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Classic Texas Sheetcake Brownies Recipe

Texas sheetcake brownies may be, hands down, my favorite brownies. Some links in this post are affiliate links that earn me a commission if you purchase through them.

Texas sheetcake brownies stack

If you haven’t figured it out, I love to bake. In fact, yesterday I made a yellow cake with strawberry frosting with my daughter, just because.

As with most people, I end up baking with chocolate more than anything, however. Whether that’s molten lava cakes or triple chocolate dipped cookies or brownie batter truffles, I keep a stock of good chocolate on hand at all times.

Fork cutting into a molten chocolate cake on a small white plate.

Brownies are among my favorite desserts because it’s easy to make them in one shot. Bar cookies in general are my favorite to bake for a crowd because I don’t have to take pan after pan of cookies in and out of the oven.

I love classic brownies, but Texas sheetcake brownies are even better – and they make a ton, which is great for pot lucks and other crowds. Plus, they freeze well, so I can enjoy them week after week.

Need more ideas? This list of 50+ amazing potluck dessert recipes is sure to give you plenty of inspiration.

Five Texas sheetcake brownies on a wooden board with a jug of milk.

I’ve shared a version of these before – my Mexican sheetcake brownies – that are lightly spiced to give a little warmth to this classic recipe. Somehow, I never posted the original recipe my mom has made for decades, but I’m rectifying that today.

Classic Texas Sheet Brownies Tips

Make this with buttermilk. It helps make the brownies not too sweet, and gives it the right tang.

If you don’t have buttermilk at home, you can still make these Texas sheetcake brownies, however. When you add acid to milk, the ensuing chemical reaction gives you a good approximation of buttermilk.

Add a tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar to a liquid measuring cup. Top it with milk until it reaches a half cup, then add an additional third cup of milk so you have enough buttermilk for both the frosting and brownies.

Let this mixture sit for five minutes, and you just made buttermilk. You will need to separate it later into a half cup and third cup, but that’s easy with a second liquid measuring cup.

Use a solid jelly roll pan, which ensures that your brownies bake evenly. The last thing you want is a cheap, thin pan where your brownies burn in one part and are raw in another.

Make the frosting for these Texas sheetcake brownies with about five minutes to go in the cooking time. You want to spread it on your brownies while they’re still warm and while the cooked fudge frosting is not yet set.

Use an offset spatula to spread that frosting on your brownies. It works way better than a traditional spatula, and you can make pretty designs with it, too.

Spreading chocolate frosting on Texas sheetcake brownies with an offset spatula.

When you cut the frosted brownies, use a bench scraper. This gives you the cleanest and straightest cuts and is way easier than using a knife. Plus, it’s safer for your pan.

How to Make Classic Texas Sheetcake Brownies

Sheetcake brownies stacked three high and a jug of milk on a wooden board.

Make the brownies

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 15x10x1-inch jelly roll pan, which is what I also use to bake cookies. I’m all about multi-purpose purchases.

In a heavy saucepan, add the water, two sticks of butter, and 1/3 cup of cocoa powder. Turn heat to medium, and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly as it starts to warm.

Remove it from the heat as soon as it boils, as it doesn’t need to boil for long. Set it aside while you prep the dry ingredients in a separate mixing bowl.

In that bowl, add the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Stir gently until all the ingredients are well distributed.

Add the melted butter and cocoa mixture to the dry ingredients, and mix on medium speed until everything is completely incorporated. This should still be warm but not boiling hot.

Add your eggs, one half cup of buttermilk, and vanilla, and beat for a minute until the mixture is light. This makes a very thin batter, not like the brownie batters you’re used to making.

Pour the batter into your prepared jelly roll pan, and bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes, until your cake tester comes out clean.

Make sure you don’t overbake this. When you start to see the edges of the brownies pull away from the pan, you know it’s really close to done.

Baked sheetcake brownie not yet frosted sitting on a black countertop.

Make the frosting

Once your brownies are close to being done, start to make your frosting so that it’s ready to go when the brownies are still warm.

Feel free to use the same saucepan you did to melt the butter, cocoa, and water for the brownies. There’s no need to dirty another pan when you’re pretty much using the same ingredients.

Combine the remaining three tablespoons butter, the five tablespoons of cocoa powder, and one-third cup of buttermilk. Turn the stove on medium. Bring the mixture to a boil, then remove from the heat.

