Chocolate Sheet Cake Recipe 9x13

This easy chocolate sheet cake is moist, fudgy, and way better than any box mix. Top it with chocolate frosting, and you’ve got yourself a show stopper. It’s made with simple, everyday ingredients – so it’s easy to whip up in no time. And unlike a ton of chocolate cake recipes, it’s made without coffee so you can enjoy it any time of day. 

Everyone needs a tried and true, easy chocolate cake recipe. And this chocolate sheet cake is exactly that. It has a delicious chocolate flavor that’s just chocolate-y enough without being too rich, and a fudgy moist texture that makes the cake so irresistible.

And to knock it out of the park, we’re topping it off with fluffy chocolate frosting. Because seriously, whoever said no to a double dose of chocolate????

Grandma's Chocolate Texas Sheet Cake Recipe

What you’ll especially love about this chocolate sheet cake is that there’s no fancy ingredients or complicated steps. We’re just using pantry staples – like oil, cocoa powder and milk – so you likely won’t even need to run to the grocery store for.

And unlike a lot of chocolate cake recipes, there’s no hot coffee in the batter. So if you’re serving it to children or if you like to stay away from caffeine – then this recipe is also definitely for you.

Making this recipe honestly couldn’t be easier. You can literally make the cake batter in under 10 minutes then it goes in the oven to bake. So here’s the details.

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It’ll bake for about 30 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, and then it’s time to get on with the frosting.

The chocolate frosting is a simple buttercream made with butter, cocoa, powdered sugar and cream (or milk). It’s fluffy, chocolate-y and everything you could want in a frosting. And there’s definitely enough for a pretty thick layer on top too.

The chocolate sheet cake itself is super delicious, so if you don’t have time to make frosting (or if you’re just not much of a frosting person) top it with ice cream and maybe some chocolate sauce and you’re good to go.

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Note – if you want to use this recipe, but don’t feel like using a 9×13 inch pan, I’ve also included instructions for different pan sizes in the recipe notes.

This chocolate sheet cake is an easy recipe made with everyday ingredients that you already have in your pantry. It's moist and fudgy with a delicious chocolate flavor and topped with chocolate frosting

*You can make your own buttermilk by adding 1 tablespoon of vinegar to 1 cup milk. Let sit for 5 minutes to sour before using. 

Best Texas Sheet Cake Recipe

I'm the baker and blogger behind Just So Tasty! I believe anyone can make tasty, homemade desserts and treats. I love classic recipes that are delicious (obviously), not too fussy, and use simple, everyday ingredients.

Learn how to make Perfect Cookies Every Time! In this FREE email series, I'll send you 5 classic cookie recipes along with ALL my tips & tricks.This Texas sheet cake recipe for a 9 x 13 pan is a small batch version of the classic! Super moist and light chocolate cake is topped with chocolate fudge candy frosting and toasted pecans.

This Texas sheet cake recipe for a 9 x 13 inch sheet pan is a small batch version of classic Texas sheet cake! Like the original, this cake is made with a thin layer of super moist chocolate buttermilk sponge cake, topped with a thick layer of chocolate fudge frosting and studded with pecans. It is surprisingly light for a sheet cake, making it absolutely addicting and delicious!

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However, traditional Texas sheet cake recipes serve a crowd. Many recipes instruct you to make the cake in a 13 x 18-inch jelly roll pan. However, this recipe makes a half batch for a smaller group. I instruct you to bake the cake in a more accessible 9 x 13-inch sheet pan!

Hold the phone—why is the recipe called “Texas” sheet cake? Is it actually Texan? All good questions! But let’s start with the basics:

Texas sheet cake is a common dessert in Texas (where I spent my high school years!). Often times, during community events like school sports games and fundraisers, neighborhood socializers, and church events, I’d often spy a large Texas sheet cake on the potluck table.

