Chocolate lovers, this one’s for you! This decadent Texas Sheet Cake is irresistibly rich, with a perfectly moist chocolate cake topped with a smooth, fudgy ganache. It’s a crowd-pleaser that never lasts long—guaranteed to be the star of any dessert table!
Contains affiliate links.
Everything’s bigger in Texas, and this sheet cake is no exception! Packed with bold chocolate flavor, this classic dessert is baked in a jelly roll pan—perfect for feeding a crowd.
Rich, decadent, and downright irresistible, this cake delivers everything you crave in a chocolate dessert. It’s easy to make, comes together quickly, and can even be prepared a day in advance for ultimate convenience.
In my family, no big gathering was complete without a Texas Sheet Cake on the table. It was the go-to dessert, and trust me—it never lasted long! One bite, and you’ll see why this classic remains a favorite.
Try this Slab Cherry Pie to easily feed a crowd.
What you’ll need
Find the full, printable recipe with exact measurements at the bottom of this post. Read on for more details and tips!
On the recipe card below, click “print recipe” and from there you can print out the page or screenshot it to save to your phone’s photo album.
Pin this recipe to save to Pinterest so you can make it later! You can Pin It from the recipe card below. Just click the “Pin Recipe” button. If you’d like to follow me on Pinterest , my page is Steph Gigliotti.
- A jelly roll pan or a sheet pan with a rimmed edge, I used an 11×18″ size
- Butter– Use unsalted butter so the cake isn’t too salty
- Water
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Granulated sugar
- All purpose flour
- Salt– this enhances the chocolate flavor
- Eggs
- Sour cream– sounds nuts, but makes the cake moist
- Baking soda– to help the cake rise
- Powdered sugar, sifted– this is for the icing.
- Vanilla extract– use a high quality vanilla
- Milk– to make the ganache creamy. I have not tried this with non-dairy milks.
How to make Texas Sheet Cake
Preheat oven to 400°F
Using butter, grease an 11×16 or similar size sheet pan.
To a heavy bottom sauce pan add 1 cup of butter (2 sticks), the water and 4 tablespoons cocoa powder. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring until smooth. As soon as it’s boiling and smooth, take off the heat. Let cool 5 minutes.
Pour the chocolate mixture into large mixing bowl.
In a separate bowl mix together the sugar, flour and salt. Gradually add the dry mixture in to chocolate, beating well until smooth.
To the mixing bowl add in 3 eggs, sour cream and baking soda. Mix on low until smooth, scraping the sides as necessary.
Pour the batter into the greased sheet pan and bake for 20 minutes.
While the cake is baking prepare the frosting. The cake should be frosted as soon as it is removed from the oven.
Add 1/2 cup of butter (1 stick) to the same saucepan as earlier. Melt the butter. When it’s melted, add in 4 tablespoons of cocoa powder and 6 tablespoons milk. Continue cooking; as soon as the mixture starts to bubble take it off the heat and whisk in the powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Continue whisking until the frosting is smooth.
Spread the frosting evenly over cake with an offset spatula as soon as it is removed from oven.
Let cool completely and slice into squares.
I recommend cutting the squares on the smaller side because this cake is rich. I usually get 28 squares.
Did you enjoy this recipe? Take a picture and tag me @StephGigliotti on social media and #StephRealLife. I would absolutely love to see your finished dish! Please leave a 5-star rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comment section.
Can I use a different pan?
You can use a 9×13 cake pan if you prefer. The cake will not be so thin, but will still taste amazing! You may need to add a couple minutes of baking time. Check the center and when a toothpick comes out clean, the cake is ready.
Tips and Tricks
- This cake can be prepared the day before. After cooking and icing the cake, let it cool completely and wrap in foil or plastic wrap. If it’s very hot or humid, refrigerate the cake until ready to serve. If the temperature is mild, the cake can be stored on the counter.
- Sift the powdered sugar with a sifter before adding it to the sauce pan with the chocolate to ensure a smooth ganache.
- Remove the chocolate frosting mixture from the heat as soon as it starts to bubble and then add the powdered sugar. Do not let the mixture boil or cook too long or the frosting will be grainy.
- Add 1/2 cup chopped walnuts to the chocolate icing for a different taste.
- Use a plastic disposable knife to cut the cake for clean edges.
This sheet cake is perfect for birthdays. potlucks, summer cookouts, work event, or any get-together!
Try these delicious desserts
- Chocolate Covered Strawberry Pie
- Hot Chocolate Poke Cake
- Crock Pot Death By Chocolate Cake
- Red, White, and Blue Cupcakes
- Peach Crisp
Sign up for our newsletter to get new recipes sent right to your inbox! Follow along with me on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube , Pinterest, and TikTok.
Texas Sheet Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
CAKE:
- 1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks
- 1 cup water
- 4 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 tsp baking soda
Frosting
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter 1 stick
- 4 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
- 6 tbs milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar sifted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F
- Using butter, grease an 11×16 or similar size sheet pan.
- To a heavy bottom sauce pan add 1 cup of butter (2 sticks), the water and 4 tablespoons cocoa powder. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring until smooth. As soon as it’s boiling and smooth, take off the heat. Let cool 5 minutes.
- Pour the chocolate mixture into large mixing bowl.
- In a separate bowl mix together the sugar, flour and salt. Gradually add the dry mixture in to chocolate, beating well until smooth.
- To the mixing bowl add in 3 eggs, sour cream and baking soda. Mix on low until smooth, scraping the sides as necessary.
- Pour the batter into the greased sheet pan and bake for 20 minutes.
- While the cake is baking prepare the frosting. The cake should be frosted as soon as it is removed from the oven.
- Add 1/2 cup of butter (1 stick) to the same saucepan as earlier. Melt the butter. When it’s melted, add in 4 tablespoons of cocoa powder and 6 tablespoons milk. Continue cooking; as soon as the mixture starts to bubble take it off the heat and whisk in the powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Continue whisking until the frosting is smooth.
- Spread the frosting evenly over cake with an offset spatula as soon as it is removed from oven.
- Let cool completely and slice into squares.
Notes
- This cake can be prepared the day before. After cooking and icing the cake, let it cool completely and wrap in foil or plastic wrap. If it’s very hot or humid, refrigerate the cake until ready to serve. If the temperature is mild, the cake can be stored on the counter.
- Sift the powdered sugar with a sifter before adding it to the sauce pan with the chocolate to ensure a smooth ganache.
- Remove the chocolate frosting mixture from the heat as soon as it starts to bubble and then add the powdered sugar. Do not let the mixture boil or cook too long or the frosting will be grainy.
- Add 1/2 cup chopped walnuts to the chocolate icing for a different taste.
- Use a plastic disposable knife to cut the cake for clean edges.
