One of my favorite desserts in all the world is Texas Sheet Cake. Quick and easy, rich and decadent, and even though it’s not really what comes to mind when you think of summer desserts, for me, Texas Sheet Cake is just as much a part of summer as watermelon and Popsicles and burgers.
But recently, I found myself experiencing a hankering for something like Texas Sheet Cake, only in vanilla. I wanted the same kind of super-easy batter–thin and runny–which yields a light, spongy cake (one that’s flat on top). I wanted the same kind of process, the same size, the same let’s-feed-a-crowd feel, just with an incredible vanilla flavor instead of chocolate. So. I bring to you the White Texas Sheet Cake. And since the 4th of July is around the corner, I bring you the flag cake. Between the light, spongy cake and the tangy cream cheese frosting and the fresh berries, I don’t think you can get a more satisfying summer dessert.
Ingredient Notes
- Butter – Use real, salted butter. You’ll need some for both the cake and the frosting.
- Buttermilk – Low fat or full fat will work.
- Flour – All-purpose flour lightly spooned into a measuring cup and leveled with a knife.
- White sugar
- Salt
- Baking soda
- Eggs
- Almond and Vanilla Extracts
- Blueberries and/or Blackberries – washed and dried.
- Strawberries and/or Raspberries – washed (if using strawberries, also hull and slice them and then pat them dry with a paper towel).
- Cream Cheese – light works fine, although it will yield a slightly softer frosting at almost room temperature.
- Powdered Sugar – sifted.
How to Make White Texas Sheet Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 and grease a jelly roll (10×15″) or half sheet (13×18″) baking sheet. Don’t use anything smaller (like a 9×13″) or the cake will not bake correctly.
- Combine some butter and buttermilk in a medium saucepan and bring just to a boil. Remove from heat and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the wire whisk attachment, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Add the buttermilk/butter mixture and mix until combined. Add the eggs and extracts and mix until smooth.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking sheet and bake until the top is golden and a pick inserted into the center comes out clean (baking time will vary depending on your oven…start checking sooner rather than later)!
- While the cake is cooling, prepare a batch of my Perfect Cream Cheese Frosting: Whip together some cream cheese, butter, and vanilla and almond extracts until light and fluffy. Add in the powdered sugar and whip until smooth and fully incorporated.
- When the cake has cooled, spread the frosting evenly over the cake.
- Decorate with berries however you like!
- If you’re making the flag, it helps to lightly mark a flag pattern into the frosting, then fill the square with blueberries and/or blackberries and every other stripe with strawberries or raspberries. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Storing and Other Tips
- Once the cake is assembled, it needs to be kept in the refrigerator until time to serve. If you don’t have a sheet pan lid, place a few toothpicks strategically between berries (where the holes won’t be visible later) to create a canopy with plastic wrap that won’t stick to your frosting.
- If making a day ahead, continue through frosting the cake. Cover and refrigerate. Prep your berries, but don’t decorate until closer to serving time, or you run the risk of the berries getting mushy and weeping into the frosting.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many people will this serve?
One sheet cake should feed 24. If you know you have big eaters (teenage boys, anyone?) you may want to plan on making more!
What’s the difference between a sheet cake and a regular cake?
Not much, really, just the way it’s baked! Sheet cake recipes are just specifically designed to bake up perfectly in a larger, shallower pan than a traditional cake.
Tips for Making White Texas Sheet Cake
- When scooping your flour, lightly spoon it into a measuring cup and level using a knife.
- Ensure you use the correct size of pan. Do not use a 9×13 pan – the cake will not bake correctly.
- The baking time will vary depending on your oven. It’s a good idea to start checking on the cake sooner, rather than later.
- The frosting can be made up to a day ahead of time if desired. For the frosting, light cream cheese works fine, although it will yield a slightly softer frosting at almost room temperature.
- To ensure the juices don’t run all over the cake, place strawberries on a paper towel to drain them slightly.
White Texas Sheet Cake (Red, White, & Blue Edition)
This easy White Texas Sheet Cake is a fun alternative to the traditional chocolate version!
Servings servings
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter
- 1 ½ cups buttermilk
- 2 cups all-purpose flour lightly spooned into a measuring cup and leveled with a knife
- 2 cups white sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoons almond extract
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
- 1 pint blueberries and/or blackberries washed
- 1 quart strawberries and/or raspberries washed (if using strawberries, also hull and slice them and then pat them dry with a paper towel)
Frosting
- 2 8 ounce packages cream cheese light works fine, although it will yield a slightly softer frosting at almost room temperature
- ½ cup salted butter at almost room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract or both
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 and grease a jelly roll (10×15") or half sheet (13×18") baking sheet. Do NOT use a smaller pan.
