Crowd-Pleasing Buttermilk Texas Sheet Cake

You’ll love this tasty Texas sheet cake variation that combines the flavors of cinnamon and vanilla with buttermilk, creating a moist and decadent cake that serves a crowd.

White Texas Sheet Cake with Buttermilk is a flavorful vanilla rendition of classic chocolate Texas sheet cake.

Buttermilk Texas Sheet Cake in the pan, with a square cut out and removed

Note: This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. If you make a purchase, this site may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. You can read my full disclosure policy here.

They say everything is bigger in Texas, and they must be right because this white Texas sheet cake with buttermilk is a whopper, made in a 10×15 jelly roll pan!

This isn’t a cake made for a small family, but a buttermilk Texas sheet cake will be a big hit at a birthday party, church potluck or any holiday gathering.

Not that there is anything wrong with making this for yourself, and since it freezes well, you can have dessert on hand any time a craving strikes!

This white Texas sheet cake with buttermilk is similar to a recipe I recall from my childhood.

Like my easy preacher cake and old-fashioned banana sheet cake, traditional chocolate Texas sheet cake was a staple at church gatherings where my father preached.

It was the perfect reason to stop at the dessert table first, to make sure you got a helping before it disappeared! 🙂

slice of cinnamon texas sheet cake on a white plate, with a bite removed

Texas Sheet Cake Recipe Using Buttermilk

I was recently perusing some of my old church cookbooks and found a recipe for a traditional Texas sheet cake that used buttermilk. So I decided to make some tweaks to make a vanilla version, with a hint of cinnamon.

One of my children doesn’t care much for chocolate desserts (which is beyond my comprehension!), so I often try different variations that I hope will go over well with everybody. This one fits the bill!

As much as I love chocolate, I love this vanilla and cinnamon version of Texas sheet cake even more! With a caramel frosting, it really is such a rich and decadent treat.

Similar to when baking with sour cream, the addition of buttermilk helps create a moist and tender texture, which holds up well under the frosting.

More Old-Fashioned Cake Recipes:

slice of white texas sheet cake on a white plate

Why Is It Called Texas Sheet Cake?

The origin of the name Texas Sheet Cake is somewhat murky.

Many believe it’s called Texas sheet cake because it’s large – like Texas. And while that’s a perfectly valid assumption, the truth has likely been lost to time.

Original Texas sheet cake has a chocolate base and chocolate frosting, and is often topped with pecans.

A similar recipe was first published in the Galveston Daily News in 1936 and likely grew in popularity following that publication.

However, nearly identical recipes can be found in cookbooks from all over North American under names like brownie sheet cake, Mexican sheet cake, brownie sheet cake and chocolate sheet cake.

This white Texas sheet cake is a fun riff on the original recipe, no matter what you call it.

It’s loaded with vanilla and cinnamon and is a dreamy Texas sheet cake variation that’s a true contender to beat out the chocolate version.

And that brown sugar icing on top is to die for! It’s a variation of the glaze I make for my applesauce bundt cake, with powdered sugar added to make it a pourable icing.

overhead view of the frosted texas sheet cake

How to Make White Texas Sheet Cake With Buttermilk

It’s really easy to make Buttermilk Texas Sheet Cake.

Ingredients You’ll Need:

For the Cake:

  • All-purpose flour
  • Granulated sugar
  • Salt
  • Ground cinnamon
  • Baking soda
  • Unsalted butter
  • Water
  • Eggs
  • Vanilla extract
  • Buttermilk

For the Brown Sugar Frosting:

  • Butter
  • Brown sugar
  • Milk
  • Powdered sugar
piece of buttermilk sheet cake on a white plate, with the remaining cake in the pan in the background

How to Make It:

(Full printable recipe is available below)

Make the wet and dry mixes. First, you’ll bring butter and water to a boil in a medium saucepan.

butter and water boiling in a saucepan

While that heats, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and baking soda in the bowl of a stand mixer.

dry ingredients for texas sheet cake

Remove the butter mixture from the heat, pour it over the dry ingredients, and use the paddle attachment to blend the butter mixture into the dry ingredients until just incorporated.

