Gingerbread Texas Sheet Cake Recipe (2024)

February 8, 2022 by Tanya Schroeder · 14 Comments · Last updated: March 23, 2022

Cake

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This Gingerbread Texas Sheet Cake Recipe is ready to feed a crowd!

This chocolate cake is tender and soft and with lots of festive gingerbread flavor!

This is the BEST gingerbread cake recipe because it makes so many servings in one sheet pan so it’s perfect for serving at parties! Not only that but it tastes incredible, and that’s what really matters, right? This gingerbread sheet cake is one that you won’t soon forget. Made to taste like a chocolate texas sheet cake and gingerbread in one, this cake is rich, flavorful, and perfect for any occasion.

Holiday Sheet Cakes

This gingerbread sheet cake recipe is nothing like the gingerbread cakes you’ve eaten before because it is so much better. This cake is a truly quick and easy crowd pleaser and is sure to make a few appearances throughout the winter months. Made from scratch with simple and basic ingredients this dessert is very easy to pull together and you may even find that you already have many of the ingredients needed to make it inside your home right now! So get baking and enjoy this flavorful cake soon because you’ll see exactly what you’ve been missing out on!

Ingredients

For the cake, you will need:

All-purpose flour
Granulated sugar
Baking soda
Salt
Cinnamon
Ginger
Nutmeg
Cloves
Butter
Unsweetened cocoa
Molasses
Water
Buttermilk
Vanilla extract
Eggs

For the frosting, you will need:

Butter
Milk
Powdered sugar
Vanilla extract
Toasted pecans

For the exact amounts needed, please see the recipe card below.

How to Make Gingerbread Texas Sheet Cake Recipe

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F and spray the inside of an 11×7 jelly roll pan with cooking spray. Set it aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.
In a medium saucepan combine the butter, 1/4 cup of water, cocoa, and molasses. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
Add the butter mixture to the flour mixture.
Add in the remaining water, buttermilk, vanilla, and eggs.
Beat the mixture until combined and smooth.
Pour the cake into the prepared pan and bake for 17-19 minutes or until the cake springs back when touched.
Remove the cake from the oven.
Prepare the frosting by combining the butter and milk in a medium saucepan. Allow the mix to come to a boil.
Whisk in the powdered sugar and then remove the pan from the stove.
Stir in the vanilla.
Immediately pour the frosting over the top of the warm cake.
Sprinkle the top with pecans.
Let set before slicing and serving.
Enjoy!

Recipe Tips

This recipe makes enough to feed a crowd. Of course, the cake slices are not very thick. If you wanted, you could use a 9 x13 inch cake pan instead of a jelly roll pan for denser cake slices. You will have to adjust your bake time accordingly.
There is not an overwhelming amount of molasses in this cake. Again, I had my memories to contend with; you could add a bit more if you wanted that deep molasses flavor to come out more.
Aside from the molasses the most important part of the Texas sheet cake recipe is the frosting. I made a vanilla cream cheese frosting that I spread on the warm cake.
While many Texas sheet cakes have pecans stirred into the frosting, I opted just to sprinkle pecans over the top.

FAQs

Does Texas sheet cake need to be refrigerated?

While you can keep the cake covered and stored in the fridge for up to a week, it is safe to leave it out on the counter for up to 3 days if kept well covered and in a place not filled with a lot of heat and humidity.

Why do they call it Texas Sheet Cake?

The name is a fun play on the term “everything is bigger in Texas.” Texas sheet cakes are known for being larger than your average cakes which makes them not only fun to make and serve but also a great way to serve a crowd.

Can I freeze Texas sheet cake?

Yes, you can freeze the cake. I recommend freezing the cake after it has been frosted and as a whole. Simply place the baking sheet of cooled and frosted cake in the freezer for about 2 hours until solid and then wrap it well in plastic wrap before placing it back into the freezer. Let remain frozen for up to a month before thawing in the fridge or on the counter and serving. Enjoy!

Here are some more great gingerbread recipes to enjoy soon!

Chocolate Gingerbread Cake
Gingerbread Latte Cupcakes
Butterscotch Gingerbread Cookies
Cheesecake Filled Gingerbread Muffins
Gingerbread Oatmeal Cream Pies

Yield: 16