Miss Cindy taught me to make the popular Texas Sheet Cake recipe ages ago. I’ve always thought of the cake as Miss Cindy’s Sheet Cake since my recipe came from her.
I used to make it a lot and then just quit off making it somewhere along the way. I haven’t made the cake in years until yesterday.
We were having a meal at church and I wanted to take a dessert that was easy and quick. As I flipped through my cookbook I saw the recipe and decided that was the one.
Miss Cindy’s Chocolate Sheet Cake
- 2 cups plain flour (all purpose)
- 2 cups sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 sticks butter
- 6 tablespoons cocoa
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 2 eggs beaten
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- sheet pan (18 X 13 or thereabouts)
Chocolate Frosting
- 1 stick butter
- 6 tablespoons cocoa
- 3/4 box of powdered sugar (12 ounces)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 6 tablespoons milk
- 1/2 cup finely chopped nuts – optional (I’ve never used them)
Mix flour, sugar, and salt together; set aside.
In a saucepan mix 2 sticks butter, 6 tablespoons cocoa, and 1 cup boiling water together. Bring mixture to a boil; pour over dry ingredients and let sit while you complete the next step.
Mix 1/2 cup buttermilk, 2 beaten eggs, 1 teaspoon soda, and 1 teaspoon vanilla together in small bowl.
Combine the two mixtures and mix well.
Pour batter into a greased sheet pan and bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or till done.
While cake is baking, make the frosting. Melt one stick of butter in pot and mix in 6 tablespoons of cocoa. Remove from heat and add 6 tablespoons milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and nuts if you decide to use them, stir well. Gradually add in 3/4 box of powdered.
Spread the frosting on the cake while it’s still warm.
The cake is easy to whip up since you don’t need a mixer and you can add the frosting as soon as the cake comes out of the oven.
Last night’s video: The First Popsicle of the Year & Shed Work.
Tipper
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Sorry I didn’t realize the recipe wouldn’t print like I originally typed. Should be Texas sheet cake for 2. Recipe starts 1/2 cup flour.
I have a recipe for Texas sheet cake for 2
1/2 cup plain flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter
1 tsp cocoa powder
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 Tbs buttermilk
1/4 c hot water
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp vanilla
1. mix flour, sugar and salt
2. In a saucepan combine butter, cocoa and water. Stir until butter melts
3. Pour over dry ingredients, add egg yolk, buttermilk, baking soda and vanilla
4. Bake in a 9×7 baking pan. Bake 350 for 15 minutes
Frosting
2 Tbs butter
1 1/2 Tbs milk
1 Tbs cocoa powder
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
Combine in small sauce pan until butter melts. Add vanilla and pour over hot cake.
This is the perfect size for a small family. It makes about 4 or 6 pieces.
Sandra, thank you for the recipe!
Tipper—this is pretty much the same recipe I have but I’d like to share two things. First, I was taught to put the butter, water and cocoa (I use 1/4 cup for more chocolateyness) and add a little coffee espresso powder—it brings out the chocolate. I slowly heat the water until the butter is about 1/2 melted then turn off the heat so the butter melts but the liquid isn’t too hot. My preferred buttermilk substitute is 1 part milk to 2 parts sour cream or whole milk yogurt. it’s a little more flavorful and richer and i don’t use enthusiastic buttermilk these days that i have it at home.
ai too have never added the nuts but sometimes do add chocolate chips either to the batter or on top as soon as it comes out of the oven then spread them as they melt.
