Introduction: A Beginners’ Guide to Great-Grandma Judy’s Texas Sheet Cake

Need something delicious for a party with lots of people? Or feel like going on a chocolate binge? Then this is the perfect recipe for you. This cake will make 15–20 large servings.

Introduction to the Cake:

This recipe is from my great-grandmother and has been passed down for generations. It is rich, chocolatey, addicting, and delicious. It has always been a family favorite. Whenever this cake is served at family gatherings, it disappears right away because it is so popular. It is always served for birthday celebrations, family gatherings, and every other celebration. We could not keep this delicious recipe a family secret any longer and want to share it with you.

These instructions are setup for the newest beginner to baking. If you are more experienced at baking, feel free to skip the overviews and extra materials.

Step 1: You Will Need the Following Ingredients and Items:

Step 2: Preheating the Oven

The oven needs to be preheated to 350 degrees before starting the recipe.

Step 3: Making the Cake

Overview:

This step has four parts. In Part A grease the Jelly Roll pan. Part B includes mixing the cold ingredients in a bowl. Part C includes combining the hot ingredients in a sauce pan. For Part D, you will combine these two mixtures in the bowl you used for Part B.

Part A: First, grease the Jelly Roll Pan (AKA cookie sheet pan)—use cooking spray (preferred method), butter (or margarine), or coat the pan with a little Crisco sprinkled with flour.

Part B: Mix together the following ingredients in a large, heat-resistant bowl. Use an eggbeater, if possible. First, mix the dry ingredients together (sugar, flour, salt, and baking soda). Next, add the eggs and sour cream.

  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 large eggs
  • ½ cup sour cream

Part C: Heat the following ingredients in a separate sauce pan on medium heat temperature. First, heat the butter (or margarine) until fully melted. Then add the cocoa and water. Continue heating until the mixture is at a gentle boil. Once at a gentle boil, take the mixture off the heat.

  • 2 cubes butter (or margarine)
  • 4 tablespoons cocoa
  • 1 cup water

Part D: Immediately after taking the sauce pan off the heat pour the hot ingredients into the cold ingredients. Mix the two mixtures together until well combined.

Step 4: Baking the Cake

Once mixed well, pour the ingredients into the greased cookie sheet.

Bake the cake ingredients in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. To check if the cake is completely cooked, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is fully cooked. If the toothpick is not clean, cook the cake for a few more minutes and check with a new toothpick again. Repeat this step until the cake is fully cooked.

Step 5: Making the Frosting

Overview:

While the caking is baking, prepare the frosting. This step has four parts. Part A is boiling the first three ingredients in a pan. Part B is adding vanilla and powdered sugar. Part C is adding nuts, if so desired. Part D is topping the cake with the frosting while the cake is hot. (*See the helpful hints at the end of this section.)

Part A: In a medium sized sauce pan and on medium heat temperature, melt the butter (or margarine). Once the butter (or margarine) is melted, mix in the cocoa and the milk. Once the ingredients are well mixed, remove the mixture from heat.

  • 1 cube butter (or margarine)
  • 4 tablespoons cocoa
  • 6 tablespoons milk

Part B: Immediately after taking the mixture off the heat add the vanilla extract and powdered sugar to the mixture. Add the vanilla extract first. Then, add the powdered sugar one cup at a time and mix well after each addition. Beat together those ingredients until smooth.

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3–4 cups powdered sugar

Part C: Then, if desired, add nuts into the mixture. Stir until well mixed.

  • 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Part D: When everything is mixed well, spread mixture onto baked cake as soon as the cake comes out of the oven. Let the cake and frosting cool completely.

*Making the Frosting: Helpful Tips!

  • When you take the pot off of the heat, put the pot on the table (instead of on another stove burner) so that the powdered sugar does not get all over the stove. Then it will be easier to clean up.
  • Add more powdered sugar if the frosting seems too runny. Add more to make the mixture thicker and not soak into the cake. More powdered sugar will make the frosting thicker and less glaze-like.
  • If you put the frosting on the cake immediately after the cake comes out of the oven, then the frosting will soak into the cake and make the cake very moist. But if you wait to put the frosting on the cake after the cake cools, then the frosting will be a thick glaze. Both options are delicious. Whatever you decide, be sure to put the frosting on when the frosting is hot so that you can spread the frosting around.

Step 6: Different Ways to Serve the Cake

Once the cake is baked, frosted, and cooled, slice the cake into desired sizes. Then, serve the cake slices. (If you want, you can also serve the cake hot instead of cooled; for example, the hot cake would be delicious accompanied with vanilla ice cream.) Take a bite and enjoy the heavenly taste of Great-Grandma Judy’s Texas Sheet Cake.