Topped with rich icing, every slice of this white Texas sheet cake is moist, crumbly, and packed with almonds. Ready in only 30 minutes, it’s the only cake you’ll want to make from now on.
What Is a Texas Sheet Cake?
Texas sheet cake is baked in a baking sheet for a lovely, thin and single-layer cake. It’s then topped with a layer of frosting or icing that can be added while still hot. Traditional toppings include pecans or sliced almonds, but you can add anything from chocolate chips to rainbow sprinkles on top.
It’s thought to be called “Texas sheet cake” because a recipe for it first appeared in a Dallas-based newspaper. However, there’s another theory claiming the name comes from the cake being so large it’s the size of Texas.
Why You’ll Love This Easy Cake Recipe
Sheet cakes are perfect for the summer for all the following reasons:
- Easy. Ready in 30 minutes, how hard can this cake really be? It’s extremely easy, even if you don’t consider yourself an experienced home baker.
- Crowd-pleaser. Simple and with plenty of slices for sharing, this Texas sheet cake is sure to be a hit at all your gatherings.
- Moist. Made with half a pound of butter, this tender cake with rich icing is super moist for the perfect bite.
- Versatile. It’s easy to spruce things up with a rainbow sprinkle-topping or chopped walnuts in the batter.
What Do You Need For Texas Almond Sheet Cake?
Don’t worry, this white Texas sheet cake is full of pantry staples. Check the recipe card at the bottom of the post for full ingredient amounts.
For the Cake
- Unsalted Butter – You can use salted butter if you remove the salt in the rest of the recipe.
- Water
- Sour Cream
- Granulated Sugar – Light brown sugar is a good swap.
- Eggs
- Vanilla Extract
- Almond Extract – Don’t skip or replace this, or your cake will not have any almond flavor!
- All-Purpose Flour – Don’t use bread flour for this.
- Baking Soda – Please don’t use baking powder.
- Salt
For the Icing
- Unsalted Butter
- Milk – Whole or low-fat milk are good options.
- Vanilla Extract
- Almond Extract
- Powdered Sugar – Don’t use granulated sugar for this.
- Sliced Almonds
Tips for the Best Texas Sheet Cake
These easy tips will help you bake any Texas sheet cake like a pro baker. It’s all in the details.
- Don’t let it cool. Pour the icing over the cake while it’s still hot so it can seep in properly and make the cake extra rich.
- Add sprinkles. Give your cake a pop of color with some rainbow sprinkles on top.
- Incorporate add-ins. Add 1/2 cup of roughly chopped almonds or walnuts to the cake batter for a bit of crunch.
- Choose the right tray. Light-colored baking trays will conduct the heat a lot better and help your cake bake evenly. Avoid glass baking trays if possible.
- Use the middle rack. Don’t place the cake tray in the top or bottom racks of the oven thinking the cake will bake faster. It will do the opposite, so use always use the middle rack where the heat is more evenly distributed.
What to Serve With White Texas Sheet Cake
This white Texas sheet cake goes best with your favorite tea, coffee, or a tall glass of milk. You can also try it with my Homemade Strawberry Milk for a sweeter treat. You can also make it extra special with a bit of whipped cream or a side of vanilla or Dulce de Leche Ice Cream.
How to Store Leftovers
Once fully cooled, store this cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Keep it away from heat and sunlight. If your area is particularly hot or humid, it’s best to refrigerate it in an airtight container for up to a week. Keep it away from onions and other strong-smelling foods to avoid the transfer of odors.
Set it on the counter for 10-15 minutes before serving so that the butter in the cake has some time to warm up.
More Cake Recipes
White Texas Almond Sheet Cake
Ingredients
Cake:
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Icing:
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
- ⅓ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 5 ½ cups powdered sugar
- sliced almonds, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 13X18 jelly roll pan with butter or spray with Baker’s Joy.
- In a large bowl, whisk together melted butter, water, sour cream and sugar. Whisk in eggs, vanilla extract and almond extract. Then whisk in flour, baking soda and salt.
- Pour batter into prepared jelly roll pan and bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Once cake is baked, whisk together melted butter, milk, vanilla extract, almond extract and powered sugar – until smooth. Pour on top of hot cake and spread icing out to the edges. Sprinkle with sliced almonds.
Notes
Nutrition
Categories:
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Question – the recipe says to use 1 C. (2 sticks) of butter. The information preceding the recipe says it uses 1 lb. of butter – which would be 2 C. (4 sticks). I am assuming the actual recipe is correct, not the notes. Clarification please….
Hi Janice! Yes, 1 cup – 2 sticks – is the correct amount of butter!
This cake was delicious! I did modify it a little and used cake flour instead of AP which made it less dense and cut the icing recipe in half so it was more like a glaze and it was the perfect sweetness for me and my family
Excellent to take to a potluck,,,everyone wanted the recipe. So yummy! Thanks!
This was ultra sweet. I would not even call it a cake. It had so much fat in it that it did not have a cake texture, but a glue like substance. I followed the recipe exactly. A waste of one pound of butter- will never make again.
