This scotch chocolate sheet cake is SO GOOD. It's one I crave all year long. Seriously. Fluffy cinnamon chocolate cake with a creamy smooth frosting makes the BEST combination.
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What is a Chocolate Sheet Cake?
This cake is also sometimes known as Texas sheet cake, this chocolate sheet cake can sometimes differ in the spices and the frosting but usually it is made with buttermilk, creamy frosting and feeds a ton of people.
It's made with buttermilk and cinnamon, and the frosting is much lighter in consistency than traditional chocolate cake.
It truly delivers a delicious fluffy decadent presence. The perfect chocolate cake for parties, potlucks, summer afternoons, or anytime you need the perfect dessert.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Quick and easy! It mixes up easily and only needs about 30 minutes to cook!
- The best thing about this cake is you can frost it while its still warm which majorly cuts back on time in the kitchen.
- Scotch chocolate cake works great as a birthday cake or for any special occasion that calls for cake!
- The flavors! The buttermilk and cinnamon really add something special to this chocolate sheet cake.
Craving more ways to enjoy chocolate for dessert? Check out this Molten Chocolate Cake and these Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes.
Ingredients
All you need are a handful of simple ingredients to make buttermilk chocolate cake.
- Basic cake ingredients: You will need granulated sugar, all-purpose flour, salt, eggs and baking soda.
- Cinnamon: Adds the unique flavor to scotch cake.
- Butter: Adds rich flavor and moisture to the cake and creaminess to the chocolate frosting.
- Cocoa: Use a high-quality cocoa powder for the best flavor in the cake and frosting.
- Buttermilk: Activates the soda to leaven the cake but also gives a slight tangy flavor to the cake.
- Vanilla: Gives warming sweet flavors to the cake and frosting. Use real vanilla extract rather than imitation for the best flavor.
- Milk: Adds more moisture and creaminess to the frosting.
- Powdered sugar: Melts into the liquid ingredients for a perfectly creamy frosting.
How to Make Chocolate Buttermilk Sheet Cake
We're ready to get started mixing up the ingredients to make our cake! Here's the main steps, all the details are provided in the recipe card.
- Add your dry ingredients to a bowl and mix together.
- Add your butter, cocoa, water together in a small saucepan. Bring it to a boil.
- Combine the wet and dry ingredients together!
- Pour it into a sheet pan and bake!
PRO TIP: I love to line my sheet pans with parchment paper and spray the sides with non-stick spray. This helps so much when serving and makes cleanup a snap!
How to Make Texas Sheet Cake Frosting
- Make the frosting by melting and bringing your ingredients to a boil.
- RAPIDLY whisk your powder sugar into the chocolate.
- Pour the warm frosting over your cake.
- The warm icing and warm cake will cool together allowing the frosting to create a light shell.
PRO TIP: Want a clump-less frosting sift the powdered sugar first!
EQUIPMENT TIP: I'm completely obsessed with this enameled jelly roll pan! I've been testing it out on all sorts of recipes and it bakes awesome! As well as its beautiful AND cleans up like a dream. seriously, a wonderful dream.
How to Store
I don't think I have ever made this Texas sheet cake and come home with left overs. Which, while is a huge compliment to the cake itself.
If you happen to have some left or want to make it ahead of your event you totally can.
Store it in an airtight container or cover your sheet pan with plastic wrap securely and store at room temperature for 3-5 days. You can also store it in the fridge if it's quite warm in the kitchen.
When making ahead, I don't recommend making this cake more than one day in advance.
Expert Tips and FAQs
- Sift the ingredients for the frosting so it turns out nice and creamy.
- Whisk the powdered sugar into the frosting rapidly so it melts into the hot ingredients quickly and forms a smooth texture.
- Pour the frosting over the cake while it's still hot. That way it forms a nice crust as the cake cools.
- Use the right pan. Ideally you want to use a cookie sheet, jelly roll pan, or cake pan with at least 2 inch sides so your cake doesn't spill over in the oven.
A sheet cake pan differs slightly from a cookie sheet because it has higher sides, usually about 2 inches. A standard full sheet cake pan is 18 x 26 x 2 inches but to make this recipe you will be using a half sheet pan which is 18 x 13 x 2 inches.
It's all about the thickness of the cake and the pan used to cook it. A sheet cake is often less thick than regular cake. It is cooked in a large, relatively flat pan. The advantage is that it has a large surface that's great for elaborate decorations and it cooks more quickly than thicker cakes.
More Delicious Cake Recipes
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Scotch Chocolate Sheet Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup butter
- 4 Tablespoons cocoa
- 1 cup water
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Frosting
- ½ cup butter
- 4 Tablespoons cocoa
- ¼ cup milk
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
Cake
- Combine sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt and soda in large bowl and set aside. In saucepan bring butter, cocoa, and water to boil and pour over flour-sugar mix. Stir in eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla. Pour into large thin cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 20-30 min. Make sure you start checking it at 20 minutes.
Icing
- In sauce pan bring marg, cocoa, and milk to a boil and remove from heat. Add powdered sugar and beat until creamy. Add vanilla. Ice while hot.
patsy hutchins says
My favorite cake ever.
Carol says
The best cake ever
Valleycat1 says
Huh. I am from Texas and this is the recipe my family has used for the past 60+ years as Texas Sheet Cake, cinnamon, buttermilk, warm frosting, and all.
Pam Bryant says
I am a Southern Kansas gal and we call it Chocolate Sheet Cake but we had finely Chopped Pecans to the Icing. I have been making it for at least 45yrs. My Mom and Gma made it before the recipe was handed down to me.. So I guess people take recipe and add a whatever Name they want to it. Lol
fred says
I'm a 65 yo chap and my Mom always had a version of this Scotch Cake ready whenever I visited. But, to make it authentically older, just like with my personal fudge, one must bring confection sugar into the mix. Made this yesterday with my son bc his Mom and Grandma wanted it for Mother's day. Like my Mom, we also added 1/2 cup walnuts and 1/2 cup coconut. Whichever way you make it, it's chocolaty good.
Nancy says
My Mom made one just like that and we called it Oklahoma Chocolate Cake. (We lived in CA). LoL
Emily Kemp says
Mmm that icing looks so delicious!