Texas Sheet Cake with Buttermilk

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This Texas Sheet Cake with buttermilk is a delicious and easy dessert from scratch. We love making this easy cake when we need to have dessert for several people, and this delicious moist chocolate cake is always a winner.

Why we love this recipe-

• It is so easy to make with simple ingredients, and a truly classic Southern dessert.
• It is a quick cure for that nagging sweet tooth, for sure. It is full of rich flavor from the fluffy chocolate cake to the dreamy chocolate ganache on top of the cake.
• This is one of our favorite recipes and it makes the best chocolate sheet cake! Perfect for family gatherings or any time you need a delicious dessert to feed several people.
• The buttermilk in this recipe makes the cake ultra moist! You really can’t go wrong. We wanted to develop our own version of the original Texas sheet cake with buttermilk and this one does not disappoint. 
• The buttermilk also gives the cake a slight tang, helps it rise even better, and keeps it from being too sweet, which is more of the ganache’s job in this recipe.
• This makes a large sheet cake the size of Texas! Which is good, because it is definitely a crowd pleaser.

Here’s how to make this classic texas sheet cake-

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• ½ tsp. Salt
• 1 tsp. Baking soda
• 1 cup water
• 1 ½ cup unsalted butter, divided
• 6 tbsp. Cocoa powder, divided
• ½ cup buttermilk
• 1 tsp. Vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 6 tbsp. Milk
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1 cup pecans, optional
• ½ teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Step 2: Line an 18×13 inch sheet pan with parchment, or spray with non-stick spray.

Step 3: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Set the flour mixture aside.

Step 4: In a medium saucepan, bring water, 1 cup of butter, and 3 tbsp. cocoa powder to a simmer over medium heat. Boil for 1-2 minutes, whisking to combine.

Step 5: Slowly add the chocolate mixture to the dry ingredients, mixing carefully in between additions.

Step 6: Add buttermilk, vanilla, and eggs, mix to combine to finish the cake batter.

Step 7: Pour batter into the prepared pan.

Step 8: Bake for 23-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Step 9: For the ganache, add 3 tbsp. Cocoa, ½ cup butter, and milk to a medium sauce pan, and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 1-2 minutes, then remove from the heat and let cool just slightly.

Step 10: To a large bowl, add powdered sugar and vanilla. Slowly mix in the cocoa mixture until well combined. If desired, fold in pecans.

Step 11: Pour the ganache over the warm cake and let the cake cool on a cooling rack for about 1 hour. 

Enjoy!

We are obsessed with this moist sheet cake and how it turns out perfect every time. Store any leftovers in an airtight container for the next day, if it lasts that long before it is eaten up.

For a printable version of the full recipe for this Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake, see the recipe card below.

Save this recipe for later- click the image below to save to Pinterest!

FAQs & Tips

• This recipe doesn’t work in a jelly roll pan, make sure you have a large sheet pan- it will be an 18×13 inch that you need.
• For a less sweet dessert, skip the ganache and just enjoy the cake as is, or with a slight dusting of powdered sugar.

Does Texas Sheet Cake need to be refrigerated?

It doesn’t have to, but it is going to last longer and have less chance of drying out if you refrigerate the leftovers.

Why is it called a Texas sheet cake?

Some say that the recipe was first shared in a Texas newspaper, or that it is called that because of how large the sheet cake is- the size of Texas for sure!

Why did my sheet cake sink in the middle?

That means the middle is a little less done than the rest of the cake, you may notice that it is more dense in that spot. Next time bake just a few minutes longer to make sure it is fully done and fluffy, all the way to the middle.

You might also like these other easy desserts-

Butterscotch Poke Cake

S’mores Cupcakes

Banana Pudding Cheesecake Bars

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