Texas Sheet Cake

No need to make a trip to the Lone Star State to learn how to make the best Texas Sheet Cake from scratch. This rich chocolate cake is topped with a buttery cocoa frosting that has a delicious crackly texture.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 20

Total Time 40

Servings servings

Calories 304kcal

Author Meggan Hill

Equipment

1 10" x 15" jelly roll pan (see note 1)

Ingredients

For the cake:

1 cup butter (2 sticks)
1 cup water
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream

For the frosting:

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
6 tablespoons milk
1/4 cup cocoa powder
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar sifted (1 pound)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a 10-inch by 15-inch jelly roll pan with parchment paper or nonstick spray. In a small saucepan, whisk together butter, water, and cocoa. Bring to boil; remove from heat.
Meanwhile, in large bowl whisk together flour and sugar. Stir in boiled mixture. Beat in eggs, baking soda, vanilla, and sour cream. Pour into prepared pan and bake 20 minutes. Cool completely.
While cake is cooling, in medium saucepan whisk together butter, milk and cocoa and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. Spread on cooled cake while frosting is hot. Cool and cut into 24 bars.

Video

Notes

Jelly roll pan: To get the ideal cake-to-frosting ratio, bake this cake in a 10-inch by 15-inch jelly roll pan (I love this one by OXO).
Yield: This recipe makes 24 squares, 2 1/2-inch by 2 1/2-inch each, cut in a 4x6 configuration.
Storage: Store covered at room temperature for up to one week.

Nutrition