Glue like?! Sorry but you did something wrong. I’ve made this cake many times since it was posted. Always serve to a crowd since it makes so much and everyone loves it and requests again. Yes there is a lot of butter and sugar but it serves a ton of people so balances out. I love this recipe thank you Jessica.
I made this cake today ‘almost’ exactly according to directions– I used 2/3 a teaspoon of almond extract in the cake, and vanilla only (extra tsp) in the frosting. It was plenty rich and almond-y for us with this amount. Yes, it’s buttery and sweet and very moist, which is why it’s so delicious. I even bought a basic half sheet pan at Bed, Bath and Beyond for it today. This cake will absolutely join my repertoire of favorite desserts for family and special occasions! Thank you for the recipe!
The cake is stored in the refrigerator? Thanks!!
You can, but it can also be stored on the counter!
Has anyone tried this with less sugar in the frosting? 51/2 cups!! A bit sweet.
This is a wonderful recipe, very easy and delicious. A hit at church potlucks.
I have made this cake several times, but omit the almond extract and almonds due to family member’s nut allergy. It is always a hit!
I don’t have a 13×18. Can I make this in a 10×15 and just use a little less of the batter? I like it being a sheet cake so I’m hesitating in using a 9×13.
Hi Becky! Yes you can, but it will be thicker and need a longer baking time. If you want it to be thinner, you will need to use two smaller pans if you do not have the 10×15. Hope this helps!
I was asked to make a white cake with white frosting for a birthday party. I have many cake recipes in my “book”, but not a white cake with white frosting. I found this recipe on Pinterest, and gave it a try. Results? An amazingly moist and easy cake, rave reviews, and many requests for the recipe. Thank you! It is definitely a keeper.
Looks & smells wonderful.
I have made this recipe at least 10 times, soooo delicious and easy! I make it into cupcakes so it’s easier to eat at potlucks and picnics-people just love them!
I do not own a jelly roll pan. Can I use a cookie sheet? Aren’t they basically the same thing?
Hi Christine! Just make sure it’s 13 x 18 in size and has at least an inch deep sides. Or you can also bake it in a 9 x 13 baking pan and just bake it a little longer! :-)
Hands down this was the best tasting cake I have ever had!! The frosting everything perfection now I’m definitely going to have to look into your other recipes thank you so much
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to come back and comment!
Hi! I love your cake! But!… I plan on making a second one to take both to a family reunion tomorrow. After getting a taste of the first one, I was thinking.. That’s alot of butter in the frosting. It seemed too greasy. I looked up other White Texas Sheet cake recipes. Instead of two sticks of butter in frosting, they use 1 stick. Just a thought.
This cake is absolutely Yummy !!! I didn’t have milk and substituted with evaporated milk and it even gave the icing a richer taste. Made it 3 times in one week.
Hello , what grade of milk do you recommend?
My cake turned out beautiful. My husband loved it and he`ll have to eat the whole cake himself! I found it to be overly moist for my liking. (It`s a texture thing I have) . And seeing that melted 1 (lb) butter as I was making it made me cringe. Sorry.
Can this be baked in 9×13
Do you think this would work as cup cakes? I love this cake and want to make it for my
Sons wedding , wondering how it would be to bake in 9×9 pans and layer?
Hi Shelia!
I have thought about this for a couple of days since I saw your email and I can’t figure out how to make them as cupcakes. But they would be cute baked and cut into individual squares and served in little paper cups!
This is a really delicious and moist cake! I made a few adjustments to the ingredients though- I had no sour cream so I used buttermilk instead. And whilst getting my ingredients together I realized i had no granulated sugar so I ended up using brown. I also added a teaspoon of baking powder. However, the frosting was a hit with the melted butter and almonds! Yummy! This white cake recipe has made a huge impression on my tastebuds because I’m a chocolate and more chocolate kind of gal.
These were amazing! They are quick and easy to prepare as promised. I made them for a party at work and have had many requests for the recipe! Thanks!
I made this cake for a retirement party. I ran out of almond extract. So I used coconut extract instead. So yummy! Now I have requests for more. Thanks for this beautiful cake idea.
This is delicious. So moist and great flavor!! Thank you for creating and sharing.
Oh my–cake 1 didn’t turn out….no set up of the cake what so ever….gonna try it again. There’s a conflict in ingredients listed here and on Pinterest. But the icing is the bomb
Hi Amanda – oh no – sorry to hear that! I can’t control what pinterest shows or what people enter for the ingredients, so make sure and follow the recipe as shown here!
This cake is EXTREMELY GOOD with a sliced strawberry topping on top! It was fantastic before, but try it with berries on top! WOW!!!
Jessica, this is making my mouth water! I’m having a birthday party for 25 adults. How many people will this cake feed? Thank you.
Hi Mary! It does make a large cake, but if all 25 people were really going to eat a good size slice of cake, I would probably make two cakes. Hope this helps!
Have you ever tried to make this cake in 3 8″ rounds and then stack the cake?
Sorry Pam, I always make it as a sheet cake.
I’d like to make this thicker. Can it be doubled and made in a deeper pan?
Yes you can! You will need to keep an eye on it though because the baking time will be longer.
