This white Texas sheet cake is a soft, fluffy vanilla cake baked in a sheet pan and topped with a warm, sweet almond frosting. It’s the perfect party-sized dessert!

A party-sized white Texas sheet cake topped with glossy almond frosting, sliced and ready to serve.

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Classic White Texas Sheet Cake

White Texas sheet cake has the same soft, moist crumb you love in the classic, but with a twist, it’s a vanilla white cake topped with sweet, buttery frosting. Some even say it’s better than traditional chocolate Texas sheet cake or strawberry sheet cake!

This recipe comes from my friend Kristyn’s (Lil Luna) new cookbook, which is filled with so many easy and yummy recipes! Other cake recipes that my family loves include this homemade vanilla cake and strawberry shortcake bars!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • Quick and easy. Just 20 minutes of prep and no special tools required. The warm frosting gets poured right over the cake, so there’s no waiting around to decorate.
  • Make 35 slices. This Texas vanilla sheet cake is ideal for office parties, large family gatherings, potlucks, retirement parties, and birthday parties.

Recipe Ingredients

Simple pantry ingredients for white Texas sheet cake including flour, sugar, eggs, sour cream, powdered sugar, butter, vanilla extract and almond extract.

Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.

  • Baking staples: This recipe starts with unsalted butter, water, all-purpose flour, sugar, a whisked large egg, baking soda, and salt.
  • Sour cream: The fat and acid from the sour cream do wonders in baking. It helps to make it light, fluffy, and extra moist.
  • Vanilla extract: This Texas white sheet cake is popular with almond extract as well.
  • For the frosting: Sliced unsalted butter, 2% milk, vanilla AND almond extract, sifted powdered sugar, salt.
  • Optional toppings: Walnuts, sliced almonds, sprinkles, or fresh berries.

How to Make White Texas Sheet Cake

Showing how to make white texas sheet cake in 4 collage photos.
  • Combine wet and dry ingredients separately. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients and set it aside. Then, bring butter and water to a light boil over medium heat. Remove it from the heat and let it sit for 2 minutes.
  • Mix to form a batter and bake it. Pour the melted butter and water into the flour mixture and stir to combine. Stir in the sour cream, eggs, and vanilla. Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan and bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 18-20 minutes.
  • Make the icing. Once the cake is done, make icing right away by melting butter and milk in a saucepan over medium heat until it comes to a light simmer. Then, remove it from the heat and whisk in the vanilla and almond extract and a pinch of salt. Slowly stir in powdered sugar.
  • Slather on the cake and serve. Beat icing with a handheld mixer until smooth and lump-free. The consistency should be thin enough to pour but not too thin that it’s a glaze. Pour over the warm cake and use a spatula to spread it evenly. Add any toppings if desired and cool before slicing into squares.
A top down view of vanilla Texas sheet cake sliced and ready to serve.

White Sheet Cake Tips

  • Flavoring. If you’re a fan of almond torte, you can use almond extract in this white sheet cake instead of vanilla, it’s actually more traditional, too!
  • Ice the cake while it’s warm. Using warm icing on a warm cake makes it easy for the icing to spread across the surface evenly and melts into the cake. The layer of frosting isn’t thick, because the cake itself is quite thin.
  • Make ahead. Save some time on the day of your party and make it 24 hours in advance. Cover it and keep it at room temperature or in the fridge until you’re ready to serve it.
  • Freezer-friendly. Whether you’re freezing leftovers, or freezing the entire cake to serve later on, this cake freezes beautifully.
A moist, fluffy sliced of white sheet cake topped with a smooth, crackly almond glaze and garnished with strawberries.

Love vanilla desserts more than chocolate? Try these blondies, white chocolate macadamia nut cookies and homemade vanilla cake.

More Easy Cake Recipes

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Sliced white Texas sheet cake.

White Texas Sheet Cake

5 from 7 votes
Recipe by: Jamielyn Nye
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 35 squares
This white Texas sheet cake is a soft, fluffy vanilla cake baked in a sheet pan and topped with a warm, sweet almond frosting. It’s the perfect party-sized dessert!
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Ingredients 

Cake:

  • 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter , sliced
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 cups (260 g) all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt or table salt
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • 2 large eggs , whisked
  • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract , or almond extract

Icing:

  • ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter , sliced
  • ⅓ cup milk , I used 2 %
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon almond extract
  • 3 1/2-4 cups (390 g) powdered sugar , sifted
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt

Optional toppings: Walnuts, sliced almonds, sprinkles or fresh berries

Instructions

White cake

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a half sheet pan (13×18 inches) and set aside.
  • In a large bowl combine 2 cups flour, 2 cups sugar, 1 teaspoon baking soda and 1 teaspoon salt. Set aside.
  • Heat 1 cup butter and 1 cup water in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a light boil and then remove from heat and let sit 2 minutes (can use same pot for frosting). Then pour into the flour mixture. Stir until combined.
  • Stir in 1/2 cup sour cream, 2 eggs and 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Pour mixture into prepared pan.
  • Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes clean.

Icing

  • Start making the icing as soon as the cake comes out. Melt 1/2 cup butter and 1/3 cup milk in saucepan over medium heat. Once the mixture has melted and comes to a light simmer, remove from heat and whisk in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon almond extract and a pinch of salt. Then slowly stir in 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar. Beat with a handheld mixer to remove any lumps. It should be smooth and pourable.
  • Evenly pour the warm icing over the warm cake. Immediately spread out evenly with a rubber spatula. Add any toppings if desired (nuts and sprinkles need to be added right after frosting goes on).
  • Allow to cool and then cut into squares.

Last step: Please leave a comment and rating after you make the recipe.

Notes

Make ahead: Make cake 24 hours ahead. Cover with foil and store at room temperature or in the fridge. 
Storage: Store leftovers in a covered container for up to 3 days. Freeze for up to 3 months. 
Nut lovers: Chop 1/2 cups walnuts or pecans and mix into the frosting. 
Recipe slightly adapted from my friend Kristyn’s Lil Luna Cookbook in my Cookbook Fanatics Series

Nutrition

Serving: 1g, Calories: 278kcal, Carbohydrates: 48g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 0.3g, Cholesterol: 33mg, Sodium: 114mg, Potassium: 29mg, Fiber: 0.4g, Sugar: 37g, Vitamin A: 291IU, Vitamin C: 0.03mg, Calcium: 13mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.

Substitutions and Variations

  • Swap the sour cream for plain yogurt if preferred. They both do the trick.
  • If you’re celebrating a birthday, add some of your favorite sprinkles on top.
  • This sheet cake is large enough to pipe a nice message! Although, if you need something smaller check out this recipe for texas sheet cake cookies.
  • Chopped walnuts or pecans are a great topping as well. You could even mix 1/2 cup right into the frosting. If you want to take this further, I recommend toasting your nuts first.
  • In the summer I like to add strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, or blueberries on top.

Recipe FAQs

Why is it called Texas sheet cake?

To be honest, I’m not so sure anyone knows! There is a theory that because it’s so big, people say it’s the size of Texas. While others say the recipe first appeared in a Texas newspaper.

Can I make this in a 9×13 inch pan?

Yes, that would be a quarter sheet pan instead of a half sheet pan. Just half the ingredients for a smaller batch version.

How long can I keep leftover slices?

Keep them covered in an airtight container for up to 3 days. You can also freeze leftover white Texas sheet cake for up to 3 months.