thanks for all you share
This chocolate cake recipe looks exactly like the recipe my Aunt Phyllis had that was passed down from her family for years. The only difference is she just baked it in a 13×9 cake pan or whatever size pan she had in her kitchen at the time. After it had cooled down she put it in the fridge so the icing would harden up. It was extremely thick, rich and absolutely delicious! Aunt Phyllis called it “The Old Fashion Chocolate Cake”. Then my family started calling it “Aunt Phyllis’s Chocolate Cake”. When I was first married and was making the cake I mistakenly used self rising flour instead of all purpose flour. I thought I had really messed it up. Surprisingly the cake still came out tasty and very moist. It raised up way above the cake pan in the middle. I poked holes in it so the icing would go in the cake since it wouldn’t stay on top of the raised part. Other times I’ve been short on sugar, or had to make my own buttermilk, or added to much or to little of an ingredient and no matter what I did the cake always turned out delicious. I told someone at church about my mistakes each time I made the recipe and they jokingly started calling it “The Never Fail Cake”. If I had nuts of any kind I would add them, if not then that was okay too. I’ve even added chocolate chips left in a bag that needed to be used I tossed them in the batter or on top of the icing once it was poured on the cake. No matter what I did it always seemed to still taste delicious. I still tell people this cake recipe never fails to turn out delicious. The church I attended in WV had decided to make a Church Cookbook to sell to raise money for missions. All church members submitted several of their favorite recipes. I submitted the recipe as “The Never Fail Chocolate Cake”, but for whatever reason the person that typed out all the recipes spelled Fail as Fall’s. So in that church recipe cookbook the title of my cake recipe reads as “Never Fall’s Chocolate Cake”. Once I saw the cookbook in its final print I was confused, but laughed about it thinking of all the mistakes and name changes the recipe had since receiving it from my Aunt Phyllis. In fact at church we all had a really good laugh about the misspelling and how the recipe had been renamed again.
I guess recipes like these are pasted on from generations to generations, friends to friends, renamed throughout history no matter where they traveled. Regardless of where a recipe comes from if it’s delicious it will always be passed on.
Thank you for posting!❤️
I grew up on Texas Sheet Cake. Still make it and enjoy it. Might should get that recipe out again. Thanks for the reminder.
Looks & sounds delicious!!! Thank you for sharing the recipe!!!
I loved the story of the caterpillars in last nights video 🙂 That cracked me up 🙂 So cute 🙂
Three sticks of butter and three and a quarter pounds of sugar? Cut me a piece about the size of your thumbnail please. Or better yet just let me lick out the frosting bowl!
do you need 12oz of powdered sugar or 3/4 of a 12oz box making it 9oz needed?
Eugenia-I believe the old recipe was referencing a pound box of powdered sugar-so 3/4 of that would be 12 ounces 🙂
My Mother started making this recipe in the early 70’s. She did add the cinnamon to it. Every church potluck, she was asked to make it. She made it so much, that we grew tired of it. I was blessed to receive the recipe, now it is one of my husband’s favorite desserts. Love your channel, I feel connected to my Appalachia roots! I’m a north west transplant.
This recipe is in all the old “lunchroom ladies” cookbooks. My family, especially the grandkids love it. Warm it slightly and add vanilla ice cream…yummy.
The pecans make it irresistible!!
The ladies in the lunchroom made this and homemade peanut butter cookies in my small elementary school in Union County, Ga. Cold milk in a big glass paired with these treats. Sweet memories.
This is a delicious cake and so easy to make. Mama use to make it and she put pecans in her frosting. I don’t put nuts in mine. It’s good either way and it really is a great dessert to take to church or a family reunion. Also great to have at home with vanilla ice cream!
I don’t put nuts in mine because they might be my relatives!
My mother had a recipe for this but when Mama said the name of it it sounded like she was saying Texas Sheath cake so I never knew sheet cake and sheath cake were the same thing (LOL). The recipe I use is the one I got from my MIL too. Texas Sheet cake was the usual birthday cake used in my husband’s family when someone had a birthday so I had to learn how to make that soon after we got married. I have carried that on as our birthday cake tradition, except my daughter and I have in recent years started asking for something different for our bday cake. Mine is never as good as my MIL’s! Her recipe is a little bit different though than this one you shared and I want to try Miss Cindy’s next time I make one. The chocolate cake lovers in my family will be glad to taste test! Thank you for sharing it; it is really neat to hear your story of how you came to have this recipe in your family.
This has been fun for me to read all of the comments on this. I just looked up my MIL’s recipe card and forgot I have a recipe from a friend too that I taught with years and years ago. Her’s is called Sheath Cake very similar to my MIL’s but hers has salt and 1 t cinnamon. And I found my mother’s recipe & she does have it written down as Texas Sheath Cake. My MIL’s d/n add salt. The first thing my MIL taught me was to combine the buttermilk and the baking soda together in a glass bowl/measuring bowl and set aside while putting the rest of the cake together. Her’s adds the water to the pot w/a stick of butter(she likes Blue Bonnet Margarine for this recipe), 5 Tbsp of cocoa and 1/2 c. Crisco shortening and bring to a boil all together. Pour the hot chocolate mixture over the flour/sugar and combine. Add the 2 eggs. Then add the buttermilk/soda mixture, and vanilla.The icing is put in the same pot: one stick of butter (she likes Blue Bonnett Margarine), 5 tsp cocoa (but I use Tbsp), 1/3 c. milk, a tsp of vanilla, bring that to a boil, take off of the heat and add a whole box of powdered sugar. Bakes at 350 x 20 minutes. I have sifted the powdered sugar and it still will be clumped – I don’t know what I do wrong there. It is a good and easy cake but I have never made this that it tastes as good as my MIL’s.
