Texas Turtle Sheet Cake is a fun twist on the already decadent Texas Sheet Cake. Chocolate and Caramel lovers unite with this indulgent cake!
This buttermilk cake is super moist and the sinfully good buttermilk icing is topped with chocolate morsels, a caramel drizzle and chopped pecans. There is a little coffee in this cake too which I absolutely love.
Doesn’t that look amazing?
Why is it called Texas Sheet Cake?
If you have ever been to Texas or anywhere in the south really, you’re probably familiar with the oh-so chocolatey sheet pan cake known as the Texas Sheet Cake. It is a buttermilk chocolate cake baked in a jelly roll pan that is topped with a rich buttermilk chocolate frosting. Some say the cake originated in Texas. Other say that it gets its name, because this extra-large chocolate cake is almost the size of Texas.
Texas Turtle Sheet Cake
Most cooks have a Texas Sheet Cake recipe in their repertoire. It’s a simple, delicious, no-fail, crowd pleasing dessert. I love Texas sheet cake, because it is the perfect combination of brownie and cake. The buttermilk in both the cake batter and the frosting puts this chocolate cake recipe over the top.
What does buttermilk do for a cake?
Buttermilk acts as a tenderizer making cakes moist. It is a little bit tangy which helps balance the sweetness of the cake, and there is plenty of sweetness in this cake to be balanced.
Ingredients
(There is a printable recipe card at the bottom of this page!)
cake:
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups self-rising flour
1 cup butter
1 cup strong black coffee
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
chocolate frosting:
1/4 cup butter
4 tablespoons buttermilk
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
turtle topping:
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup caramel sauce, to drizzle
How to Make Turtle Texas Sheet Cake
For this recipe, you can use either a 9×13-inch baking pan or a jelly roll pan. I prefer using the larger pan, but both options are just fine. You can save yourself some scrubbing if you line your pans with parchment paper instead of greasing and flouring.
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour the pan or use parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine self-rising flour and granulated sugar. Set aside.
2. In a saucepan, combine 1 cup butter, 1 cup coffee, and 1/3 cup cocoa. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Pour into the prepared dry ingredients. Using a hand-held mixer, mix on medium speed until wet and dry ingredients are thoroughly combined. Add eggs and the 1/2 cup of buttermilk. Mix on medium speed for another minute or so, until well combined.
Tip: If you don’t have buttermilk, no worries. Mix 1/2 cup milk with 2 tsp vinegar or lemon juice. Let it sit a few minutes, before you add it to the other ingredients.
3. Pour into baking pan, and bake for 25-30 minutes. When cake is done baking, a toothpick or fork inserted into the middle of the cake should come out clean.
4. Prepare the frosting. In a medium saucepan, combine 1/4 cup butter, 4 tablespoons buttermilk, and 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.
5. Remove from heat and use a wire whisk to gradually mix in powdered sugar, a 1/2 cup at a time.
6. Spread or pour the warm frosting over the cake. While the frosting is still warm, sprinkle with chopped pecans, and chocolate chips. Drizzle with caramel sauce.
If you don’t have prepared caramel sauce, try making your own slow cooker caramel sauce.
Looking for more delicious cake recipes? Here are my favorites!
- Flourless Chocolate Cake
- Cherry Chocolate Cake with Fudge Frosting
- Double Fudge Coca Cola Cake
- Banana Split Poke Cake
- Bailey’s Irish Cream Cake
- Fresh Strawberry Cake
- Banana Pudding Cake
Turtle Texas Sheet Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 cups self-rising flour
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup strong black coffee
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
chocolate frosting:
- 1/4 cup butter
- 4 tablespoons buttermilk
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
turtle topping:
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup caramel sauce to drizzle
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a jelly roll pan or line with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine self-rising flour and granulated sugar. Set aside.
- In a saucepan, combine 1 cup butter, 1 cup coffee, and 1/3 cup cocoa. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Pour into the prepared dry ingredients. Using a hand-held mixer, mix on medium speed until wet and dry ingredients are thoroughly combined. Add eggs and the 1/2 cup of buttermilk. Mix on medium speed for another minute or so, until well combined.
- Pour into baking pan, and bake for 25-30 minutes. When cake is done baking, a toothpick or fork inserted into the middle of the cake should come out clean.
