This one from Pioneer Woman is really good!

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/the_best_chocol/

What is a "texas" sheet cake?

I don't have a recipe, I just wanted to say I think it is awesome that you are doing this for them.

http://www.texasmonthly.com/food/texas-sheet-cake-recipe/

Straight from Texans lol

My recipe that I've probably made 100+ times is the same as Raven linked, only for the "Bring to boil in saucepan 1 stick unsalted butter, 1/2 cup vegetable shortening"....mine calls for two sticks butter and no shortening. There is no cinnamon in my recipe either, other wise, all measurements and baking time same. Be sure to frost the cake warm, your frosting should ladle warm onto the warm cake and self level with very little help from you.

Darn not good I am craving some Texas sheet cake now lol. Yum. I have several bags of pecans in the freezer. Maybe I can talk my neighbor into making one if I give her some pecans. I can only have a little piece and my tiny rv oven would never work for that. She loves to bake and is very good at it. She will bring over a small piece of her home made yummies every once in a while. She doesn't want us to get in trouble with the doctor. I told her a little piece every once in a while is OK.

Ah, I see. What you call "texas" sheet cake, I call sheet cake....

Sheet cake, to me- a regular one- is baked in a sheet cake pan like this:

Right, jelly roll pan.

And here it's called Brownie Bar Cake - we're a ways from Texas ;-). It's been a family favorite since back in the early 70's, goes together quickly and travels easily.

I think the recipe came to us from an old Valparaiso College alum cookbook, a woman I worked for sent her daughter there to school, gave us all the cookbook. Same with Pauls Pumpkin Bars (also jelly roll pan), another mainstay dessert for a crowd and none of us have any idea who Paul is.... but keep making the bars and no one gets tired of them.

Yes it's in a jelly roll pan. I guess they are also called 1/2 sheet cake pan? We always used the jelly roll and definitely with pecan pieces. It's very gooeeyy and moist or should be. Poking the cake with a fork before pouring on the frosting makes it even better. They are extremely common at pick nicks and church events and activities. Big family gatherings. We had them in Louisiana too but they were still Texas sheet cake.

Maybe they're "Texas" because they're 'a big spread'!

I love them but it's too much for just the two of us, so haven't had one in years.

You know, I might just have to make one of these tomorrow. Having lots of relatives in on Sunday and think they would love this.

Oh yeah they will love it and want the recipe!

Seems to me it's any single layer sheet cake iced only on top and served from the pan. I think the "Texas" comes from using a larger sheet or jelly roll pan. Just like they sell giant glazed donuts referred as "Texas" donuts/ It the size, not so much flavor it gets it name from. By placing the batter in an larger shallower pan it made it go further, easy to transport and cut into servings.

I don't know watchme, this is a very moist, deeply chocolate cake. It is easy to transport, cut....even 1" servings every time you pass through the room work well, can vouch....

But the batter is very thin, more thin than any other cake I've made. Frosting too. I really don't know how it would bake in a normal depth cake pan, if the same richness at the edges as in the center could be achieved.

Well regardless of its name the posted recipe sounds delicious. Pecans and chocolate. What's not to like. I'm going to bake one next time I need to bring something to a potluck.

I'm from Texas, I only first heard of the Texas Sheet Cake when I was living in Florida...HAHA! I don't know where the name came from but it must be from the size "as big as Texas" because I don't think it's from Texas. It is the most delicious cake I've ever eaten. This lady from where I worked made these any time someone had a birthday, it's what everyone wanted. If you love chocolate, you will love this!

I think with Texas sheet cake it is definitely thinner (half sheet pan) and frosting is put on hot, so there's kind of a thicker layer of frosting with a slightly denser texture. Also pretty sure it's chocolate with chocolate frosting and nuts for traditional version. It is not the same as fluffy cake in 9x13 pan.

Here's an article on the possible history of Texas Sheet / Sheath Cake.

https://blogs.loc.gov/inside_adams/2013/04/the-great-sheet-cake-mystery/

Just made Peanut Butter sheet cake for my grandson birthday this morning.

My family has been making Texas sheet/sheath cake as long as I can remember. If you want to be really decadent, skip the cake and spread the icing into a shallow pan, then refrigerate it...makes a very sweet fudge-like candy.

I made the cake, but forgot to put in the cinnamon. It was good, but the icing is more like fudge, as someone mentioned, and a little too much for this thin cake.

I am no expert but belive part of the identifying characteristic of texas sheet cake is that the frosting goes on hot, onto hot cake. This creates 3 layers -- the bottom cake, the middle which is cake/frosting, and the top layer of frosting. Each layer is thin.

H B - not 3 layers anytime I've made it. The frosting goes onto a warm not hot cake, while the frosting is warm. I typically begin to make the frosting when the cake comes out of the oven, I don't have it ready while the cake is still baking. Frosting sits on top the cake in a distinct layer per my recipe. I've never put cinnamon in mine either, the addition of cinnamon to chocolate makes me think a Hispanic flair...which would probably be good but I'm not sure why necessary with this cake. The cake is cake-like with the many I've baked. Dense, but distinctly cake.

All cake is good cake!

Truthfully I'm more of a pie fan, but I do with this cake like I do with pumpkin pie. A little sliver at a time, all day long ;-)

I also did not add pecans because DGS is not fond of nuts in baked goods. So that is how I made it for my brother's 4th of July BBQ. Now I owe a Texas Sheet Cake to my sister. She cuts up cakes I bake for her and freezes them to enjoy later by the slice. She is going in for shoulder replacement surgery in two weeks, and I will bring one up with me next week so she can freeze it to enjoy while she recuperates. Such an easy and delicious cake!