Texas Sheet Cake

Texas sheet cake is the dessert that feeds a crowd — a thin, moist chocolate cake baked in a big sheet pan and topped with a warm, fudgy pecan chocolate icing that soaks right into the top. It is a Texas potluck institution, the cake that shows up at every barbecue, church supper, and birthday, and it is best served the day it is made, cut into generous squares.

Why this recipe works: Two details make this cake special. First, the hot coffee and buttermilk in the batter keep the thin cake impossibly moist. Second, the icing is poured on warm — the classic move — so it melts into the surface of the cake in a thin, glossy layer rather than sitting on top like a frosting.

Key ingredients

• Cocoa powder: the deep chocolate base.
• Buttermilk and hot coffee: the moistness and flavor depth.
• Butter: in both the cake and the icing — no shortcuts.
• Powdered sugar, cocoa, and pecans: the warm, glossy icing.

Tips for the best sheet cake

Use a large jelly-roll pan (about 18 x 13 inches) so the cake bakes thin and even. Do not overmix the batter once the flour goes in. For the icing, melt the butter and cocoa, then whisk in the powdered sugar and milk off the heat, and pour it over the cake within a minute of it leaving the oven — that warm pour is what creates the signature glossy, soaked-in finish. Sprinkle the pecans over the icing before it sets.

Variations and storage

Skip the pecans for a classic version, or add a teaspoon of cinnamon to the icing for a Mexican-chocolate spin. The cake is at its best the day it is made, but it keeps well covered at room temperature for 2 to 3 days — if there is any left.

Texas recipes →