Grammy's Texas Sheet Cake - The Pancake Princess

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The best Texas sheet cake tastes like nostalgia with a plush chocolate cake baked in a jelly roll pan and topped with a fudgy icing and toasted pecans. This is so easy to make and perfect for parties!

JoAnn Westmoreland (“Grammy” to recipe submitter Alissa Minshew) got this recipe from a cookbook purchased in Huntsville. While her mother-in-law, “Momo” used a recipe from a magazine that uses Coca-Cola and cinnamon, Grammy uses neither in her recipe. She began adding cream cheese to the frosting to make it smoother and often chops the pecans before toasting them.

If you’re looking for an easy but delicious chocolate cake that’s perfect for parties or entertaining, you’re in luck with this Texas sheet cake recipe! This cake came in as a close third in the Texas sheet cake bake off with high approval from more than 30 tasters–a testament to how delicious this is.

Why You’ll Love This Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake

It comes straight from Grammy! This recipes comes from the wonderful JoAnn Westmoreland (“Grammy” to granddaughter and recipe submitter, Alissa Minshew)! It’ll taste just like your favorite cake from your grandma.
Oil and butter: Two types of fat combine for an irresistibly soft and moist crumb.
Cream cheese frosting: Cream cheese adds body and makes the frosting smoother while diluting the sweetness from all the powdered sugar so it’s not too sweet.
Buttermilk: Texas sheet cake often uses buttermilk and it’s easy to see why! It adds the perfect amount of tang to offset the richness of the chocolate.
Lightly chocolatey: Chocolate lovers will obviously love this chocolate on chocolate sheet cake–but even if you don’t love chocolate, the flavor of the cake is so light that most everyone will enjoy it!
Fudgy chocolate icing: Cocoa mixed warm butter and powdered sugar makes an easy, rich icing–a perfect bed for sprinkling on toasted pecans!

If you’re looking for more chocolate cake, check out these chocolate coconut cupcakes, the chocolate cake bake off or the flourless chocolate cake bake off!

What is a Texas Sheet Cake?

Texas sheet cake is typically baked in a half sheet pan (13×18″) or jelly roll pan (10.5×15.5″) for a thin chocolate-on-chocolate cake served in small squares. The cake is typically made with natural cocoa powder for a lightly chocolatey cake. Frosting-wise, the fudge frosting is typically made with melted butter, cocoa powder and powdered sugar for a runny, sugary frosting. Topping the cake with pecans is optional, but I think this is a non-negotiable for the best flavor and texture!

Alissa notes that her grandma actually makes this in a large round cake pan (12 or 14″!) instead of a sheet pan. Some like to bake Texas sheet cake in a 9×13″ pan or a 12×18″ pan. This batter will work in any of the above sizes–it’ll just be much thicker than a traditional sheet pan cake and you’ll need to adjust the bake time accordingly.

Ingredients for Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake

All-purpose flour: No need for fancy cake or bread flour! Standard all-purpose flour adds the perfect amount of structure and body for the sheet cake.
Granulated sugar: a 1:1 ratio of sugar to flour adds the perfect amount of sweetness and enough tenderizing properties to give this cake a moist, almost squishy texture.
Unsalted butter: adds fat for a tender texture along with a rich flavor.
Oil: adds additional fat, contributing to an even more moist and tender texture .
Natural cocoa powder: as an acidic ingredient, the cocoa reacts with the baking soda to create lift in the cake. Natural cocoa contributes a lighter flavor than a deeper cocoa like Dutch-process (like the difference between milk chocolate and dark chocolate). I used Hershey’s natural cocoa in this cake! I wouldn’t recommend using Dutch-process cocoa in this cake due to the different flavor.
Eggs: Provides additional fat from the egg yolks and moisture to help form the structure of the cake.
Buttermilk: As an another acidic ingredient, buttermilk adds a tang for flavor while also working with the baking soda to leaven the cake.

a square of chocolate cake with pecans on a white background

How to Make Texas Sheet Cake: Step by Step

This cake is extremely easy to make! Start by preheating the oven to 375.

In a medium bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt.
In a medium saucepan, combine the butter, oil, cocoa and water over medium heat until melted. Heating the cocoa with the wet ingredients will help bloom the cocoa and maximize the chocolate flavor in the cake.
Once melted, whisk the cocoa mixture into the flour mixture. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk and vanilla. Gradually whisk the egg mixture into the flour mixture.
Pour the mixture into a greased and floured sheet pan (I either use a nonstick spray or a butter wrapper) and bake for 20-25 minutes until the cake springs back when you poke the center.
While the cake is baking, melt the butter in a saucepan and toast pecans until golden and fragrant. Remove the pecans and melt the butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar and cocoa in the same saucepan. Once again, this step helps bloom the cocoa and also emulsify all the ingredients into a smooth icing. Remove from heat and add the vanilla. If the frosting is too stiff, you can whisk in a tablespoon of milk at a time until it reaches your desired consistency (it should be soft and sludgy but not runny).
When the cake is done baking and has cooled for 5-10 minutes, pour the warm icing over the top and sprinkle with pecans. It’s best to wait for the cake to cool slightly so it doesn’t absorb all of the icing.

