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Chocolate Texas Sheet Cake

Chocolate Texas Sheet Cake is a decadent cake recipe that is so easy to make. You don’t need to be a baker to make this cake!

Sheet cake is a cake made in a shallow half sheet pan. Baking cake in a sheet pan is so much easier than using cake forms, layering cakes, and decorating a whole cake.

This cake uses icing and not frosting. Frosting is thicker and needs to be spread with a spatula. Icing is thin and glossy, and glides right onto the cake.

Chocolate Texas Sheet Cake

Chocolate Texas Sheet Cake Ingredients

To make this chocolate sheet cake, you will need the following ingredients (see the recipe card below for exact amounts):

  • Unsalted butter
  • Hot water
  • Unsweetened cocoa powder
  • Eggs
  • Light brown sugar
  • Granulated sugar
  • Sour cream
  • All-purpose flour
  • Baking soda
  • Salt
  • Milk
  • Vanilla extract
  • Powdered sugar
Chocolate Sheet Cake

How to Bake a Cake on a Sheet Pan

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a large baking pan such as a 12×16-inch baking pan with sides.
  2. Heat the butter, water and cocoa powder in a medium saucepan over medium and let it come to a simmer for 5 minutes before removing the pan from the heat and letting cool completely for 20 minutes.
  3. Mix the eggs, brown sugar and granulated sugar together in a large bowl until combined then stir in the sour cream.
  4. Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt together in a medium size bowl then gradually add it into the wet ingredients until smooth.
  5. Pour the batter into the baking pan and bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center.
  6. In the meantime, make the icing by adding the butter, milk, cocoa powder and vanilla to another saucepan over medium heat then let it simmer for about 10 minutes.
  7. Gradually stir in the powdered sugar and when the cake is fresh out of the oven, evenly pour the icing over the cake and let it cool for 1 hour before serving.
How to Make Cake in Sheet Pan

Storage Instructions

Sheet pan cake can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Can I Add Anything To This Cake?

Sure! Chop up some of your favorite nuts and sprinkle on top, or decorate with colorful icing for a birthday party.

Chocolate Texas Cake

More Decadent Cake Recipes

Chocolate Texas Sheet Cake

Chocolate Texas Sheet Cake

Yield: 1 cake
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

Chocolate Texas Sheet Cake is a decadent cake recipe that is so easy to make. You don't need to be a baker to make this cake!

Ingredients

  • 2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into pieces
  • 1 cup hot water
  • 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 2/3 cup sour cream
  • 2 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt

For the Icing:

  • 1 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces
  • ½ cup milk
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or imitation vanilla flavor
  • 3 ½ cup powdered sugar

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a large baking pan such as a 12x16 sheet pan with sides.
  2. Heat the butter, water and cocoa powder in a medium saucepan over medium and let it come to a simmer for 5 minutes before removing the pan from the heat and letting cool completely for 20 minutes.
  3. Mix the eggs, brown sugar and granulated sugar together in a large bowl until combined then stir in the sour cream.
  4. Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt together in a medium size bowl then gradually add it into the wet ingredients until smooth.
  5. Pour the batter into the baking pan and bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center.
  6. In the meantime, make the icing by adding the butter, milk, cocoa powder and vanilla to another saucepan over medium heat then let it simmer for about 10 minutes.
  7. Gradually stir in the powdered sugar and when the cake is fresh out of the oven, evenly pour the icing over the cake and let it cool for 1 hour before serving.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 605Total Fat: 27gSaturated Fat: 16gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 100mgSodium: 251mgCarbohydrates: 86gFiber: 2gSugar: 63gProtein: 6g

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

Janna T.

Tuesday 21st of December 2021

I believe, based on the volume of your ingredients, that this would be better baked in a 10x15" jelly roll pan, rather than a 15x21" three-quarter sheet pan. Could you confirm your pan dimensions?

Emily Enchanted

Wednesday 22nd of December 2021

@Janna T., I used a 12x16 inch baking pan. A 10x15 may work but when I added the icing it was right at capacity with the 12x16. (I've updated the size in the post.)

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