BEST Texas Sheet Cake Recipe (with pecan icing) Miss in the Kitchen (2024)

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Texas Sheet Cake is a classic chocolate sheet cake with a chocolate and pecan frosting. Perfect for any holiday, celebration or family dinner. An easy dessert made from scratch that is perfect for chocolate lovers.

BEST Texas Sheet Cake Recipe (with pecan icing) Miss in the Kitchen (1)

This Texas Sheet Cake recipe has been in my recipe box for over 25 years. I got it from a neighbor and it’s the best Texas sheet cake that is so easy to make. You don’t even need an electric mixer.

This chocolate sheet cake is made with pantry staples, it’s easy to whip up even for last minute get togethers or family gatherings. The rich chocolate frosting can be made with or without chopped pecans.

Table of Contents

Why You Will Love this Easy Chocolate Sheet Cake Recipe

  • Delicious Chocolate Dessert: Rich chocolate cake that is moist and the hint of cinnamon enhances the chocolate flavor.
  • Easiest Chocolate Cake Recipe: Creamy sweetness from sweetened condensed milk adds depth of flavor along with a hint of cinnamon makes this the best chocolate cake.
  • Great for Feeding a Crowd:This thin chocolate cake is great for birthday parties, holiday celebrations and a must-have for summer cookouts.
BEST Texas Sheet Cake Recipe (with pecan icing) Miss in the Kitchen (2)

Ingredients Needed for Texas Sheet Cake Recipe

For the Chocolate Sheet Cake

  • Softened Butter – I like to use salted butter but unsalted butter works too.
  • Natural, Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
  • Water
  • All purpose Flour
  • Light Brown Sugar
  • Ground Cinnamon – adds flavor and adds flavor similar to a Mexican chocolate cake.
  • Baking Soda
  • Kosher Salt
  • Sweetened Condensed Milk
  • Large Eggs
  • Vanilla Extract
  • Baking Spray or additional butter for greasing the pan.

For the Chocolate Pecan Icing

  • Butter
  • Sweetened Condensed Milk
  • Cocoa Powder
  • Powdered Sugar
  • Toasted Pecans

How to Make Texas Sheet Cake

BEST Texas Sheet Cake Recipe (with pecan icing) Miss in the Kitchen (3)
  1. Melt butter in a medium sauce pan and whisk in cocoa powder. Add water and bring the mixture to a boil. Set aside.
BEST Texas Sheet Cake Recipe (with pecan icing) Miss in the Kitchen (4)
  1. Combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl: flour, brown sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
  2. Stir in the warm chocolate mixture and 1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk, eggs and vanilla.
BEST Texas Sheet Cake Recipe (with pecan icing) Miss in the Kitchen (5)
  1. Spray a jelly roll pan with baking spray. Pour batter into pan and spread in an even layer. Bake 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
BEST Texas Sheet Cake Recipe (with pecan icing) Miss in the Kitchen (6)
  1. While the cake bakes, prepare the icing: Add butter, cocoa powder, remaining sweetened condensed milk to a small saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat just until butter is melted. Stir in powdered sugar and pecans.
BEST Texas Sheet Cake Recipe (with pecan icing) Miss in the Kitchen (7)
  1. Spread over warm cake.
BEST Texas Sheet Cake Recipe (with pecan icing) Miss in the Kitchen (8)
  1. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Recipe Notes and Variations for the Best Chocolate Sheet Cake

  • Coffee: For extra richness, you can substitute the water in the cake batter with brewed coffee.
  • Nuts: Toasted pecans add a true Texas flair to this delicious chocolate cake. Substitute your favorite nuts like walnuts, peanuts or hazelnuts if desired. Skip the nuts if you have food allergies or don’t like nuts.
  • Baking Time for Half Sheet Pan: If you don’t have a jelly roll pan, a half sheet pan will work, the cake will just be thinner and will bake in about 15 minutes.
  • Storage: Store leftover cake covered with plastic wrap or aluminum foil at room temperature up to 3 days. Refrigerate in an airtight container up to one week.

There are a few steps to this classic recipe but I promise it is totally worth while and your family will love it. Texas Sheet Cake is perfect for Valentine’s Day, 4th of July celebrations and just about any get together with friends.

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BEST Texas Sheet Cake Recipe (with pecan icing) Miss in the Kitchen (9)

What is a jelly roll pan?

