An American classic. A thin layer of chocolate cake topped with warm chocolate pecan frosting.
Recipe by Joy the Baker on February 4, 2021
Prep time: PT15M
Cook time: PT20M
Total time: PT35M
Rating
4.9 stars ( reviews)
Ingredients
2 cups (254 grams) all-purpose flour
2 cups (400 grams) granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup buttermilk or sour cream
2 large eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup (100 grams) finely chopped pecans
2/3 cups (151 grams) butter
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
6 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups (312 grams) powdered sugar
Steps
Place rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour an 18×13 sheet cake pan.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
In a small saucepan, melt butter. Add cocoa. Stir together. Add boiling water, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Pour warm chocolate over flour mixture, and stir lightly to cool.
In a large liquid measuring cup, whisk together the buttermilk, beaten eggs, and vanilla. Stir buttermilk mixture into butter/chocolate/ flour mixture. Pour into sheet cake pan, spread evenly and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs not wet batter.
While cake is baking, make the icing. Chop pecans well. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add cocoa, stir to combine, then turn off heat. Add the milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar and stir until smooth. Add the pecans.
Pour the warm frosting over the warm cake. Allow to cool and set for at least 30 minutes. Cut into squares and enjoy! To store, wrap the cake in plastic wrap or foil and keep in the refrigerator or at room temperature.
Reviews
Sabrina on 2021-02-06 (5 stars): missed this, have never made it or even tasted it before, so thank you for the introduction and recipe, I like that it's a thin layer and especially the pecan frosting for the flavor and texture!
Judy D. on 2021-02-06 (5 stars): Thanks for the mention, Joy! This is my favorite cake, as you know. ?~Aunt Judy
Sally on 2021-03-02 (5 stars): My grandmother--whose last name was also Wilson!--made amazing Texas Cake, but I lost the recipe years ago. This one tastes exactly the same! I was so happy to find it. Thank you!
Merindy on 2022-05-15 (3 stars): My icing turned out very oily can you tell me what I have done wrong? Thanks so much.
Cheryll P on 2022-01-12 (5 stars): Due to a slight miscalculation, I thought my jelly roll pan was the one that was smaller than my half-sheet pan (I may have too many pans), and my batter went all the way to the top… and then I still added the frosting, thinking maybe it would settle in. Oops, it was a bit of a drippy mess, but the taste was incredible! Adding this one to the “keep forever and teach it to my kids” file. Thank you SO much!!
Mindy on 2022-01-25 (5 stars): Perfect! We’re a household of two so I halved the recipe and baked in a quarter sheet pan. It’s been years since I’ve made this cake and have no idea what recipe I used to use, but it doesn't matter because this one will go in the permanent file! Thank you!!!
Sherri Robinson on 2022-02-18 (5 stars): Thank you for the recipe!! It was a hit! Turned out perfect! I've never made one so it was a lot of fun ?
Sarah on 2022-04-23 (5 stars): This is the cake my husband wants every year for his birthday. I had never made it before we started dating and had no clue what made a “best” Texas sheet cake.
Every year I try a new recipe. This was the recipe I went for this year and it got the stamp of approval from both of us. A really nice tender cake with a really tasty icing. I did put a little less powdered sugar in than what it called for- so my only suggestion would be if you don’t like a super sweet icing to maybe drop it down by a half cup. But sooo yummy!
Eileen on 2022-08-08 (5 stars): Yum, thanks. Came out exactly as described and the texture of the icing reminded me of my grandmother’s chocolate drop cookies. The cake was moist and light with a buttery brownie-like flavor. The icing was quite sweet but I liked it. The only variation I might try is replacing the pecans with finely chopped almonds and moist coconut flakes. The cake was quite soft and the icing was very moist (didn’t harden). I’m not sure if that’s typical but it made packing up leftovers a bit challenging (oh well, more for me). I did use 1.5 TBS raw Cocao because I ran out of Dutch Cocoa. Perhaps substituting some dark bakers chocolate would fix that?
Lanelle Hack on 2023-04-15 (5 stars): MY sweet mother made this cake and it was always great. Sometimes she would add a layer of white mini marshmallows to the cake when the cake out of the oven and before she put the chocolate icing on it... That made it EXTRA sweet - but us kids loved that part of it.. Oh sweet memories!
I've made this for 56 years now and still love it. And it's so easy to bake and take to church suppers, funerals, etc...This is a Winner and it always has been..
connie on 2024-05-26 (5 stars): Terrific recipe, prepared exactly as written with great results! I will be investigating your other recipes!! So happy to have discovered your site!! Thank you!
Debora on 2024-12-29 (5 stars): Now this is a really terrific cake. So tasty and easy to make. Perfect for a gathering as makes a lot and hopefully there will be leftovers!! Will definitely be making this again and again. What's nice about this cake is that it is not too sweet and being a thin cake you don't mind going back for seconds or thirds or............