Just made this, and the frosting was a little thin…Don’t know what I did? I tasted the frosting it was good. Followed the recipe. Taking to a picnic so hopefully will be delish…
It looks thin when it’s made because the butter is melted but it will firm up when left to cool! Hope you enjoyed it at the picnic!
Can you substitute or remove the sour cream?
You can try substituting it for something like plain greek yogurt, but otherwise I would keep it! It gives the cake the perfect texture.
I have to do dairy free, will coconut oil substitute ok for the butter?
Hi Heidi, I’m sorry I have not tired it and do not have a lot of experience with coconut oil in baking. If you try it, please let us all know how it works out!
This recipe is awesome! It will be my new “go to” recipe. The only thing I changed was adding more almond flavoring to the frosting because I love it! Thanks for sharing.
So glad you like it Denise!!
I made this is a 9×13 pan and it turned out amazing! I left the icing amount as is so it turned out more like a true frosting…which is what I wanted anyway. I love that this uses melted butter and I have all these ingredients on me all the time. Anyone tried it with other extracts (lemon? maple?)…I bet it would be great! Thanks for the great addition to my regular rotation of baked goods!!
Thank you for taking the time to come back and share how it worked in a 9×13! Glad you enjoyed it Marcy!
Tonight I did the cake as is, but used strawberry extract in the icing – 1 tsp strawberry and 1/2 tsp cleat vanilla to preserve the pink color. It’s fantastic!!!
I make this cake regularly for my family, church, etc. It is always a hit. It doesn’t last long! It’s so rich and yummy. I wish I had some right now. I use Walnuts on the top. They end up tasting like candy. YUM! I blogged about it here a while back. http://crazyonthefarm.com/2015/11/16/i-bake-cakes-fast-what-is-your-super-power/
The ingredient list is posted but not the instructions. So no idea how much of what goes in the cake and the frosting.
Keep reading and scroll down. Directions are there
Hi Mindy, the directions are listed directly below the ingredients. :-)
Could you make a regular sheet cake with raspberry filling and cream cheese icing?
How do I get to the recipe. Could you post it under my comment
Thabks
The recipe is posted in full right at the bottom of the post. It is also printable. Thanks!
Hello can this cake be baked in other types of pans? 8″ rounds or squares? I don’t own a jelly roll pan. Thank you it sounds delicious.
Hi Lecia! Since it’s a thin cake, you could bake it in a 9×13 cake pan and let it bake a little longer than the directions say. I would check it with a toothpick to see when it’s done!
Hi,
Just made this cake, and while it is delicious, you may want to include the height of your jelly roll pan in the instructions. Apparently mine must be shorter, because my cake ended up as an unseemly mess in my oven, and all the icing slid off when I iced it hot as the instructions said to.
Oh no! Sorry to hear that happened! My pan’s exact dimensions are: 17.25 x 12.25 x 1 Inch Half Sheet Pan. You can find it here on amazon to compare: http://amzn.to/1MEnZM1
The picture shows this cake a creamy white color, but how can that be with two cups of yellow butter?
The cake itself is very yellow and the icing on top is more white from all the powdered sugar. I hope you make it and enjoy it as much as we do!
What is the salt measurement in the cake recipe if I am using regular butter?
The cake turned out delicious and moist, but keep a close eye on it. It was almost over-baked in fifteen minutes. The next time I make it I will not put the frosting on until the cake is almost cool. My frosting melted into the hot cake and did not look like the picture. I put multi-colored sanding sugar on top. It was pretty and gave a nice textural component.
Thank you for this recipe!
Glad you liked it Laura! I always pour my icing on directly after baking. It melts at first, but then as the cake and icing cool, it should go back from translucent to looking white like in the picture. I do this because the icing does sink into the cake a little and makes it almost like the icing is one with the cake!
Love the idea of the multi-colored sugar to add some sparkle! ;-)
I poured the icing on while hot and it soaked the whole cake, I think too much. Cake is over moist. Disappointed.
My boyfriend’s grandmother made this cake and I’ve been looking for a recipe that included almond flavoring, since that’s the best part IMO… and this is it!! I didn’t believe her at first when she said she used a whole box of butter, but now I do. Do I regret eating a quarter of the cake for dinner? No. Way.
Ha! Yes, it’s a lot of delicious butter. ;-) So glad you liked the cake!!
I have been waiting for the right time to bake this delicious cake. I believe I can mentally taste it and I love it! So happy to have this recipe.
AMAZING! No seriously, best cake I have EVER made. My entire family lost their minds over this one!! Please please please come up with other flavors!
Looks great!
This looks beautiful. (And I have that same USA pan. I love all my USA pans, in fact. They make everything come out perfectly.)
I just made this tonight. I used my mixer with whisk attachment for the cake part then whisked the icing by hand. It came out beautifully and was delicious!
Recipe states ‘whisk’ together: Does that mean, whisk by hand? or are you
doing in a mixer with a whisk attachment? I’d like to make this cake, please reply. Tweek your recipe to state that fact. It may help someone else. Thank you.
I whisk it by hand, it’s very easy. However you can also do it with a stand mixer if you would prefer.
Such a lovely sounding cake! Yum!