Add the powdered sugar and the last 2 1/2 tablespoons vanilla and mix, starting on low until the powdered sugar is incorporated, then beating on high until the mixture is smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

While the icing is still warm, pour it over the Texas sheetcake brownies. Use that offset spatula, and gently pull the icing from the center to the edges until it is all covered in icing.

Let the brownies cool at least 2 hours, then cut into pieces, usually 48 or so decent size brownies from this recipe.

Store any leftovers in a tightly sealed container on your counter for 2-3 days. Layer the brownies with parchment paper, which helps prevent the frosting from sticking to another brownie layer.

These also freeze extremely well for 1-2 months (and are tasty straight from the freezer). Keep the brownies on the parchment paper, which will help absorb any moisture as they thaw.

Have you ever had classic Texas sheetcake brownies?

More great chocolate recipes:

Texas sheetcake brownies stack

Classic Texas Sheetcake Brownies

These classic Texas sheetcake brownies are my favorite. It's the best and most delicious frosted brownie out there.
4.69 from 16 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegetarian
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Additional Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 48 brownies
Calories: 136kcal
Author: Michelle

Ingredients

For the brownies:

  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup unsalted butter
  • 1/3 cup cocoa powder
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

For the frosting:

  • 3 tablespoons butter unsalted
  • 5 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 1/3 cup buttermilk
  • 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons vanilla

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 15x10x1-inch cookie sheet.
  • In a saucepan, combine water, 1 cup butter, and 1/3 cup of cocoa powder. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, then remove from heat.
    1 cup water, 1 cup unsalted butter, 1/3 cup cocoa powder
  • In a medium bowl, add flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt, then stir. Add melted butter and cocoa mixture to dry ingredients and mix on medium speed until incorporated. Add eggs, 1/2 cup buttermilk, and vanilla, and beat for a minute.
    2 cups flour, 2 cups sugar, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup buttermilk, 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
  • Pour into prepared pan, and bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes, until cake tester comes out clean.
  • Make frosting near the end of the baking time. In a saucepan, combine remaining 3 tablespoons butter, 5 tablespoons cocoa powder, and 1/3 cup buttermilk and turn heat to medium. Bring mixture to a boil, then remove from heat.
    3 tablespoons butter, 5 tablespoons cocoa powder, 1/3 cup buttermilk
  • Add powdered sugar and the last 2 1/2 tablespoons vanilla and mix, starting on low, then beating on high until the mixture is smooth.
    3 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 2 1/2 tablespoons vanilla
  • Pour still warm frosting over brownies, and gently spread into an even layer. Let brownies cool at least 2 hours, then cut into pieces.

Notes

  • Store any leftovers in a tightly sealed container with parchment paper between layers on your counter for 2-3 days. These also freeze extremely well for 1-2 months (and are tasty straight from the freezer).
  • For more tips and tricks, be sure to read the full article above.

Nutrition

Serving: 1brownie | Calories: 136kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 98mg | Sugar: 17g

This site uses an online source to provide nutrition estimates as a courtesy. If you need exact values, please calculate yourself.

Classic Texas sheetcake brownies stacked five high with a jug of milk and text classic texas sheetcake brownies.

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4.69 from 16 votes (16 ratings without comment)

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  1. Robert (Bob) Shafer says:

    I have made this recipe twice for a youth group and both times it was highly acclaimed. I doubled it one time and it still came out delicious. I just needed a sheet cake pan with a higher edge, so the frosting doesn’t run over the edge. This is the BEST Brownie Recipe I personally have eaten and as someone who is over 80 years old, I have tried many many brownie recipes and while my Mom’s (God rest her soul) brownies were always asked for by family, friends and groups, I’m afraid she will have to come in behind Michelle’s great recipe here. Sorry, Mom.

    • Michelle says:

      Wow! Thank you for the kind words. This totally made my day. And yes – the sheet pan needs to have the nice high raised edge. This is probably my favorite brownie… but can you really go wrong with brownies ever?

  2. Sharon says:

    I’m trying to figure out a recipe for my Texas sheet cake which I normally make in a smaller jelly roll but I need it to make more so I need to use a 26×18 and can’t fine a recipe for that size.. can you help!
    Thanks Sharon

    • Michelle says:

      I have never made the Texas sheetcake brownies in anything other than a standard jellyroll pan. A standard jellyroll pan is 204 square inches, where the 26×18 is 468 square inches. That’s a little more than twice the size. You MAY be able to double the initial recipe and try baking that, but definitely watch it as a) it will be shallower by a bit (you’re short 12%) and b) the different pan size will cause it to cook differently. It’s worth a try to see how it goes though. Good luck!

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