I don’t know why this cake is called Texas sheet cake, haha, but I know it’s super easy to make and moist. I searched and searched through many recipes for Texas Sheet Cake and this one is by far my favorite one.
Most recipes are very similar in nature in the end since the foundation for this cake is really a one simple recipe that anyone can make quickly from home.
I have had Texas Sheet Cake for the first time in Europe when a family from Texas…,just kidding. An amazing family from Idaho actually made it for our family when we visited them at their home. They were missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ serving in the Canary Islands at the time. I did live in an island during that time of my life and we met this amazing family at Church.
Here is what is great about this cake. I like that it’s a very large and wide cake that can be baked on a metal baking sheet. This allows the batter to be spread out more and makes a super wide cake. But the recipe stays moist because of a few ingredients that make it amazing.
I also like that this chocolate cake is a great recipe to make for big crowds. In fact one batch can serve 40 people. Knowing our family it will probably feed more like 20 of us. But still, it feeds a large group. It’s a great cake to take to a party and it’s great that it can be made in 30-40 minutes tops. It’s something that I love allow me to not have to prep hours ahead when I am in charged of dessert when visiting friends and family.
Now the original recipe is full of butter. It’s delicious but just not healthy enough for our household. So after some digging, and a few tweaks from myself, we have come up with our own light version of this super delicious and rich chocolate cake.
For this version greek yogurt and applesauce are the secret ingredients. Perfect to make most cakes really moist. There is still some butter but half of what most recipes call for.
Why do we omit butter at our household? Because it has a high amount of calories for a tiny serving. So it’s a calorie dense meal. Also because it contains higher levels of the bad fat that clogs our veins and is the cause of heart attacks in humans. That is saturated fat and cholesterol.
High levels of cholesterol in our bodies are dangerous. If you look at the butter labels, or most dairy and meat for the matter, you will find that the cholesterol levels are the highest compared to plant based ingredients. Plant based foods in fact usually have ZERO cholesterol, but actually aid in reducing it and help our body to detox instead.
When it comes to substituting oil in cakes with applesauce I have to say that I can always tell the difference. But I have found that as long as I get to eat a dessert I am super happy. I am not the judge of forks over knives here, I just want some dessert some days. I don’t like feeling guilty after I eat a very unhealthy meal. Substitutions at least remind me that my delicious dessert has some added benefits and nutrition rather than just a rich satisfying bite of lard smothered in sugar! JK. But for some desserts that’s close enough.
Now, my recipe calls for both whole wheat and white flour. If you are not used to using whole wheat in your recipes, you will be able to taste the whole wheat flour. I noticed that after a while you get used to it.
After all it’s still a yummy dessert. But if that is just a no go for you, fell free to use white flour instead of whole wheat for both cups. I’d say to give it a try. My first three bites were odd because I was comparing the flavor to the regular cake. But maybe you have never had the over version. And maybe you just won’t notice.
I’d say its worth giving it a try since adding whole wheat flour also adds some fiber to your meal. Fiber is essential for the majority of the population and it’s something we often lack so much of nowadays. You can overdo it and eat too much of it, but if you are not a quinoa or whole grain bread lover, most likely you don’t fall in that category.
Light Texas Sheet Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup of whole wheat flour1 cup of all purpose flour
1/3 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup of raw sugar
2/4 of monkfruit sweetener (or any sweetener of your choice)
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 cup of butter softened ( to soften butter place in the microwave for 10 seconds)
2 eggs
3/4 cup of greek yogurt
1/2 cup of applesauce
1 cup of water
For the Chocolate Frosting:
1/2 cup of butter
1/3 cup of unsweeeted cocoa powder
6 Tablespoons of milk ( I used almond milk for ours
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
2 cups of powdered sugar
Instructions
- Begin by heating up the oven at 350. Spray a metal sheet pan with a non stick spray and set aside.In a bowl begin by adding all the dry ingredients. Mix with a fork. Make a small well in the center of the powder mixture like a little volcano crater.
Follow by adding all the wet ingredients in the order written above. Slowly begin mixing with an electrical mixer or my hand. You are to slowly incorporate all the flower and wet ingredients to make sure that the butter doesn’t turn clumpy. Make sure to mix very well. Have fun with it at the ned. Until you have a very smooth butter. Remember though, you are not whipping just mixing really well when it comes to cakes.
Pour the butter on the metal pan. Spread gently with a spatula until it’s evenly distributed.
Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes or until you insert a fork in the center and it comes out clean.
While your cake is baking prepare the chocolate frosting by adding the ingredients in a bowl in the same order written above. Blend really well to allow no lumps to form. Taste for sweetness. Place in the refrigerator to allow to cool. Spread over the cake once it has chilled and it’s at least Luke warm to avoid melting and separating.
Enjoy this dessert chilled. Cover and refrigerate any leftovers and enjoy within 2-3 days.
Notes
You can substitute the whole wheat flour for white flour instead if you don’t like the taste of it in your foods. But I’d recommend it for the added fiber benefits. Plus after a few bites you may get completely used to it and actually like it.
Instead of the monk fruit sweetener, another great options is stevia. When using stevia read the label in the back to know how much stevia is the equivalent of a cup of sugar. Stevia is a very concentrated sweetener. Often times the ratios needed can even be 1 tablespoon per cup or regular sugar.
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