This is the only cake recipe that you will EVER need! My mother-in-law is famous for her Texas Sheet Cake, and we’ve all decided that her “white” version is the absolute best!
Whether you’re preparing a birthday treat for a child, a sweet dish for a school class, or a festive dessert for the next holiday, this easy homemade cake can be decorated with sprinkles to suit any special occasion!
Can you believe that I had never heard of a Texas Sheet Cake until I met Keith? And since his mom is known for this dessert, it seems appropriate that it’s the first recipe that she ever served me!
About a week after Keith and I started dating (almost 15 years ago!), I was invited to his parents’ house to celebrate his birthday. It was my first time meeting his family, and this Texas Sheet Cake was on the menu!
Actually, it wasn’t this exact Texas Sheet Cake, since Carole’s original recipe is for a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. That version is amazing, too…but this simple white cake is the TRUE favorite among her grandchildren (and daughters-in-law)!
In fact, I even made this cake FOR MYSELF on my birthday last month. I know how to party, and this cake will always be involved!
Carole (or “Chi-Chi” as the kids call her) serves the dessert for many holidays, and definitely for all of the family birthdays.
It’s such a versatile treat because you can decorate it to match any theme! Add black and orange sprinkles for Halloween, red and green sprinkles for Christmas, or rainbow sprinkles for a birthday party!
The kid-friendly treat appeals to big and little appetites, and it’s so much easier to eat than a big, thick, multi-layer cake or cupcake.
Carole cuts the Texas Sheet Cake into small squares, which the 2-and-3-year-old grandsons can pick up and eat like brownies. There’s no messy frosting smeared everywhere and there’s no need for utensils! It’s the perfect cake-to-frosting ratio!
If the thought of baking a cake or making frosting from scratch scares you to death, then don’t worry! This is definitely the place to start. It’s so easy, and it only requires about 15 minutes of prep! After all, I’m the self-proclaimed Queen of the Boxed Cake Mixes, so if I can do this, so can you!
One bite of the homemade Texas Sheet Cake and you’ll be glad that you didn’t bother with a mix…
As if you needed any other excuses to make this White Texas Sheet Cake, then let me tell you one more reason why I love it…
The single layer cake is frosted with just a very thin layer of frosting, which means that it’s not a heavy sugar bomb. Yes, it’s a treat. No, it’s not health food. But it’s light enough that I think it works perfectly as a “snack cake.” In other words, grab a mug of coffee and enjoy a small square of this cake for your mid-morning snack.
It’s what I did on my birthday (and for the days that followed)!
Carole’s White Texas Sheet Cake is a fluffy, moist and perfectly festive dessert for your next special occasion. I hope that it becomes a tradition in your family, just like it has in ours!
And if you’re hosting grandchildren (or children of your own) for the holidays, a cake with Christmas sprinkles is sure to be the star of the show!
Chi-Chi's Famous White Texas Sheet Cake
Ingredients
- For the Cake:
- ½ cup shortening
- ½ cup butter
- 1 cup water
- 2 cups granulated white sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- ½ teaspoon almond extract or up to 1 teaspoon for a stronger flavor
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 2 eggs
- For the Buttercream Frosting:
- 1 lb. box of confectioner's sugar
- ½ cup butter softened to room temp
- 3-4 tablespoons milk
- 1 tsp. vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Grease a 10x15" non-stick jelly roll pan with shortening. Set aside.
- Prepare the cake: Bring shortening, butter, and water to a boil.
- Place flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in large mixing bowl.
- Pour hot butter mixture over flour mixture in the bowl. Use an electric mixer to beat for 1 minute on medium speed.
- Slowly add the vanilla, almond extract, buttermilk, and eggs last. Beat for one more minute, and then pour batter into prepared pan.
- Bake at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes.
- Place cake on a wire rack to cool.
- Once the cake has cooled completely, prepare Buttercream Frosting.
- In a large bowl, with mixer at low speed, combine confectioner’s sugar, butter, milk and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer at medium speed for 1-2 minutes, or until fluffy and creamy.
- If desired, add more milk until the frosting is a spreadable consistency.
- Spread frosting on the cooled cake. Slice into small squares.
Recipe Notes
Note: This cake keeps well on the counter (covered) for about 3 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
I use this size jelly roll pan, and I find that this offset spatula makes spreading a thin layer of frosting very easy!
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Can you replace shortening with anything? By the way, love your dump and bake meals!
Hi, Amber! Not that I know of. I have never tried the cake without the shortening, so I have no idea what the end result would be if you swapped that out.
Sheet cakes are always a delicious idea! I can totally see why this one is such a hit! Yum
Thanks, Kristy! It’s so great!
Do you have Chi Chi’s recipe for Chocolate Sheet Cake?
Yes! The cake recipe is exactly the same, except you omit the almond extract and you add 4 T of unsweetened cocoa powder to the shortening mix that you boil at the beginning.
For the chocolate sheet cake, you need to frost the cake while it’s still warm. The icing is like a glaze that hardens as it cools. Here’s the chocolate icing recipe:
1/2 cup butter
4 Tbs cocoa
6 Tbs milk
1 lb confectioner’s sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla
Bring butter, cocoa, and milk to a boil; remove from heat and stir in sugar and vanilla. Beat well until smooth. Ice cake while it is still warm.
This cake is amazing! I’ve made something similar in the past, but this has a little more to it, and I will definitely be making it in the near future.
That’s great, Diane! I agree — it’s amazing, and I hope that you get to try this version soon!