Texas Sheet Cake

Steps

• Prep: Heat the oven to 190°C (375°F) and grease a half sheet pan (roughly 13x18 inches).
• Cake: Whisk the flour, sugar, and salt together in a large bowl.
• Cake: Bring the butter, cocoa, and water to a boil in a saucepan, then pour over the flour mixture and stir to combine.
• Cake: Whisk in the buttermilk, eggs, and baking soda.
• Bake: Spread evenly in the pan and bake until a skewer comes out clean.
  ⏱ Start 18 min timer

  Tip: This is much faster than a layer cake because it's spread so thin — start checking early, since it's easy to overbake if you time it like a standard cake.

• Icing: A few minutes before the cake is done, bring the icing butter, cocoa, and milk to a boil, then take off the heat and whisk in the icing sugar and vanilla until smooth.
  ⏱ Start 2 min timer
• Finish: Pour the warm icing evenly over the warm cake right in the pan and spread to the edges.

  Tip: Both need to be warm — a fluid icing spreads evenly, and pouring it onto a still-warm cake fuses the two together instead of leaving a separate layer that can crack when sliced.