Vanilla Texas Sheet Cake Recipe is a moist, made-from-scratch vanilla sheet cake in a jelly roll pan, topped with a thick chocolate icing!

Vanilla Sheet Cake Recipe

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Friends, this Vanilla Texas Sheet Cake Recipe is a rendition of the original Classic Texas Sheet Cake, instead made with a homemade vanilla cake. It’s delicious, especially if you love cake and brownies! 

Vanilla Texas Sheet Cake Recipe

This cake is the best (and easiest) Vanilla Texas Sheet Cake, and the gooey chocolate frosting on top makes a popular crowd-pleasing dessert. You may have also tried our Best Chocolate Cake Recipe.

Grab your jelly roll pan (this is the jelly roll pan that we recommend) for this recipe! [This post is upated from August 2016 with new photos, text, and a video.]

a serving of Vanilla Texas Sheet Cake

This moist and flavorful vanilla cake is so easy to put together, and truly one of our family favorite desserts. You want to make it one of your go-to cake recipes, too? Let’s get started!

Vanilla Texas Sheet Cake with no frosting

Ingredients for Vanilla Texas Sheet Cake Recipe

Gather these ingredients to make this homemade vanilla cake (print full recipe below).

  • Butter
  • Sugar
  • Flour
  • Salt + baking sods
  • Eggs
  • Sour cream
  • Vanilla extract

how to make texas sheet cake frosting

Ingredients for this thick, rich chocolate frosting

For the icing you’ll start with boiling the milk and butter together. Then you whip in the other ingredients and pour the frosting over the warm cake. It spreads like a charm!

  • Butter
  • Dark chocolate cocoa (but you can use regular)
  • Milk
  • Confectioners’ sugar
  • Vanilla extract

cutting Vanilla Texas Sheet Cake

Why we love this Texas Cake Recipe

Last month we served this cake with homemade vanilla ice cream (my mom Millie’s recipe), and I was reminded again why I love this cake.

First of all, it’s so easy to make.

It’s perfect for baking up before a party, or potluck because it’s ready to eat in a couple hours, and makes a lot of cake!

Yes, this cake serves a crowd. Depending on the sizes that you cut, it can serve 12-24!

I freeze the leftovers and that makes it easy for a “last-minute dessert” for dinner guests (or you just need a good bite of cake!)

how to make vanilla cake

How do you make White Texas Sheet Cake?

Sheet cakes are literally the easiest cakes to make. The box cakes just do not taste the same.

  1. Combine the butter and water in saucepan over medium heat; heat until butter melts.
  2. Add sugar, flour, salt, eggs, baking soda, sour cream, and vanilla; mix well. Pour into a 15x10x1-inch jelly roll pan.
  3. Bake!
  4. Frost the cake while it is hot – how easy is that? Pour the frosting right over the cake when it comes out of the oven.

serving of Vanilla Sheet Cake with ice cream

How do you make the frosting?

  1. Combine butter, cocoa, and milk in a saucepan; bring to a boil.
  2. Add remaining ingredients and mix well with electric mixer.
  3. Spread frosting over hot cake.

taking a bite of Vanilla Texas Sheet Cake

How do you serve a Texas Sheet Cake?

Allow the cake to cool, till the frosting is set then slice and serve it up. You can pre-cut the cake into 12-24 pieces! Or, let guests cut their own serving.

We love this cake served at room temp with vanilla ice cream.

Vanilla Texas Sheet Cake  

Tips and substitutions:

We use dark cocoa for the richest frosting, but you can use regular.

If you don’t have a bar pan (jelly pan), then buy one. We recommend this jelly roll pan (affiliate link).

This cake tranports well to any party!

This cake gets better the longer it sits, so I try to make it a day ahead. 

You can also make a “vanilla frosting” with almond extract. Delish!

Vanilla Texas Sheet Cake with 2 scoops ice cream

Connection is huge for me, being a lover of hospitality. This summer has been unsual, with moving and traveling. We usually have many lovely friends visiting us. We love hosting during all seasons, and making a a good go-to dessert recipe (tried and true) always makes “dessert making” easy for me.

My heart is always around the table, our guests–and a delicious dessert!

ENJOY!

More chocolate recipes to try:

Almond Flour Brownie Recipe

4-Ingredient Chocolate Cherry Cake

Sour Cream Chocolate Banana Cake

Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake

Vanilla Texas Sheet Cake
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Get the Recipe:

Vanilla Texas Sheet Cake Recipe

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 12
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Ingredients
 

  • 1 cup butter
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 cups flour
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • 1 tsp. vanilla

Make the frosting:

  • ½ cup butter
  • ¼ cup cocoa, I use dark chocolate
  • ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
  • 1 box, 1 pound confectioners’ sugar, sifted (4 1/4 cups sifted)
  • 1 tsp. vanilla

Instructions
 

  • Combine the butter and water in saucepan over medium heat; heat until butter melts.
  • Add sugar, flour, salt, eggs, baking soda, sour cream, and vanilla; mix well. Pour into a 15x10x1-inch jelly roll pan.
  • Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.
  • Frost the cake while it is hot.
  • For frosting, combine butter, cocoa, and milk in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Add remaining ingredients and mix well with electric mixer.
  • Spread frosting over hot cake.
  • Cool and serve.
Vanilla Texas Sheet Cake Recipe is a moist, made-from-scratch vanilla sheet cake in a jelly roll pan, topped with a thick chocolate icing!

Notes

Post updated from August 2016.
Cuisine: American
Course: Dessert
Did you make this recipe?Tag @reluctantentertainer on Instagram and hashtag it #reluctantentertainer!

Vanilla Texas Sheet Cake Recipe