Easy Texas Sheet Cake
Servings: 12
Calories: 458kcal
This sheet cake is without a doubt one of the most crowd-pleasing desserts we've ever served. It's simple to prepare and feeds a crowd. Cut the squares to your own liking, but we typically cut them into 4 rows by 6 rows, which gives you 24 pieces of cake.
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Equipment
- 1 half sheet pan 13"x18" (can also use 10"x15" or regular baking sheet)
- Cooking spray
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup canola oil
- ½ cup buttermilk
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon ground
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
Warm Chocolate Frosting
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup whole milk
- 1 lb confectioners' sugar 4 cups
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon ground
- 1 cup pecans chopped, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, 1 cup water, oil, buttermilk, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla. Set aside.2 cups sugar, 1 cup water, ½ cup canola oil, ½ cup buttermilk, ½ cup unsalted butter, 2 large eggs, 1 tsp vanilla extract
- In another bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.2 cups all-purpose flour, ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp baking soda, ¼ tsp Kosher salt
- Slowly stir the flour mixture into the wet mixture and continue stirring until smooth and fully combined (it's okay if there are a few bubbles or bumps).
- Spray the sheet pan with cooking spray.
- Transfer the cake batter to the pan and smooth it out with a spatula.
- Bake for 20 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes. Make the warm chocolate frosting immediately.
Make the Warm Chocolate Frosting
- In a medium-sized saucepan, melt the butter with the milk over medium-low heat.½ cup unsalted butter, ⅓ cup whole milk
- Turn off the heat and stir in the confectioners' sugar, cocoa, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon until silky smooth.1 lb confectioners' sugar, ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 tsp vanilla extract, ¼ tsp Kosher salt, ¼ tsp cinnamon
- Pour the warm frosting over the cooled cake and smooth with a spatula. Top with chopped pecans, if using.1 cup pecans
Video
Notes
NOTE: Watch the video in the recipe card for visual guidance.
We recommend that all of the ingredients be at room temperature when making the batter; however, if you forget to set anything out, you'll still be okay. The cake has a slightly better texture when all ingredients are room temp.
Be sure to let the cake cool for at least 10 minutes before adding the warm icing. The cake can be made up to 24 hours in advance before icing. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and make sure it's room temperature before making the warm chocolate icing.
Leftovers will keep covered for up to 5 days and can be frozen for up to 1 month.
Nutrition
Calories: 458kcal | Carbohydrates: 92g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 74mg | Sodium: 219mg | Potassium: 172mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 72g | Vitamin A: 550IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 2mg