- Combine the butter and buttermilk in a medium saucepan and bring just to a boil. Remove from heat.
- In a large mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the wire whisk attachment, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Add the buttermilk/butter mixture and mix until combined. Add the eggs and extracts and mix until smooth. The batter will be thin.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking sheet and bake for 18-24 minutes or until a pick inserted into the center comes out clean (baking time will vary depending on your oven).
Frosting Instructions
- While cake is baking, prepare the frosting. Whip together the cream cheese, butter, and extract until light and fluffy. Add in the powdered sugar and whip until smooth and fully incorporated. Store in refrigerator until cake has finished baking and cooled completely.
Decoration Instructions
- Slice strawberries, setting them on a paper towel to drain slightly (so the juices don't run all over the cake). When the cake has cooled completely, spread the frosting evenly over the cake using an offset spatula.
- Lightly mark a flag pattern into the frosting using a toothpick, then fill the square with blueberries and/or blackberries and every other stripe with strawberries or raspberries. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
When scooping your flour, lightly spoon it into a measuring cup and level using a knife.
Ensure you use the correct size of pan. Do not use a 9×13 pan – the cake will not bake correctly.
The baking time will vary depending on your oven. It’s a good idea to start checking on the cake sooner, rather than later.
The frosting can be made up to a day ahead of time if desired.
For the frosting, light cream cheese works fine, although it will yield a slightly softer frosting at almost room temperature
To ensure the juices don’t run all over the cake, place strawberries on a paper towel to drain them slightly.
Nutrition
Calories: 283kcal, Carbohydrates: 41g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.5g, Cholesterol: 46mg, Sodium: 208mg, Potassium: 117mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 31g, Vitamin A: 416IU, Vitamin C: 25mg, Calcium: 32mg, Iron: 1mg
Calories: 283kcal
Cost: $10
Did You Make This Recipe?Snap a picture, and hashtag it #ourbestbites. We love to see your creations on our Instagram @ourbestbites!
Questions & Reviews
Hi Kate,
I noticed your photo shows salted butter but the recipe doesn’t specify. Would you recommend salted or unsalted?
I prefer salted butter, which I know goes against everything they tell you about baking, haha! All of our recipes are formulated with salted butter (unless otherwise specified), but if you’d prefer to use unsalted butter, just increase the salt a little. Hope that helps!
Your comment about baking the cake in a smaller pan made me laugh!!! Thanks for adding humor to the recipe 😀
Hi Kate! Do you think that this recipe could double to fit a large sheet pan? So, the thickness wouldn’t change but the overall size would be bigger? I am having a BBQ with about 20 people this weekend and I’m not sure just one would be large enough. I could always just put it in 2 pans too if the middle would be soggy? Thanks!
How do you get the berries to not run their juices all over after being in the fridge before serving?!
That’s the purpose of draining the sliced berries on the paper towels–the towels will sop up most of those juices and it didn’t end up being a problem. The blueberries and blackberries were whole, so it wan’t an issue. Hope that helps! 🙂
would this cake batter work for cupcakes?
Thanks for sharing all your yummy recipes. I’ve been using your site for years!
I’m not sure…it’s probably not going to have the same nice crown that you might be expecting, but the cake itself will be yummy. 🙂
I would really love to do this for our party this weekend but my husband hates cream cheese and cream cheese frosting (I know, he’s crazy) so do you think it would still be good with a buttercream? Or perhaps you have a different frosting to recommend?
Yep! You could use any white frosting–the buttercream on our sugar cookie bars or our perfect cupcake frosting and filling would both be delicious. Or you could even use stabilized whipped cream or cool whip!
I’m excited to try this recipe!
We can’t do almond extract in our house – do you think lemon would be ok in this?
Lemon would be delicious! Or orange…or lime…or just use all vanilla. It’s super customizable! 🙂
Love it! My grandmother used to make Texas sheet cake on the 4th of July, so it’s totally a summer dessert for me, too. A vanilla version sounds so yummy, especially with cream cheese frosting!
BTW, what is that gorgeous cursive font for commenter names?
It’s called KG The Fighter–isn’t it awesome?! You can find it at free font sites like DaFont and Font Squirrel. 🙂
Thank you!
Ah, this is so pretty! We live away from family and typically don’t have lots of people we celebrate the 4th with. But I may need to force our company on some friends so I can make this cake to share. It’s okay to do that when you bring flag cake with you, right?