- Prepare the frosting. In a medium saucepan, combine 1/4 cup butter, 4 tablespoons buttermilk, and 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.
- Remove from heat and use a wire whisk to gradually mix in powdered sugar, a 1/2 cup at a time.
- Spread or pour the warm frosting over the cake. While the frosting is still warm, sprinkle with chopped pecans, and chocolate chips. Drizzle with caramel sauce.
Nutrition
This recipe was first published in October of 2014 and has been updated with new images. However, the delicious recipe remains the same.
I wish I could jump through the computer and take a bite. That sounds heavenly!
Is that a cake or a brownie, heavens it looks so decadent! I linked up one of my recipes, thanks for the great linky for Chocolate Day!
I’d have to switch the pecans to peanuts and then I’d be all over those. I am a sucker for caramel.
Switching the pecans to peanuts is a great idea. I would love to try both.
Or you could make a peanut butter sauce in place of the carmel.
This sounds delicious! I know my son would have such a fun time making this in culinary school! I should show him this recipe!
Oh my yummy! I’ve never heard of Texas Turtle Sheet Cake, but you better believe I will be trying it! What a great idea!
I probably couldn’t even finish one bar, but I’d give it my best effort. It looks incredible!
This looks super decadent. I cannot wait to make this and share it with the family!
Oh…my…Wow! I am totally speechless. This looks absolutely incredible. Pecans and chocolate are my biggest weakness….irresistibly delicious! Love the pics too – beautiful! 🙂
I’ll take one extremely large helping, please. That’s ridiculously good.
Just when I thought Liz couldn’t be beat, I see this. Hmm. It’s a tough one to call.
OMG! I need this in my belly NOW! That looks amazing. Yum.
You girls are giving me run for my money! That looks awesome.
Everyone associated with this link up is pure evil. You all know darn well there’s no way I can eat ALL of this stuff!
That looks so good! I want to make one now. The kids would love this.
This looks so rich and decadent! I have to try this!
I love turtle flavored anything so this looks amazing for my family! I’d love a good chunk right now!
This looks so delicious i have to try making these. I love chocolate.
LOVE caramel! This looks amazing like it melts in your mouth!
Oh my….this looks so heavenly!! I have an obsession with chocolate. I think it should be one of the main food groups 🙂
This looks nice and rich and delicious. I know my mom would love it since turtles are one of her favorite candies.
oh my goodness talk about ooey gooey!!! oh I want to make this!
I am sorry but I do not like your blog at this moment. I literally packed up my pans today for our move in 10 days. Had I seen this earlier I would have kept one out – these would be perfect to enjoy and relieve the stress of packing. Now I have to bookmark and wait until I move to make them. They look amazing.
LOL I read the first sentence and started to get concerned. Then I read the rest and had a good chuckle. Now you have something delicious to look forward to!
I would absolutely love to take a bite right now. We’ll have to make this soon. 🙂
My mouth is totally watering. This sounds and looks amazing. thanks for sharing
OMG! Does this ever look heavenly! I need to make this!
This sheet cake looks amazing! I love anything turtle flavored!
OMG! This looks amazing! I’ve got to make this.
Oh my, how amazing! These look soo great.
Yum for National Chocolate Day! My favorite food!!! =) These recipes are great!
This looks delicious! I love sheet cake!
Oh wow, for the love of chocolate – this recipe is amazing! I need to try this soon, just cause I think I’d love it!
Oh my this looks amazing. I’m almost to the point of saying forget the proper eating plan and eat all I want.
That turtle sheet cake looks really yummy! Hope I can bake one, too.
Oh my! That look delicious!
OMG, this looks absolutely mouth-watering. So moist too.
I think every day should be “Chocolate” day! And the sad thing for me is… I’m not eating sweets (about 2 months now) until Thanksgiving. I will be eating me some chocolate then. 🙂
oh yum – that is the best combinations of flavors ever. One can never go wrong with a Texas Sheet Cake no matter the toppings 🙂
This looks so incredibly sweet and delicious! I wish I had a piece right about now.
Oh my, this looks so yummy! Did you save me any?
That Texas turtle cake looks so good. Texas cake is my favorite dessert from my childhood as it was always brought to potlucks at church.