Mix the batter. Next, you’ll combine the eggs, vanilla extract, and buttermilk in a small bowl before adding it to the mixer and blending until smooth.

batter for buttermilk texas sheet cake in the bowl of a stand mixer

Bake the cake. Then, you’ll pour the batter into a prepared pan to bake for 22-27 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool for one hour.

collage image of two photos, one showing the baking pan filled with batter before baking, as well as one showing the freshly baked cake in the pan.

Prepare the frosting. Last, you’ll boil butter and brown sugar in a saucepan until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and stir in the milk until well combined. Add powdered sugar to a mixer bowl and pour in the hot sugar and milk mixture blending until the frosting is smooth.

collage image of three photos showing the brown sugar frosting being prepared for the texas sheet cake

Pout over the cake and let sit a few minutes before serving.

caramel brown sugar frosting being spooned over the baked buttermilk sheet cake

Notes and Adaptations:

  • I have not tested this recipe in a 13×9″ pan. If you want to try that, you’ll likely need to increase the baking time. I’d recommend checking it at 25 minutes and every few minutes thereafter until it’s done.
  • If you don’t have 1/2 cup buttermilk on hand, you can whisk together 1/4 cup sour cream and 1/4 cup milk, or 1 TBSP white vinegar (or lemon juice) and a scant 1/2 cup milk. Let the mixture sit for a few minutes so the milk can “sour” into buttermilk.
  • Feel free to sprinkle chopped pecans or walnuts over the brown sugar frosting if you’d like!
buttermilk texas sheet cake with cinnamon and brown sugar frosting, in the pan with a slice removed

Recommended Equipment:

Yield: 20 Servings

Buttermilk Texas Sheet Cake

slice of buttermilk texas sheet cake with a bite taken out of it

Buttermilk Texas sheet cake is a vanilla version of the chocolate cake everyone loves! Made tender with the addition of buttermilk, it's an easy dessert for a crowd.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Additional Time 5 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

  • For the Cake:
  • 1 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • For the Brown Sugar Frosting:
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 4-5 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F and grease a 10x15" jellyroll pan.
  2. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine butter and water. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and baking soda. Add the melted butter mixture and use the paddle attachment to mix just until incorporated.
  4. In a separate small mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, vanilla extract, and buttermilk.
  5. With the mixer on low speed, add the buttermilk mixture to the bowl of the stand mixer, mixing batter until smooth.
  6. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 22-27 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  7. Once the cake has cooled for at least an hour, prepare the frosting by combining butter and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Let the mixture boil, stirring frequently, until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat.
  8. Gradually stir in the milk, a little bit at a time, until incorporated.
  9. Add 4 cups of powdered sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add in the hot mixture of butter, sugar, and milk.
  10. Increase speed, mixing until frosting is smooth. If needed, add more powdered sugar, 1/4 cup at a time, until desired consistency is achieved.
  11. Pour over cooled cake and let frosting set for a few minutes before cutting and serving.

Notes

  • I have not tested this recipe in a 13x9" pan. If you want to try that, you'll likely need to increase the baking time. I'd recommend checking it at 25 minutes and every few minutes thereafter until it's done.
  • If you don't have 1/2 cup buttermilk on hand, you can whisk together 1/4 cup sour cream and 1/4 cup milk, or 1 TBSP white vinegar (or lemon juice) and a scant 1/2 cup milk. Let the mixture sit for a few minutes so the milk can "sour" into buttermilk.
  • Feel free to sprinkle some chopped pecans or walnuts over the brown sugar frosting if you'd like a bit of crunch.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

20

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 722Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 56mgSodium: 218mgCarbohydrates: 149gFiber: 0gSugar: 137gProtein: 2g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated and is not guaranteed for accuracy.

Want more delicious recipe ideas?

Check out even more mealtime inspiration on my Pinterest boards!

collage image featuring two photos of buttermilk texas sheet cake made with cinnamon. One photo shows the cake in the pan and the other photo shows a slice with a bite taken out of it

Categories:

, , , ,

Easy family-friendly recipes in your inbox!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

You'll Also Love..