A jelly roll pan is usually a 15″ x 10″ inch rimmed baking sheet, which is slightly smaller than a rimmed half sheet cake pan which is 12″ x 18″. Did you know there was a difference? I actually never noticed until recently. I orderedjelly roll panon Amazon and it is perfect for my favorite sheet cake recipes.

More Sheet Cake Recipes to Try

  • Easy Strawberry Cakeis made from scratch and has an incredibly delicious cream cheese strawberry frosting. So good for any holiday or party.
  • Peanut Butter Sheet Cakewith Butterfinger Frosting is a crazy-good dessert for celebrations, cookouts or just any get together with friends.
  • Buttermilk Sheet Cakeis like a White Texas Sheet Cake and is the perfect dessert for Easter or any special occasion.
  • Pineapple Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Frostingis one of the simplest recipes ever and the cream cheese frosting makes it so irresistible.
BEST Texas Sheet Cake Recipe (with pecan icing) Miss in the Kitchen (10)

I hope you enjoy making and indulging in this delicious Texas Sheet Cake, it is a classic cake recipe and the answer to any dessert occasion!

If you love this Recipeas much as I do, please leave a comment anda five star review, and be sure to help me share on Pinterest!

Yield: 16 Servings

Texas Sheet Cake

BEST Texas Sheet Cake Recipe (with pecan icing) Miss in the Kitchen (11)

Texas Sheet Cake is a classic chocolate sheet cake with a chocolate and pecan frosting. Perfect for any holiday, celebration or family dinner. An easy dessert made from scratch that everyone is sure to love.

Prep Time10 minutes

Cook Time25 minutes

Total Time35 minutes

Ingredients

For the cake:

  • 1 cup butter
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 14 ounce sweetened condensed milk (1/3 cup for cake, remainder for icing)
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the icing:

  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder
  • remainder of sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 cup chopped toasted pecans

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°.
  2. In a small sauce pan, melt butter. Whisk in cocoa powder and then add water. Bring to a boil, whisking often. Set aside.
  3. In a mixing bowl, add flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.
  4. Whisk until well combined
  5. Add in chocolate mixture and mix well.
  6. Stir in 1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk, eggs and vanilla and beat until all combined.
  7. Pour into a greased jelly roll pan (15" x 10").
  8. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched or a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
  9. Meanwhile, prepare the icing.
  10. Add butter, cocoa powder and remaining sweetened condensed milk to a medium saucepan. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring until butter is melted. Remove from heat.
  11. Add powdered sugar and chopped pecans and stir until combined.
  12. Spread over warm cake.

Notes

  • Coffee: For extra richness, you can substitute the water in the cake batter with brewed coffee.
  • Nuts: Toasted pecans add a true Texas flair to this delicious chocolate cake. Substitute your favorite nuts like walnuts, peanuts or hazelnuts if desired. Skip the nuts if you have food allergies or don't like nuts.
  • Baking Time for Half Sheet Pan: If you don't have a jelly roll pan, a half sheet pan will work, the cake will just be thinner and will bake in about 15 minutes.
  • Storage: Store leftover cake covered with plastic wrap or aluminum foil at room temperature up to 3 days. Refrigerate in an airtight container up to one week.
  • Nutrition Information:

    Yield:

    16

    Serving Size:

    1

    Amount Per Serving:Calories: 458Total Fat: 23gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 74mgSodium: 319mgCarbohydrates: 58gFiber: 2gSugar: 43gProtein: 7g

    Nutritional calculation is estimated and may not be accurate.

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    BEST Texas Sheet Cake Recipe (with pecan icing) Miss in the Kitchen (2024)

    FAQs

    How many people will a full sheet cake feed? ›

    Generally, a full sheet cake can serve around 70 to 80 people, a half sheet cake serves about 36 to 48, and a quarter sheet cake caters to approximately 20 to 24 guests. Q: How much batter do I need for a sheet cake? A: The amount of batter depends on the sheet cake size.

    Why do they call it a Texas sheet cake? ›

    Some sources say it may have first shown up in a Texas newspaper, which is why it's called "Texas" sheet cake, while others claim the name comes from the fact that it's the size of Texas. Regardless of its origins, this cake is truly a crowd-pleaser.