All the Texas sheet cakes from the Texas sheet cake bake off–Grammy’s recipe is on the bottom left.

Tips for Making the Best Texas Sheet Cake:

Don’t overmix the batter: Like most cake batters, overmixing the batter will lead to excessive gluten development, which means a tough cake. Mix the batter together until there are no more dry streaks, but not further!
Toast your nuts: Toasting your nuts will always give you a superior flavor than untoasted nuts!
Frost cake while warm: Pouring on the icing while the cake is still warm lets it gracefully coat the top of the cake–but avoid icing the cake when it’s hot out of the oven which can cause the cake to absorb the frosting

Frequently asked questions

How should you store Texas sheet cake?

Texas sheet cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days or for up to a week in a refrigerator.

Can I make this cake in advance?

Yes! You can bake the cake a day before and store it in the fridge, wrapped well. Bring the cake to room temperature before icing the cake. It’s best to let the icing set for 20-30 minutes before serving. You could also freeze the cake for up to a week before serving, but it’s best served fresh.

If I don’t have buttermilk, can I sub something else?

Yes, you can substitute half sour cream, half milk of your choice for the same volume of buttermilk. I wouldn’t recommend the commonly suggested swap of milk with a tablespoon of vinegar–this will work in a pinch, but the texture will be runnier than the sour cream swap.

What cocoa powder is best to use in this cake?

Texas sheet cake almost always uses natural cocoa powder. I used Hershey’s natural cocoa powder, but other high-fat natural cocoas like Sunfood Superfoods or Penzeys would also work very well.

Thank you JoAnn, Alissa and family for this fabulous recipe!

Tools for this recipe

This section contains affiliate links which means I may earn a small commission when you click on the links and make a purchase. I only recommend products I know and love!

Half sheet pan – one of my favorite brands!
Offset spatula – I love using offsets to spread frosting
Saucepan
Spatula – my favorite brand!

PRINT PIN

5 from 4 votes

Grammy’s Texas Sheet Cake

A simple and deliciously nostalgic Texas chocolate sheet cake with a plush chocolate cake and fudge icing topped with toasted pecans. Recipe courtesy of JoAnn Westmoreland and Alissa Minshew!

Prep Time 25

Servings 24

Ingredients

For the cake

2 cups all-purpose flour (260g)
2 cups granulated sugar (400g)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon Diamond kosher salt
8 tbsp unsalted butter (113g)
1/3 cup neutral oil (66g) vegetable, canola, grapeseed all work
1/4 cup natural cocoa powder such as Hershey's (42g)
1 cup water (227g)
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk (227g)
1 tbsp vanilla extract

For the toasted pecans

2 tbsp unsalted butter (28g)
2 cups pecans, chopped (228g)

For the icing

8 tbsp unsalted butter (113g)
4 oz cream cheese
4 cups powdered sugar (454g)
3 tbsp natural cocoa powder (16g)
1 tbsp vanilla extract

Instructions

For the cake

Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease and flour a half sheet pan (13×18"). See notes for additional size options.
In a large mixing bowl, sift together the 2 cups of flour, 2 cups of sugar, 1 tsp baking soda and 1 tsp salt.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine 8 tbsp butter, 1/3 cup oil, 1/4 cup cocoa powder and 1 cup of water and heat until melted. Add butter mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until incorporated.
In a separate bowl (or the saucepan that you just emptied), whisk together 2 eggs, 1 cup buttermilk and 1 tbsp vanilla. Gradually add to the butter mixture and stir until fully incorporated.
Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the cake is fragrant and springs when you press it.

For the toasted pecans

While cake is baking, melt 2 tbsp butter in a medium saucepan over medium low heat. Add 2 cups of chopped pecans to the butter and toast, stirring occasionally, until golden and fragrant, about 5-10 minutes. Remove from saucepan and let cool.

For the icing

In the same saucepan (no need to wash), combine 8 tbsp butter, 4oz cream cheese, 4 cups powdered sugar and 3 tbsp cocoa powder and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until melted. Remove from heat, stir in 1 tbsp vanilla, then pour over the warm (but not hot) cake. Sprinkle the toasted pecans over the top.
Cake is best served the day it's made. Wrapped well or put in an airtight container, cake will last 1-2 days at room temperature or up to a week in the fridge.

Notes

Texas sheet cake is traditionally baked in a 13×18″ half sheet pan. You may also use a jelly roll pan (typically 10.5×15.5″) but will likely need to add 5-10 additional minutes of bake time (I haven’t tried this iteration). If you’d like to use a 9×13 pan, I’d recommend baking at 350 for at least 30 minutes and adding additional time as needed.

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Grammy’s Texas Sheet Cake