I would Lucy to make this for my family road trip for Thanksgiving. I always want to make something new. However wen it calls for caramel sauce where do I get this?
I think there should be a Chocolate Day at least once a month!
This is totally drool worthy. I could only eat a small piece that is a LOT of chocolate LOL!
This looks ahhh mazing. I just said to my husband oh man I’m hungry!
Good Afternoon Laura and Angela, Oh no, I cannot believe I have missed National Chocolate Day, because as a fellow chocoholic, I would have loved to share my love of chocolate.
I was visiting Joy for Treasurebox Tuesday when I came across your photograph for a Texas Turtle Sheet Cake and I was fascinated to see what the cake was all about…. and guess what, I am certainly going to be making it…. afterall we chocolate lovers must stick together.
Have a lovely day today.
Best Wishes from England.
Daphne
Looks delicious! Pinning to the Monday Funday board!
Oh my yummy! Texas Sheet Cake is a favorite of mine…and adding a Turtle Version of is…genius…just genius! We would love for you to share with us at Party in Your PJs…I am sure all of our guest would love to see this super special cake!~
Oh…and thanks for the all chocolate link up…adding a few of my own to this wonderful list!
That Texas Turtle Sheet Cake looks delicious. Thank you for sharing the recipe!!! I like to learn a new dessert every year…and this year I will master the Texas Sheet Cake!!!
This looks incredibly delicious! I sure would love to taste the pecans in them (one of my favorites to eat)
Ooo this looks delicious. We don’t really have this sort of thing in English recipe books so it’s lovely to see the recipe online and I like how it is a sheet cake (traybake to us!) because I always find them so easy to make. Ps. Fund you via Foodie Fridays.
Oh my goodness! This should be illegal! This turtle-flavor lover is drooling all over the keyboard… 😉
We enjoy having a fun meal, dessert, and a movie on Friday nights. Without a doubt, THIS is what we will be inhaling for dessert tonight! Pinned and Tweeted.
Thank you for bringing this lovely bit of decadence to Wake Up Wednesday!
Oh my! I haven’t eaten dinner yet so not a good time to see these pictures…yum! Pinned! Going to find a reason to make this soon!
This sounds so good!! Thanks for linking up with SNF!
G’day YUM Thanks for coming and sharing at our #SayGdayParty Please make sure to revisit if you haven’t already and say G’day to the hosts and another person at the party Pinned all! Cheers! Joanne What’s On The List? Sharing is Caring!
I love this Texas Turtle Sheet Cake. It looks so yummy! I will have to make this for a dessert for Sunday dinner. I always love all the recipes that you share!
This looks so good and sounds easy to make.
Wow, does this look delicious! Pinned it twice 🙂
Your post was very popular on last week’s Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop and will be featured THIS week!
See you there 🙂
Thanks so much!!!
Oh my! This looks so good. Pinned. Lou Lou Girls
As soon as I saw the photo I pinned it. Before looking at the ingredients. This sounds delicious. My kind of dessert!
Yum!! This looks so delicious, I have got to try this. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
What a yummy treat to enjoy. This would be a chocolate lover dream.
My husband will LOVE this! OK … I’m not gonna lie – I will LOVE it even more! YUM!! Pinned and planned for an upcoming dessert!
Thank you for a great post!
This looks delicious! My family will eat it up. Thanks for the recipe!
OMG, This sounds and looks like the most delicious dessert I have ever heard of! I’m going to make it this Thanksgiving and knock everyone’s socks off. It will be a nice change from the same old pies and fudge. I can’t wait to try it.
This looks so good. I would like to have it a few times a year. Maybe special occasions.
I was looking for a recipe that was beyond anything anyone has fixed as far as desserts for this Christmas and I believe THIS IS THE ONE!! Thank you for sharing!! I cannot wait to give it a try!
I am eager to try this recipe.
I have gotten my ingredients to make cake.
I am dying to at least try a bite of this but being diabetic, I don’t dare. I wish someone out there could figure out how to make some of these decadent and tempting desserts safe for those of us who don’t dare try.
What can you use instead of coffee?
We don’t drink coffee at all.