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Texas sheet cake looks like a standard chocolate sheet cake with chocolate frosting, but larger (often times, the cake is baked in a 13 x 18 half sheet pan—but we’ll dive into that more closely). It is also thinner than most traditional birthday sheet cakes (most Texas sheet cakes are made with a thin 1-inch layer of both cake and frosting combined).

Most Texas sheet cake recipes contain buttermilk in the frosting (though some variations use sour cream instead). And finally, Texas sheet frosting is thin and candy-like; it is more similar to the texture of royal icing and chocolate fudge candy than it is to creamy buttercream.

Despite its name, Texas sheet cake might not actually come from Texas. In fact, its origin is somewhat of a mystery! But there are enough folks arguing that Texas sheet cake, in fact, actually

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According to this Southern Living article, the first large chocolate sheet cake recipe was published in Galveston, Texas’ local newspaper back in 1936. Other sources also credit First Lady Lady Bird Johnson (who was born and raised in Texas) for introducing the recipe to the rest of the country. But some sources think it came from a more simplified version of the original German chocolate cake recipe that was popular in the 1950s. And as I wrote in my blog post about German chocolate cake, German chocolate cake was invented by a Texan baker.

Blog, Texas sheet cake has a bunch of other names: buttermilk brownies, brownie sheet cake, chocolate brownie cake, chocolate sheet brownies, Mexican chocolate cake, Texas brownie cake, Texas cake, Texas sheath cake, and “plain old” chocolate sheet cake.

, a website that details recipe history (and is absolutely worth diving into if you have the time!), quotes a newspaper that explains that Texas sheet cake received its name from its large size and decadent taste. I have no idea if that’s true, but I dig it!

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Most Texas sheet cake recipes instruct you to bake them in a 13 x 18-inch half sheet pan or a similarly sized jelly roll pan. I say “similarly sized” because there’s no consensus as to what the “official” size of a jelly roll pan actually is!

Some folks argue that it’s the same size as a 13 x 18-inch half sheet pan; others say that it’s slightly smaller. Like I said, you can read all about it in the FAQ below.

But because this is a smaller batch version of a Texas sheet cake recipe, you need a much smaller pan. This recipe uses a 9 x 13-inch quarter sheet pan! Learn more below.

Chocolate Sheet Cake Recipe

One of the first recipes I ever learned to bake from scratch was this Texas sheet cake recipe from The Pioneer Woman. I even adapted the recipe to work at high altitude! To me, Ree’s recipe is the dictionary-definition of Texas sheet cake: super light and moist, with subtle chocolate and buttermilk flavors, and a thin but hearty layer of both cake and frosting.

The only problem? Her original recipe lived up to the “Texas” name. The resulting sheet cake was 13 x 18 inches big! According to this Wilton cake chart, that size cake serves 72 people. Yowza!

Because I’m not throwing any large parties any time soon, I wanted to see if I could make a smaller batch version. As a result, I cut the recipe in half, resulting in a 9 x 13 inch cake. According to the Wilton chart, a 9 x 13 inch cake serves 36 people. But real talk: because the cake is so thin, I legit ate a third of the pan by myself, no problem. So I guess take those serving sizes with a grain of salt?

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Because Texas sheet cake is a vintage recipe, it does not rely on modern equipment like stand mixers and other specialty baking equipment. All you need are some sauce pans (the kind that you use for cooking), rubber spatulas, and a whisk! Why? Unlike the modern cake recipes that instruct you to cream ingredients together in a mixer, this recipe instructs you to cook the batter in a pan. It sounds intimidating, but it’s actually pretty easy!

And because this is a small batch version of Texas sheet cake, you won’t need a specialty jelly roll pan or half sheet pan.

Instead, I instruct you to use the more-commonly available 9 x 13-inch size. You can use a 9 x 13-inch sheet pan like I did, or even a 9 x 13-inch rectangular cake pan for this recipe.

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Another cool thing about this recipe? Because you need to melt and cook most of the ingredients on the stovetop, you won’t need to bring any ingredients to room temperature beforehand. They’ll get cooked to the right temperatures as you make the batter. Cool, right?

Similarly, there’s no need to