Texas Sheet Cake with Coffee
by Sommer Collier — last updated on Feb 24, 2025 
Texas Sheet Cake with Coffee Recipe – This sheet cake is sure to steal the show at any gathering! This classic recipe combines a rich, moist chocolate cake with a luscious, pecan-studded icing that’s poured on while the cake is still warm, creating a fudgy, melt-in-your-mouth texture. Plus, the secret ingredient—coffee—intensifies the chocolate flavor, making every bite pure bliss.
Why We Love This Texas Sheet Cake
This Chocolate Texas Sheet Cake is everything you could want in a dessert—simple, satisfying, and downright delicious. Its rich, moist chocolate base and fudgy pecan glaze make it a treat that’s hard to resist. Designed to be a no-fuss dessert, this cake is perfect for serving a crowd, transporting to parties, or enjoying at home. Plus, it’s all made in one pan, making both preparation and cleanup a breeze.
What sets this recipe apart is its thoughtful upgrades to the classic Texas Sheet Cake. The addition of coffee enhances the chocolate flavor, making it even more robust and decadent. Extra dark cocoa powder creates a deeper, more intense chocolate profile, while toasted pecans add a bold, nutty crunch. Every element is perfectly balanced to elevate the texture and flavor of this iconic dessert.
A good Texas Sheet Cake isn’t just a cake—it’s a nostalgic nod to history and ingenuity. Inspired by German Chocolate Cake but simplified for busy bakers, this thin chocolate cake with a glossy pecan glaze embodies the best of traditional Southern baking. Whether you’re making it for a potluck or a quiet family night, this recipe is sure to win over hearts with every bite.
Ingredients You Need
- All-purpose flour – gluten-free baking flour also works really well
- Sugar – for sweetness
- Baking soda – for its lifting properties
- Salt – enhances the flavor
- Coffee – to intensify the chocolate taste
- Butter – for richness in the cake, and the base of the icing
- Dark cocoa powder – use Dutch Process for the best deep chocolate flavor
- Buttermilk – “whole milk” or full-fat buttermilk or learn how to make buttermilk
- Eggs – for binding and lift
- Vanilla extract – to add depth to the flavor
- Chopped pecans – fresh or frozen
- Powdered sugar – to sweeten and thicken the icing
How To Make The Best Texas Sheet Cake Recipe
- Mix the Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt together.
- Simmer the Cocoa and Coffee: Set a small saucepan on the stovetop. Add the coffee, butter, and cocoa powder. Whisk well and simmer for about a minute.
- Combine the Wet and Dry Ingredients: Pour the cocoa mixture into the flour mixture. Whisk well. Then stir in the buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla.
- Bake: Pour the batter into a large jelly roll pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the center is puffed and set and/or inserting a toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Toast the Pecans: While the cake is baking, toast the pecans, tossing them every few minutes, until they smell toasty.
- Simmer the Glaze: Add the butter, buttermilk, and cocoa powder. Whisk well and melt. Add the vanilla, and whisk in the powdered sugar, a little at a time.
- Pour and Spread: Once the cake comes out of the oven, pour the warm frosting over the cake, and quickly smooth it over the surface of the cake.
Get the Complete (Printable) Texas Sheet Cake with Coffee Recipe Below. Enjoy!
Recipe Variations
- No Nuts – If you’re not a fan of pecans or have nut allergies to consider, simply omit them from the glaze.
- White Cake – For a completely different take, swap out the chocolate for a vanilla version. Use white cake batter and a creamy vanilla glaze for a lighter, equally delicious treat.
- Peanut Butter – Add ½ cup of peanut butter to the warm chocolate glaze and drizzle melted peanut butter over the cake before the glaze sets.
- Spicy – Add a pinch of cinnamon and cayenne pepper to the cake batter for a bold and spicy twist.
- Mint – Mix ½ teaspoon of peppermint extract into the cake batter or glaze for a refreshing flavor. Garnish with crushed peppermint candies for extra flair.
- Caramel – Add a drizzle of caramel sauce on top of the glaze before it sets.
