White Texas Sheet Cake for Valentine’s Day

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If you’re looking for a delicious and easy-to-make white cake, look no further than the Texas sheet cake! This classic dessert is perfect for any occasion, and it’s sure to please everyone. Trust me – this is one recipe you’ll want to keep in your back pocket.

Valentines Day White Texas Sheet cake pin

Let’s be honest: we all know how hard it can be to find a dessert that is sure to please an entire crowd. It has to have that right balance of being delicious but also something easy enough that you don’t have to spend too much time in the kitchen.

Thankfully, I have just the recipe for you!

Yes, my friends, today we’re whipping up a delicious white Texas sheet cake. I don’t know about you, but traditional Texas sheet cake (the chocolate variety) was a dessert staple in my family.

While I have yet to share that recipe (this post reminded me that I should), I have shared my recipe for peanut butter Texas sheet cake, which is still one of my favorites!

As you can see, I gave my sheet cake a Valentine’s Day spin. But, you could easily customize this dessert by adding whatever sprinkles fit the occasion—or skipping them altogether. There is no right or wrong when it comes to white Texas sheet cake!

piece of white cake on a plate

And speaking of Valentine’s Day, if you’re looking for more love-inspired treats, you can find a collection of my favorites here.

What is Texas sheet cake?

The day I was making this, I was talking to a friend who told me he’d never heard of Texas sheet cake. I found that interesting, so I did a little research, and it turns out that the origin of it is a bit of a mystery.

Apparently, there is some connection to a similar dessert known as German chocolate cake. (Some day, I also need to share a recipe for that; it’s yummy, too!)

a cut cake in a sheet pan

People seem to like Texas sheet cake because it requires fewer steps and less time and clean-up. Plus, it’s a large cake. If desired, you could cut it into smaller pieces and serve even more than 24.

Speaking of, perhaps it’s called Texas sheet cake because it makes a cake big enough to serve a crowd the size of Texas! But that’s part of the beauty of this recipe.

large cake with pink and red sprinkles

Ingredients

The ingredient list for this cake is fairly simple, and all items you likely already have in your pantry.

  • Flour: The standard all-purpose variety is what I recommend for this sheet cake.
  • Sugar
  • Baking Powder
  • Salt
  • Baking Soda
  • Unsalted Butter
  • Eggs
  • Sour Cream: Believe it or not, sour cream is a must-have in this cake recipe. It adds moisture without thinning the batter out, so it’s nice and fluffy still.
  • Almond Extract: Make sure to add almond extract. It adds the perfect punch of flavor to this cake.

Of course, a big part of why this cake is so delicious is the frosting. To whip up a batch of frosting, you’ll need:

Texas sheet cake recipe
  • Unsalted Butter
  • Whole Milk
  • Confectioners’ Sugar
  • Almond Extract: Again, don’t skip this! It adds a ton of flavor to this recipe.
  • Kosher Salt
  • Garnish: This is the fun part – you can top your cake with any kind of sprinkles you’d like or go with a more classic sheet cake topping like walnuts.

How to Make

Here’s the beauty of this recipe: it’s actually really easy to make.

First, mix the dry ingredients in a bowl and then turn to the stovetop to prepare your wet ingredients.

In fact, I think cooking some of the ingredients for both the cake and frosting is what makes this recipe taste a bit different from a standard cake.

Water and butter are brought to a boil and then added to the dry ingredients, along with sour cream, eggs, and almond extract.

pouring cake batter onto a lined sheet pan

All of that gets poured into a large lined sheet pan, baked in the oven, and it’s ready in about 20 minutes.

Next, a frosting glaze is made from confectioners’ sugar, melted butter, and milk and spread all over the warm cake.

pouring glaze over a Valentine's dessert

Then, a handful of colorful Valentine’s Day sprinkles for the perfect finishing touch (or whatever kind of sprinkles match the occasion).

red pink and white sprinkles on a white iced cake

So simple!

decorated cake

Frequently Asked Questions

Now that you know all about how to make this tasty treat, let me address a few questions I get about this dessert.

Should Texas sheet cake be stored in the fridge?

No, you don’t need to store your Texas sheet cake in the fridge. The frosting is stable enough to keep it at room temperature for up to four days.

That being said, some people prefer the taste of sheet cake cold. I also find that the cake is moister when stored in the fridge, so that’s my preference. Just make sure to wrap it up before you place it in the fridge.

Can I make this sheet cake ahead of time?

Absolutely! It’s actually a great dessert to make ahead of time because it allows the flavors to meld together and become even more delicious.

Once your cake is baked, cooled, and frosted, you can store it in an airtight container for up to four days. Make sure to wrap it if you plan on storing it in the fridge, as the cream cheese frosting can lose its texture if exposed to too much cold air.

slice of white iced cake on a plate

And that’s it! Our White Texas Sheet Cake is complete and ready to be devoured!

The cake is moist, sweet, and flavorful – ideal for sharing with the ones you love.

Enjoy, and Happy Valentine’s Day!!

a bite of cake on a fork
slice of Texas sheet cake with a bite taken out

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White Texas Sheet Cake

This White Texas Sheet Cake is a delightful way to serve a sweet treat to a crowd. And, dressed up with colorful sprinkles, it becomes a special dessert for Valentine’s Day!
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cake, texas sheet cake, valentine’s day, white cake
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 24 people

Ingredients

Frosting:

Instructions

  • Begin by preheating your oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 15x10x1-inch sheet pan with baking spray. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
  • Then in a small saucepan, add the butter and water. Bring to a boil and quickly remove from heat. Stir the hot liquid into the flour mixture.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, sour cream, and almond extract until smooth. Pour that into the flour mixture and stir until smooth.
  • Spread the batter in the prepared sheet pan. Baked 18-22 minutes until the cake is just golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for about 15 minutes.
  • While the cake cools, prepare the frosting by combining the butter and milk in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil.
  • Remove from the heat and gradually stir in the confectioners’ sugar, almond extract, and salt. Spread the glaze over the warm cake and immediately top with sprinkles.

Notes

Note: Traditional Texas Sheet Cake is made with walnuts in the frosting. If you prefer, you can stir in 1 cup of chopped walnuts to the glaze before spreading it over the cake.
perfectly square slice of cake

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15 Comments

  1. I do use a 13×9 pan when I make white and chocolate Texas sheet cakes and only make 1/2 recipe of frosting. I prefer the thicker moist cake frosting ratio. I don’t think you can go wrong using either size pan.

    I haven’t tried your peanut butter Texas sheet cake. I’m definitely going to try it.

    Thanks for all your great recipes.

  2. You mention cream cheese frosting in the recipe FAQ description but it is not listed in the actual frosting recipe. Do you have a cream cheese frosting for this cake? Thank You!

  3. I wanted to thank you for the white Texas sheet cake recipe. Then I found all of your peanut butter recipes.They all so look good. I can’t have regular chocolate but so enjoy white chocolate occasionally and so few bloggers post anything but chocolate deserts. Thank you so much again.

  4. Native Texan here….I have a bit of a bone to pick with you…Traditional Texas Sheet Cake has pecans in the icing NOT walnuts! That’s heresy! You see, the pecan tree is the State Tree of the Great State of Texas! (Walnuts: boo! Pecans: YAY!)

  5. I baked this cake just last night. Oh my! It was delicious – love the almond flavor and the moistness of the cake.
    Now for my goof – in my haste I baked in the 13×9 pan. Michael you are right. The frosting, although delicious, seemed a little much for the cake. Overall it was a HUGE hit – especially with the family members not particularly fond of chocolate. Oh well, an excuse to make it again soon. TY ~ Caroline

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