Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake

Authentic Texas sheet cake recipe is full of dense, rich chocolate flavor. The frosting is fudgy and full of buttery pecans. This vintage recipe is the best!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American - Southern

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 20

Total Time 25

Servings

Calories 222kcal

Author Marye Audet-White

Equipment

Ingredients

Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
1 cup water
⅓ cup dark cocoa powder I prefer Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa for this)
2 eggs
½ cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Texas Sheet Cake Frosting

⅓ cup buttermilk
⅓ cup dark cocoa powder Hersey's Special Dark is the preference
½ cup butter browned until golden
3 ¾ cups confectioner's sugar sifted to remove lumps
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ½ cups pecans toasted and chopped

Instructions

Cake

Preheat oven to 350F.
Grease a high-sided cookie sheet and set aside.
Melt the butter until it is a golden brown in a heavy saucepan. Do not let it burn.
Add the water and the cocoa and stir until smooth.
Bring to a boil, stirring.
Remove from heat.
Mix flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
Beat in eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk.
Stir in cocoa mixture and stir until smooth.
Spoon into high sided cookie sheet, smoothing out evenly.
Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Remove from oven.

Texas Sheet Cake Frosting

About 5 minutes before the cake is ready to come out of the oven melt the butter in saucepan until golden brown.
Add the milk and the cocoa.
Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring smooth.
Remove from heat and add the Confectioner's sugar, pecans and vanilla.
Mix quickly and spoon over the warm cake.
Cut in squares to serve.

Notes

Storage:

Cover with plastic wrap and keep cake are room temperature for 2-3 days. Freeze for up to 3 months.

Tips:

Pour the hot icing mixture on the hot cake quickly, gently moving it around the cake with a spatula so it covers the whole thing. If it cools it will not spread!
Toasting the pecans ahead of time will add more buttery flavor.

Nutrition