
It has some slight differences–it calls for 1 tsp of cinnamon; more flour, but it’s for SIFTED flour so it would be about the same amount of the unsifted this calls for; and 3/4 cup of shortening and no butter. The baking directions are the same at 400 for 20 min and in a jelly roll pan.
The icing is made the same way but the FJ recipe says to cool the cake before pouring on the icing.
I don’t know where Farm Journal got the recipe or when it came to be called Texas Sheet Cake.
I’ve had this recipe for a very long time, too, Dorothy and have no idea what the original source of it was. It’s in almost every community and church cookbook I have. Thanks for pointing out the differences in my version and the Farm Journal one.
I saw your sheet cake linked from somewhere else, so I just had to peek. Just a little trivia from someone that has been making this cake for 40+ years and having lived in Texas for 30 years. The original had 1 teaspoon cinnamon in the cake batter and made the cake IMO. The 9 X 13 baking pan was referred to as a sheet pan (back in the dark ages). The cake was made in it originally. Time changes a lot of things doesn’t it? LOL! I still make the cake from time to time in my 9 X 13 sheet pan!
Dropping your oven temp to 350 deg. will help prevent the cracked finish. If you are using a dark pan, drop the temp to another 25 deg.
after stumbling upon your site, i was hoping you would shed some light on the origins of the recipe. this recipe came down to me from my mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. i have no idea how old it really is but i know that my family has been making it for a LONG time. it’s our favorite…thanks for sharing!
Definitely a classic. I could go for a piece right now! What is it about buttermilk–it’s really one of the best things to happen to a cake!
Makes me drool!!!! Thanks for the memory.
From your chocoholic friend, Rosie
OOh this looks good. Polly would love all of this chocolate and nuts. So would Bud without the nuts. However you serve it, it has to be wonderful.
I haven’t made this in years but it’s time to try it again. Pecans sound like a good idea, my recipe never called for it.
My mother use to make this. It was a family favorite. It looks amazing. It takes me back in time.
I remember when… Your wonderful cake display sparked a delicious walk down memory lane, thanks!
I’m so glad you shared this recipe! The cake was so moist! I can’t wait to make it for my chocolate loving Niece (and I) this Thanksgiving.
Dadgum good. ha! Love the affirmation. Maybe it’s called TX sheet cake cause it’s a huge pan of tasty lovin’. Let’s go with that, shall we?
This is a great classic recipe and I love the chocolate-pecan icing.