- Fruity – Top the glaze with fresh raspberries, strawberries, or cherries for a burst of fruity sweetness that complements the rich chocolate flavor.
- Gluten-Free – Swap the all-purpose flour for a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend.
- Mocha – Double the coffee by adding a teaspoon of espresso powder to both the cake batter and glaze for an extra bold mocha flavor.
- Salted – Sprinkle flaky sea salt over the glaze as it sets. The salty-sweet contrast enhances the richness of the chocolate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can! Substitute almond or cashew milk mixed with 1-2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice, for the buttermilk. Then use vegan butter instead of regular butter.
Yes, amazingly well! Be sure to thaw it at room temperature before cutting and serving.
It will last up to four days sitting out at room temperature. Covered, of course. Or it will last up to 10 days in the refrigerator.
Other than our Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe? Serve this southern favorite with other Tesas recipes like Brisket Recipe Oven Method or Dry Brine Brisket, Texas Roadhouse Rolls, Texas Ranch Water Cocktail, and a green salad with Texas Pete Vinaigrette.
Looking for More Cake Recipes? Be Sure to Try:
Texas Sheet Cake with Coffee
Video
Ingredients
Cake Ingredients:
- 2 cups all purpose flour (+ 2 tablespoons)
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup coffee (or water + 1 TB instant coffee powder)
- 1 cup butter
- 1/3 cup dark cocoa powder, or regular
- 2/3 cup wholemilk buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Icing Ingredients:
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 14 tablespoons butter
- 8 tablespoons buttermilk
- 5 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 ½ cups powdered sugar, packed (not sifted)
Instructions
- For the Cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 13 X 18 inch rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt together.
- Set a small saucepot over medium heat. Add the coffee, butter, and cocoa powder. Whisk well and bring to a boil. Once boiling, whisk and boil for 30-60 seconds. Then remove from heat.
- Pour the cocoa mixture into the flour mixture. Whisk well. Then whisk in the buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla, until very smooth.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the center is puffed and set.
- For the Icing: While the cake is baking, place the chopped pecans in a medium saucepot. Set over medium heat. Toast the pecans, tossing every few minutes, until you can smell the pecans toasting.
- Then add the butter, buttermilk, and cocoa powder. Whisk well and melt. Once the butter has melted and the mixture is smooth, add the vanilla, and whisk in the powdered sugar, a little at a time. Make sure the only clumps left are the pecans. Keep warm.
- Once the cake comes out of the oven, pour the hot icing over the cake, and quickly smooth it over the entire surface of the cake. (It’s ok if the cake is very warm.)
- Let the cake cool and the icing set, 30+ minutes. Then cut and serve. (35 small pieces or 24 large pieces)
I love how simple and easy this is to make! So moist and flavorful!
This was a huge hit at my house!1 Everyone loved it!
I have been making sheet cakes for years. My mom got the recipe in Fort Worth sometime in the late 1950s. It has been a family favorite ever since.
COULD U PLEASE PUT THE COST TO MAKE THE CAKE. SO I CAN SHARE WITH MY TWITTER FANS. IN TODAY’S WORLD U HAVE 2 SAVE MONEY. I WOULD LIKE 2 KNOW HOW MUCH.
THANK U
Though this cake is good, this recipe is different than the more famous Texas Sheath Cake (not sheet cake), which uses cinnamon rather than coffee. I’m an old native Texan who’s been making the sheath cake for almost 60 years so i felt it important to make this distinction. Love the Spicy Perspective!
We always made this simple cake that was so darn good! The shelters and hay crews loved it and just like you we always had cinnamon in it that was the flavor nobody could figure out. Wish those old days were back! Judy from the cornfields and bean fields of Iowa
I love this recipe! Texas sheetcake is one of my favorites when I want something relatively simple, but always a winner! The tender cake and the sweet topping- so good!!!
looks very good
Great recipe. I found a similar one on AllSocial!
This quickly became a favorite for my kids!! So good!
This cake was such a hit! So delicious and easy to whip up!
Amazing flavors going on in this cake! Everyone raved over how delicious it was!
This is the best cake EVER! I am such a chocolate lover. How could you go wrong with this?!