This extra thick and fluffy Texas Sheet Cake is a delicious twist on the classic chocolate lovers dessert!
Extra Thick Texas Sheet Cake
I did everything backwards!
A few weeks ago I shared a fun recipe for Texas Sheet Cake Cookies – chocolate cake mix cookies with a from-scratch cooked chocolate glaze.
I’m a chocolate fan, so I was pretty excited about our cookies, but it was still a surprise just how much everyone else liked them too! The recipe went MEGA viral and it was a lot of fun to watch readers try the recipe too!
So now I figured I really should get cracking on an actual Texas sheet cake recipe!
But of course we had to add our own little twist…
Don’t worry though – the essentials are all still there!
So what’s the difference?
The big difference is that we made our Texas sheet cake extra thick and fluffy!
Most traditional Texas sheet cake recipes are made in a sheet pan – sized 13″ x 19″ or so.
However I like fluffy cake, so I thought it would be fun to try a Texas sheet cake that was more like a regular cake. The ingredients are the same, we simply used a different pan and adjusted the cooking time slightly.
I love how it turned out! This would make an awesome birthday cake for your favorite chocolate fan!
Related: Love pecans? Try our easy pecan praline recipe too!
What’s in a Texas Sheet Cake?
While working on our Texas Sheet Cake Cookies, I learned a bit about the history of the traditional Texas favorite and the must-haves for a “proper” version of the recipe.
While true Texans all seem to have their own special way to make it, every Texas Sheet Cake shares these three characteristics:
- Large flat chocolate cake (a sheet cake, as the name implies)
- Rich chocolate icing (the richer the better!)
- Pecans (we love pecans in Texas!)
Sounds delicious right? No wonder Texas sheet cake is such a beloved dessert!
Here’s our take on it…
Texas Sheet Cake Ingredients
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Cake Ingredients:
- 2 cups flour
- 1 3/4 cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup unsalted sweet cream butter, cut into tablespoon sized cubes
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder (this is our favorite kind…SO rich and chocolate-y)
- 1 cup brewed coffee, cooled to room temperature
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Topping Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
- 3/4 cup unsalted sweet cream butter
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder (this is our favorite kind…SO rich and chocolate-y)
- 1/3 cup whole milk
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Kitchen Supplies Used:
- Sifter (this one is turquoise – so pretty!)
- 9 x 13″ cake pan
- Non-slip mixing bowls
- Stand mixer (we bought ours refurbished and saved a ton of money!)
- Saucepan
How to Make Texas Sheet Cake (Thick & Fluffy Style)
A free printable copy of this recipe is available at the bottom of the post.
Cake Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare a 13×9 baking dish with non-stick spray. Line baking pan with parchment paper.
Sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt into a large mixing bowl and set aside.
Combine the butter, cocoa and coffee in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a low boil, whisking until well combined and smooth.
Remove pan from heat and allow to cool slightly. Slowly pour liquid mixture over the dry ingredients, mixing using a stand mixer or electric hand mixer.
Beat in the eggs, buttermilk and vanilla until everything is well incorporated.
Pour batter into your prepared baking dish and bake for 23-25 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.
Icing Directions:
Combine the butter, cocoa, milk, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir together until butter melts completely and everything is incorporated.
Once butter has melted, gradually whisk in the powdered sugar until icing is smooth.
Remove from heat and stir in 2/3 cup of chopped pecans.
While the cake is still warm (but not hot), pour the icing on the cake, spreading if needed to evenly distribute. If the cake is too hot, it will mess with the consistency of the icing. If the cake is completely cool, the frosting won’t glaze just right.
It sounds tricky, but it’s really not! If the cake is warm to the touch, it’s perfect to frost!
Sprinkle remaining pecans onto the top of the cake and allow the icing to set.
Enjoy!
Related: Try our Chocolate and Peanut Butter Texas Sheet Cake too!
Extra Thick Texas Sheet Cake Recipe
If you like this recipe, rate it! We’d also love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
Texas Sheet Cake - Extra Thick & Fluffy!
Ingredients
Cake Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 1 3/4 cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup unsalted sweet cream butter cut into tablespoon sized cubes
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1 cup brewed coffee cooled to room temperature
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Topping ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
- 3/4 cup unsalted sweet cream butter
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1/3 cup whole milk
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Cake Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare a 13x9 baking dish with non-stick spray. Line baking pan with parchment paper.
- Sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt into a large mixing bowl and set aside.
- Using a medium pot over medium heat, combine the butter, cocoa and coffee, bringing it to a low boil. Whisk until well combined and smooth, then remove from heat.
- Slowly pour liquid mixture over the flour ingredients, mixing using a stand mixer or electric hand mixer.
- Beat in the eggs, buttermilk and vanilla until everything is well incorporated.
- Pour batter into your prepared baking dish and bake for 23-25 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.
Icing Directions
- Combine the butter, cocoa, milk, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir together until butter melts completely.
- Once butter has melted, gradually whisk in the powdered sugar until smooth.
- Remove from heat and stir in 2/3 cup of chopped pecans.
- Pour the icing on the cake, spreading if needed to evenly distribute.
- Sprinkle remaining pecans onto the top of the cake and allow the icing to set.
Notes
Nutrition
Be sure to pin our Texas Sheet Cake recipe on Pinterest:
More of our favorite chocolate cake recipes:
- Pop It Chocolate - July 20, 2021
- Strawberry Lemon Blondies - July 15, 2021
- Why My Kids Don’t Say “I Hate You” - July 15, 2021
Anna says
You say to use cocoa powder. Are you talking the powdered chocolate found on baking aisles in the grocery stores or hot chocolate mixes?
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
Cocoa powder in this recipe refers to the baking chocolate powder, as opposed to the drink mix.