The first time I heard of or had Texas Sheet Cake was when I was assisting in our then local Baptist summer camp and it quickly became a favorite with my family and when I baked for other groups other times. I have no made it in years. Thanks for the reminder Tipper. I will have to make it again for our buildings tenant/staff social hour.
Thanks for sharing. I will be trying this when I get a hankering for a delicious chocolate cake.
Sounds like a cake my Mammaw used to make. Yummy!
Good morning everyone, from central Oklahoma. We had a pretty good frost last night, gee it’s cold.
Back in the days of making Texas sheet cake it was an absolute must. When I took it out of the oven, I would take the toothpick or fork and made holes everywhere, while still hot here comes the icing with a lot of pecans!!
Sorta like a polk cake, oh sooooo good.
But, that’s why I’m so sweet…love chocolate in every shape or form. Can’t go wrong with this cake.
Give Granny hugs and kisses, blessings to everyone!!
I love this cake! I think anyone who likes chocolate would agree
I learned about the recipe while living in Fort Worth in the eighties. My neighbor Debbie shared it with me, and our family loves it. Like Tipper, I never add nuts either. Whenever I think of chocolate cake, this is the recipe I go to. Back home in South Carolina now, I remember Debbie every time I make it. Best to share this one with a crowd!
One of my favorite cakes. I add chopped pecans to the frosting. Thanks for sharing
this delicious dessert.
That’s my kind of cake; no mixer is needed, and chocolate from top to bottom. Three sticks of butter! It’s not fattening, right? I’m going to bake it anyway.
If there’s anything I LOVE, it has to be chocolate cake and chocolate icing! Your cake looks very tasty, Tipper, and I just screen shot the recipe so I will make it too. I’m starting to think I’m getting to be your “mini me” or “Monkey see Tipper-monkey do!” Lol I cannot help that you come up with marvelous ideas and they seem like I should try them too. Tipper, if the truth must be told, you give this PTSD veteran reasons to go on and keep striving and doing and finding joy!!! I will never be able to thank you for all you’ve freely given to me and you have been a blessing and I tell most everybody who will listen about my friends in NC who can do anything it seems…believe me, they’re intrigued too. My sprouts are up and coming on those heated mats. I think I planted 4 days ago and seedlings are popping up. I also cut up my seed taters yesterday to set a few days before planting. Another thing I got from you was the idea for heated mats so THANKYOU very much. You’re just a blessing and highlight of my day, Tipper. God bless you and the family.
Looks so good!
This recipe sounds rich and delicious. I made a Texas sheet cake one time a long time ago. I remember my kids loved it, and I have no idea why I never made it again…or where I got the recipe. This sounds like a wonderful Easter dessert with maybe some pastel sprinkles on top for a pretty presentation. That way there would be plenty of people here to share it with…so I wouldn’t eat it all.
Nearly identical to my mom’s sheet cake recipe; main difference is in the icing. This was Mom’s go-to for every occasion. If I had a nickel for every time that cake showed up at our house while we were growing up . . . I’d have a whole lot of nickels, lol!
I learned the recepie in the late 70s. My people put cinnamon in the batter and used lots of pecans. Great easy cake and goes good with homemade ice cream. My grandmother cut pieces and put them out on a dessert table at family gatherings.
I’ve always enjoyed Texas Sheet Cake, a simple easy recipe that is always so good!
This sounds delicious!
This sounds delicious! I have my momma’s recipe and I can’t remember the last time making it. I’ll have to see if it’s the same. Thank you for sharing!
I’ve heard of Texas sheet cake but have never actually seen a recipe for it. This sounds simple and delicious.
Oh thank you for sharing this recipe.
We are currently visiting Asheville, NC to see the Biltmore. Of course it’s raining but we don’t care. This is my first trip to NC in 52 years. We are celebrating our 45th wedding anniversary.
Donna, happy anniversary! I hope you have a great trip 🙂
This looks yummy. I’m a big chocolate cake fan and will have to try it!