This Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake is rich, moist, tender, and topped with a creamy chocolate frosting. It’s the perfect crowd-pleaser dessert for birthday parties, potlucks, family get-togethers, and more.
While some chocolate sheet cake recipes add pecans, this recipe is pure chocolate through and through. Feel free to add about 1 cup of chopped pecans to the frosting if you’re so inclined.
The Best Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake
This classic Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake recipe is the only one you will never need. It’s rich, tender, dense, moist, super chocolatey, and smothered in the most rich and creamy chocolate frosting you will ever eat.
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Since it’s so incredibly simple to make, holds up well for a few days, and is large enough to feed a crowd, it’s my favorite cake to make for birthday parties and potlucks. And if you love sheet cake recipes, be sure to try our White Sheet Cake too!
Why is it called Texas Sheet Cake?
There doesn’t seem to be a definitive answer as to how Texas Sheet Cake got its name. Some say it refers to how large the sheet cake is. No matter how the cake came to be named after the Lonestar State, it has been referenced in cookbooks as far back as the early 20th century so it’s doing something right.
Key Ingredients
- Butter – unsalted butter works great.
- Cocoa Powder – for the best flavor, I recommend using a high quality cocoa powder, such as Ghirardelli.
- Sugar – you’ll need white granulated sugar for this recipe.
- Water – regular tap water is added after the butter mixture has boiled.
- Flour – you’ll need all-purpose flour for this sheet cake.
- Baking Soda – you’ll add just a little bit of baking soda to keep the cake fluffy as well as cause it to rise a little in the oven.
- Eggs – any kind of large eggs will work great.
- Sour Cream – this adds moisture and flavor to the sheet cake.
Chocolate Frosting
- Butter – you will need your butter to be softened at room temperature. You can also warm it gently in the microwave for about 10 seconds at a time.
- Cocoa Powder – for the best flavor, use the same high quality cocoa powder that you use in your cake batter.
- Milk – whole milk or 2% milk is best.
- Powdered Sugar – this adds sweetness without any grittiness.
How to Make a Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake
- Boil the butter, cocoa, and sugar. In a small pot over medium heat, add the butter, sugar, cocoa, and salt and bring to a boil while stirring. Once the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved, remove from the heat, stir in water, and set aside.
- Mix together the rest of the batter. In a stand mixer, with the whisk attachment, combine the flour and baking soda. Slowly pour the hot chocolate mixture into the dry ingredients while mixing on low. Next, add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl as needed. Finally, add the sour cream and mix again until the cake batter is combined.
- Bake. Pour batter into a large greased 12″ x 18″ sheet cake pan (or a jelly roll pan) and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the top of the cake springs back when gently pressed.
- Make the frosting. While the cake is baking, prepare the frosting. In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, add the room temperature butter. Whisk until the butter is light and fluffy, or about 2 minutes. Add the cocoa, milk, and half of the powdered sugar. Whisk on low speed until combined. Add the remaining powdered sugar and whisk again until the frosting is light and fluffy.
- Frost the cake. When the cake is finished baking, add dollops of chocolate frosting to the warm cake. Use an offset spatula to spread the frosting evenly as it melts.
- Cool and serve. Allow the cake to cool completely before cutting into slices and serving. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe calls for baking the cake in a sheet cake pan, which for a home cook is usually 12” x 18” and technically a half sheet pan. Full sheet pans are 18” x 26” and typically only used in commercial kitchens as they won’t fit in a home oven. You can also use a jelly roll pan (12” x 15”) if you want a slightly thicker cake. Just remember that the baking time will vary slightly.
This Texas Sheet Cake does not need to be refrigerated. It can be covered tightly with plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 3 days. However, if you want it to last a bit longer, or like how it tastes when it’s a little chilled, you can store it covered in the fridge for up to 5 days.
The main difference between a Texas sheet cake and a regular chocolate sheet cake is how it is mixed together. In most cake recipes, you’ll cream together the butter and sugars, add in the eggs slowly, and finally add in the dry ingredients and any remaining wet ingredients.
A Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake begins by bringing butter, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt to a boil, then pouring the hot ingredients into the flour mixture before mixing in the eggs and sour cream last. It creates a super rich, chocolatey, and moist cake.
Storing and Freezing
- Room Temperature: wrap leftovers tightly with plastic wrap, then store in a cool, dry place for up to 3 days.
- Refrigerator: if you want the cake to last a bit longer, wrap and store leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: you can freeze leftover Texas Sheet Cake for up to 2 months. Just make sure to wrap in plastic wrap and aluminum foil, then transfer to an airtight container to freeze.
Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup (225 g) butter
- 2 cups (400 g) sugar
- 1/4 cup (20 g) cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon (1/2 teaspoon) salt
- 1 cup (235 g) water
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) baking soda
- 3 large (150 g) eggs
- 1/2 cup (115 g) sour cream
Chocolate Frosting
- 1 cup (225 g) butter, room temperature
- 1/4 cup (20 g) cocoa powder
- 1/3 cup (80 g) milk
- 4 cups (480 g) powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a small pot over medium heat, add the butter, sugar, cocoa, and salt. While stirring, bring the mixture to a boil so that the butter is melted and the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat, stir in water, and set aside.
- In a stand mixer, with the whisk attachment, combine the flour and baking soda. Slowly pour the hot chocolate mixture into the dry ingredients while mixing on low. Next, add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl as needed. Finally, add the sour cream and mix again until the cake batter is combined.
- Pour batter into a large greased 12" x 18" sheet cake pan (or a jelly roll pan) and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the top of the cake springs back when gently pressed.
- While the cake is baking, prepare the chocolate frosting.
Chocolate Frosting
- In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, add the room temperature butter. Whisk until the butter is light and fluffy, or about 2 minutes.
- Add the cocoa, milk, and half of the powdered sugar. Whisk on low speed until combined. Add the remaining powdered sugar and whisk again until the frosting is light and fluffy.
- When the cake is finished baking, add dollops of chocolate frosting to the warm cake. Use an offset spatula to spread the frosting evenly as it melts.
- Allow the cake to cool completely before cutting into slices and serving. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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This classic Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake is super simple to make and perfect for feeding a crowd. It’s rich, moist, dense, chocolatey, and oh-so-delicious.