    What's the difference between sheet cake and regular cake? ›

    The primary difference between sheet cake and regular cake is the size of the cake pan. Sheet cake is made in a sheet cake pan which is a shallow, large pan. Regular cake is usually made in a 9×13 baking dish or, for a double layer cake, it's made in two 8-9” round pans.

    How many cups of batter do I need for a half sheet cake? ›

    The Three Common Sheet Cake Sizes: A full-sheet cake (18 x 24 inches, requiring approximately 16 cups of batter) serves up to 80 people. Meanwhile, 1/2 sheet cake (18 x 12 inches and using 7 to 8 cups of batter) should be enough for 36-48 guests.

    What is the size of a 1 2 sheet cake? ›

    Half sheet cake: 13" x 18" Quarter sheet cake: 9" x 23"

    How many boxes of cake mix for full sheet cake? ›

    A full sheet cake weighs 8 pounds of batter. The average super market box cake weighs 15.25 ozs. Add in the eggs & water & oil & you have just about 2 lbs. So you would need 4 boxes, maybe a little more for waste because most people don't scrap the bowl very well & lose product that way.

    Why is my Texas sheet cake so dense? ›

    Why is my Texas sheet cake so dense? If your cake is turning out dense, be careful not to over mix the batter when adding the flour mixture. Instead of using an electric mixer, stir in the dry ingredients by hand in a large mixing bowl so as not to work the gluten in the flour too hard and make the cake dense.

    Why is my Texas sheet cake dry? ›

    If you have too much flour in a recipe and not enough fat, like butter or oil, your cake is going to be dry and hard. For best results, I would encourage you to use a scale when baking, but if you don't have a scale, then just make sure you're using measuring cups correctly.

    What is the most popular cake in Texas? ›

    TEXAS – Chocolate Lava Cake

    The chocolatey goodness of molten lava cake is a favorite in the Lone Star State.

    How much frosting do I need for a sheet cake? ›

    As far as frosting goes, we find 3 cups is about right to frost a 9" x 13" cake, plus some extra for piping and decorating. 2 cups will suffice if you're OK with a thin layer of frosting; 4 cups will give you some excess.

    What is Costco sheet cake? ›

    In the U.S., Costco cakes can be chocolate or vanilla. The chocolate sheet cake includes chocolate mousse filling and chocolate buttercream icing. The vanilla is similar but, well, vanilla: A vanilla sheet cake filled with vanilla cheesecake mousse and white buttercream icing.

    Can you bake a cake mix in a half sheet pan? ›

    Any layer cake recipe that yields three 8" or 9" cakes will work in a half sheet pan with no adjustments needed.

    How many slices of cake can you get out of a half of a sheet cake? ›

    First, the math:
    Cake SizeMeasurementsNo. of 2"x2" Slices
    Quarter Sheet9" x 13"29
    Half Sheet13" x 18"58
    Full Sheet18" x 26"117
    Nov 28, 2023

    How much should I charge for a quarter sheet cake? ›

    ServingsPrice
    Yellow Layer Sheet Cake Pricing, Basic Decoration
    1/4 Sheet-1 Layer12-15 Med. or 24 Small Servings$25.99
    1/4 Sheet-2 Layer25-30 Med. or 48 Small Servings$38.99
    1/2 Sheet-1 Layer25-30 Med. or 48 Small Servings$38.99
    13 more rows

    How big of a sheet cake feeds 100 people? ›

    Sheet Cake Servings
    Layer Cake ServingsPound Cake Servings
    ¼ Sheet20-2530-35
    ½ Sheet40-5065-70
    ¾ Sheet70-7590-100
    Full Sheet90-100120-130

    How big of a cake feeds 100 people? ›

    If you're after those delicate bites, a three-tier cake with 12-inch, 10-inch, and 8-inch layers will serve all 100 guests with the standard portion size. Feeling generous? Opt for a four-tier cake with slightly smaller layers (10″, 8″, 6″, and 4″) to offer those bigger slices.

    How much cake do I need for 100 guests? ›

    Cake Tiers and Serving Sizes

    So a classic 3-tier cake with 12, 10, and 8 inch layers serves about 100 people. Narrower cakes will be smaller, more affordable, and serve fewer people. Pillar cake tiers can be the exact same height as long as they have structured supports.

    What size cake feeds 50? ›

    Choose the right size of cake: Generally, a 6" cake serves about 12 people, an 8" cake serves about 24 people, a 10" cake serves about 36 people, and a 12" cake serves about 50 people.

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