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.

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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! 🙂

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:

• Peanut Butter Sheet Cake with Dark Chocolate Frosting
• Easy Granny Cake
• Old-Fashioned Tomato Soup Cake
• Vanilla Mayonnaise Cake
• Homemade Butterscotch Cake
• Biscoff Cake with Cookie Butter Frosting
• Pistachio Sheet Cake

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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!