Thanks
I just finished making this. The house smells lovely and it looks to die for! I am serving it with Sunday dinner to celebrate a goal I reached. I deserve every piece I’m going to have. 😉
do you think I could leave the coffee out, I hate coffee but it looks soooo good otherwise
I’m thinking that would be just fine. Please let us know how it turns out!
Is it made coffee (liquid form) or coffee grounds for the recipe?
Hi – I have the cake in the oven as I type this….seems to be taking longer than the 25 – 30 minutes.
But my question is this:
It says to spread the warm frosting over the cake…got that…but then it says…put the choc. chips, pecans and caramel over warm cake…now does that mean you put the frosting on the cake while it is warm? Just needing an answer quickly. Don’t want to mess this up!
Love your blog!
Karen
Oh yay! I hope you love this cake. Oven temps vary some, so just bake until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Yes, spread the warm frosting over the cake while it’s still warm. Then right away sprinkle all the goodies over the top. Please let us know how you like it.
Thank you so much
Got the cake out of the oven, made the frosting, topped it and it looks awesome!
Thanks for such a wonderful recipe.
I’m going to use the frosting recipe now instead of my other fudge recipe!
Blessings
Karen
Fantastic! I hope your family enjoys it. 🙂
Well, my husband and I are on a self induced diet LOL.
I made this for my rug hooking/punch needle gathering for tomorrow.
I do know it will be devoured – and I will be one of the gals who eats a piece. A gals needs a little fun while dieting.
Is there a way I can follow your website??? I really love what i see.
Come visit my two blogs when you get a chance.
mycolonialhome.blogspot and kmprimitives.blogspot
Blessings to you
Karen
I just made this using liquid coffee, the cake IS a little thin & I’m not sure 30 min will be long enough. I used cake flour & shifted the flour 1st. Waiting to see what happens. Thanks for the recipe. Any other little tips would help. How long do you boil coffee, butter & cocoa?
Looks yummy.
I don’t drink coffee–what can I substitute?
Also, I’m allergic to eggs; what can I substitute?
Thanks!
Oh my, I wouldn’t be able to stop eating this!! I wasn’t some now!!!
Oh my ! Yummy !
For the cocoa, do you use cocoa powder or baking chocolate?
Also, i don’t drink coffee so could I just leave that out or would i have to make some other adjustments to the liquids in the recipe?
Hi Stephanie, yes, that is cocoa powder. Since it’s a full cup of coffee, I wouldn’t recommend simply omitting it. I haven’t tried this but I would try a cup of water and maybe bump up the cocoa powder a bit to enhance the flavor you lose from the coffee. I hope that helps.
I don’t have self rising flour. What would I add with regular all purpose flour?
Self-rising flour is basically all-purpose flour with baking powder and salt added. To make your own, use the following ratios: combine 1 cup of all-purpose flour with 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
You gals need to make a cookbook – seriously! I love this cake idea with the black coffee and buttermilk, and of course, this turtle topping!!!
I was wondering how long ahead can you make the Texas Turtle Cake or could you freeze it?
Thanks.
Melodee
WOW! What a magnificent cake! Visually stunning and unbelievably taught tasty! Very tender (thanks to buttermilk) and exceptionally rich! Sent to a bake sale and sold immediately!
Is coffee already brewed or just dry
Hi Kevin, the recipe uses brewed coffee. Enjoy!
Wow It looks delicious. I love Turtle. However, the print friendly version takes 9 pages.
Could someone please tell me how to print this recipe? Thank you.
It looks mouthwatering, but I have a question. Do I wait for the boiled ingredients to cool down before mixing it in or do I proceed with it straight from the stove? Thanks.
Good question, but no need to wait. Enjoy!
I am not a coffee lover, so what can I substitute for it to keep liquid ingredients the same quantty??
Hi Marcia! Water, milk or a dark stout beer are things you can use instead of the coffee. Although, I personally have never tried the beer substitute.
I made this cake today
I want to say to anyone thinking of making this cake please do.
Second, use the recipe first as it is written.
You can always always redo/ adlib your way if you do not like the results.
Also the coffee is not a overwhelming flavor. It is a chocolate cake. Sooooooo.
I loved this recipe by the way super easy.
Thanks (mom)
Went thru all the comments and this is the first one that actually made the cake and gave results. WOW!