Texas Sheet Cake

0 (0)

Texas Sheet Cake might be the ultimate chocolate cake. It’s incredibly easy to make and has a buttery, velvety richness with a pure chocolate punch. PS, because you make it in a sheet pan, it’s easy to slice and perfect for feeding a crowd. Seriously. You can get 25 slices from one cake! I’m in love.

What is Texas Sheet Cake?

Texas Sheet Cake is a very simple chocolate cake recipe made in a 10×15 sheet pan that’s two inches deep (also known as a jelly roll pan). You can also use a 12 x18 baking pan, but the cake won’t be as thick and will cook faster. Once cooled, you cover the sheet cake in a thick layer of warm, buttery homemade chocolate icing, right in the pan.

The difference between Texas Sheet Cake and regular cake is the thickness of the cake. Traditional cakes are thicker and sometimes layered. You also remove the cakes from the pans and then frost. Texas Sheet Cake is made in one pan. The thin layer of batter bakes quicker than traditional cakes. You then frost the cake right in the pan.

Ingredients For Texas Sheet Cake

This is one of those recipes that needs to be followed as written. Cakes are a science, so, unfortunately, I don’t have substitutions for any of the following ingredients. You are, of course, welcome to experiment, but I can’t offer guidance or guarantee results. Here’s what you need to make Texas Sheet Cake:

1. All-Purpose Flour – creates the structure of your crumb.
2. Brown Sugar, Granulated Sugar, and Powdered Sugar – these sugars do more than sweeten the cake and the icing. Brown and granulated sugar soften the cake crumb and add moisture. Powdered sugar creates structure in icing.
3. Baking Powder and Baking Soda – leaven the cake and create a light, airy crumb.
4. Butter– creates a light, tender texture and helps the cake rise. It also adds richness to the icing.
5. Unsweetened Cocoa Powder – adds a deep chocolate flavor to the cake and the icing.
6. Coffee– adds depth to the chocolate.
7. Eggs– provide structure to help leaven the cake.
8. Mayo – adds moisture and richness to the cake.
9. Heavy Cream– thins the icing and adds richness.
10. Vanilla – adds depth to the icing.

Can You Make The Cake Ahead?

Yes, you can make Texas Sheet Cake ahead of time. However, to keep the icing glossy, I would frost it the day of. Bake the cake up to 2 days ahead of time. Let it cool, wrap it in plastic, and then aluminum. Leave it at room temperature or freeze and then thaw. Make your icing when you’re ready to serve.

How To Cut Texas Sheet Cake

The beauty of this cake is that it’s simple to slice. You don’t have to cut through multiple layers hoping your slices are even. Instead, you cut through one layer in easy-to-manage squares or rectangles. We did brownie-sized 3×3 slices and got 15 pieces out of it. But you can cut 2×3 pieces and get 25 servings! This is the perfect cake for large gatherings like potlucks or school bake sales.

How To Store Texas Sheet Cake

Texas sheet cake can be stored at room temperature for up to three days. To prevent it from drying out, wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap and then in a layer of aluminum foil. You can also freeze the double-wrapped cake for up to 2 months. It’s perfect for chocolate emergencies. (Beth and I have those at least once a week). You can thaw it at room temperature overnight. But you don’t have to bring it to room temperature to enjoy it. On hot summer days, I eat it straight from the freezer.

Texas Sheet Cake might be the ultimate chocolate cake. It’s incredibly easy to make and has a luscious buttery richness with a pure chocolate punch!

Servings: 15 slices

Prep time: 20 mins

Cook time: 25 mins

Total time: 45 mins

Ingredients

Cake

1. 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2. 1 cup granulated sugar
3. 1 cup brown sugar, light or dark
4. 1/2 tsp salt
5. 2 tsp baking powder
6. 1/2 tsp baking soda
7. 1 cup salted butter (2 sticks)
8. 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
9. 1 cup coffee, hot
10. 2 eggs
11. 1/2 cup mayonnaise
12. 1 tsp vanilla extract

Icing

1. 1 cup salted butter (2 sticks)
2. 1/4 cup heavy cream
3. 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
4. 1 tsp vanilla extract
5. 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

Instructions 

1. Place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat it to 350°F. Grease a jelly roll pan (10×15) with a 2-inch rim with melted butter. Lightly flour the pan. Shake off any excess and place in the freezer.
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
3. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter, then brown it. Take the pan off the heat.
4. Add the unsweetened cocoa powder to the brown butter, and stir to incorporate.
5. Place the pan back over medium heat. Add the hot coffee, and stir. Take the pan off the heat.
6. Add the eggs and vanilla to the mayonnaise and combine. Add a few tablespoons of chocolate to temper (warm) the egg mixture.
7. Once the egg mixture is warm, mix the chocolate and egg mixture together.
8. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir just enough to combine.
9. Add the batter to the sheet pan and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the cake has a slight spring when you press a finger on its surface and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
10. Once the cake is out of the oven, make the icing. Set a large saucepan over medium heat, and add the butter, heavy cream, cocoa, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Stir until incorporated.
11. Pour 3/4 of the warm frosting over the center of the cooled cake. Begin to spread it over the cake with a spatula and add more frosting if necessary to cover the cake from end to end. Cut, serve, then sit back and enjoy the marathon of compliments you’re going to get!

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice Calories: 546kcal Carbohydrates: 63g Protein: 4g Fat: 33g Sodium: 428mg Fiber: 2g

How to Make Texas Sheet Cake – Step by Step Photos

Place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat it to 350°F. Use a pastry brush or paper towel to grease a jelly roll pan (10×15) with a 2-inch rim with 1 tablespoon of melted butter. Lightly flour the pan. Shake off any excess and place in the freezer.

In a large bowl, combine the 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 cup white sugar, 1 cup brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda.

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt 1 cup of butter (2 sticks) in a light-colored pan. It will foam, then begin to brown. Stir constantly to distribute the heat evenly. As soon as it turns a light caramel color take it off the heat.

Add 6 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder, and stir to incorporate.

Place the pan back over medium heat. Add 1 cup of hot coffee, and stir. Then take the pan off the heat.

In a large bowl combine the two eggs,1 teaspoon of vanilla, and 1/2 cup of mayonnaise. Add a few tablespoons of chocolate to temper the egg mixture. Tempering raises the temperature of the egg mixture slowly so that the eggs don’t heat too quickly and solidify into scrambled eggs.

Once the egg mixture is warm, add the tempered egg mixture to the chocolate mixture and combine.

Next, pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir just enough to combine.

Then add the batter to the sheet pan and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the cake has a slight spring when you press a finger on its surface and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Once the cake is out of the oven make the icing. Set a large saucepan over medium heat and add 1 cup of butter (two sticks), 1/4 cup of heavy cream, 1/3 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder (sifted to prevent lumps), 1 teaspoon of vanilla, and 2 1/2 cups of powdered sugar (sifted to prevent lumps). Stir until incorporated. Do not boil.

Recipe by Cook Good Recipes