Texas Sheetcake- Our Family’s Favorite Chocolate Cake!

Growing up, I remember how much my father and my brother loved my Mom’s Texas Sheetcake. They would beg her to make it for birthdays, holidays, and any kind of family celebration. I even recall one Texas Sheetcake that had been decorated with an orange Cleveland Browns football helmet that we enjoyed while watching our hometown team in play-off game. So of course, when I grew old enough to learn how to bake, Texas Sheetcake became part of my recipe collection too. And now I can say without a doubt- it is my son Jack’s very favorite dessert. He begs me to make it on his birthday, and to send it in to school whenever there is some sort of event that calls for baked goods. I’ve even come up with a way to pre-cut the cake and nest pieces into jumbo-sized cupcake liners to make it easier for teachers to pass out individual slices!

There are a million variations of this recipe out there- but they all lead to a thin cake, baked in a jelly-roll pan that is known for its creamy chocolate yumminess. I have tasted a few other Texas Sheetcake recipes over the years- at other people’s homes or at bake sales… and I have never found one that I like better than the one that my Mom made. I guess you love best whichever kind of Texas Sheetcake you grew up with! So here’s how it’s made (a printable recipe is available below):

Making the Texas Sheetcake:

So it all starts in a small saucepan on the stove. Bring to a simmer 2 sticks of margarine and 4 tablespoons of cocoa.  Add 1 cup of water and allow the mixture to come to a boil.

Allow the saucepan to cool for a few moments while you prepare a large mixing bowl of 2 cups of flour, 1 teaspoon of baking soda and 2 cups of sugar. Stir together with a spoon, and then pour the chocolate mixture from the saucepan on top and stir.

Next add 2 eggs, 1/2 cup of milk (I use skim because it is what I always have on hand in my fridge), 1/2 tablespoon of vinegar, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Mix until smooth.

Just look at all of that creamy chocolatey goodness….. and try not to eat it with a spoon!

Pour your cake batter into a jelly roll pan. I spray my pan with a little Pam Baking spray first. Then place into a 350 degree preheated oven for 25 minutes. You can double check that the cake is done by inserting a toothpick into the middle of the cake- and when you extract it, it should come out clean with no wet batter on the toothpick. Allow the cake to fully cool on a wire rack before frosting it. (Oh- and leave the cake in the jelly roll pan, this is not the kind of cake that you turn out of the pan before frosting).

Preparing the Texas Sheetcake Frosting:

Starting with the saucepan again- melt 1 stick of margarine, 4 tablespoons of cocoa and 6 tablespoons of milk. Bring the chocolate mixture to a simmer.

Now you are going to pour your chocolate mixture over a 1 lb box of powdered sugar…. but I recommend that you run the powdered sugar through your sifter first. A pain, I know…. I really don’t like to sift ingredients either… but doing so will break up any clumps of sugar and will make your frosting much prettier.

Once the powdered sugar is sifted, pour your chocolate mixture on top, stir quickly until smooth, and then quickly pour it on top of your cooled Texas Sheetcake. The frosting is very thin and should spread nicely over your cake, but you might have to help spread it around a bit and into the corners of your pan. Allow the frosting a few moments to cool and harden a bit before cutting into the cake.

Texas Sheetcake… on a plate or as a cupcake!

So creamy…. so chocolately…. no wonder this is Jack’s favorite cake….

Even when served cupcake-style….

For the whole 3rd grade class to enjoy!

*linked up to Beauty and Bedlam

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