This delicious White Texas Sheet Cake recipe has a hint of almond flavoring and is light, moist, and delicious with fresh fruit. This amazing cake is one of my all-time favorites!

If you love easy dessert recipes, you’ll love my Original Gooey Butter Cake, Funfetti Cupcakes and easy Ice Cream Sandwiches.

A slice of easy White Texas Sheet Cake being lifted from the pan, topped with a raspberry and sliced strawberries.

My Mother in Law’s Chocolate Texas Sheet Cake is everyone in the family’s favorite! A few years ago my Aunt prompted me to adapt that recipe into a white sheet cake, and since then, this has become our new favorite!

Why I love this cake:

  • Easy – Sheet pan cakes are so quick to whip together, and this one bakes in just 20 minutes!
  • Light and Fresh – I love topping this cake with fresh berries (we often use strawberries, raspberries and blueberries for a patriotic look!) It’s the perfect sweet treat that wont leaving you feeling like you overindulged.
  • Feeds a Crowd – it’s the cake to bring to a BBQ, potluck or party because it feeds a group and is easy to transport. You can even make it a day or two ahead of time.

How to make White Sheet Cake:

Mix Wet and Dry Ingredients Separately: Start by mixing the dry ingredients together; flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, mix the sour cream, eggs and vanilla extract.

Sour cream, eggs, and vanilla in a white mixing bowl.

Combine Batter: Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix to combine.

Wet ingredients being incorporated in the dry ingredients to make the batter for the best white sheet cake recipe.

Boil Butter and Water: In a small saucepan, melt the butter and water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, remove from heat and stir into the batter.

Two images with boiling water with butter added into a bowl with white cake batter, and then the batter mixed to a smooth consistency.

Bake: Pour the batter into a greased bakers half sheet, or jelly roll pan and bake for 17-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

White Texas Sheet Cake batter in a greased jelly roll pan, ready to bake.

Prepare Frosting: For the frosting, add milk and butter to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in powdered sugar and almond extract. Mix with hand-held mixer to get rid of any lumps. Pour warm icing over warm cake. Use a spatula to gently spread it.

White frosting spread on top of a warm White Texas Sheet Cake.

Serve: Allow to cool completely, then top with berries if desired. A trick I’ve learned for cutting this cake is to use a plastic knife! It will glide more smoothly through the frosting.

A fork taking a bite from a square of easy White Sheet Cake with white frosting and sliced strawberries and a raspberry on top

Recipe Variations:

  • Greek Yogurt – I often substitute greek yogurt for the sour cream and always have great results!
  • Fruit – Use your favorite fruit on top, or whatever is in season! I love swapping them out for blueberries and raspberries for 4th of July, or fresh peaches.
  • Chocolate Texas Sheet Cake – here’s my favorite recipe!

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Recipe

A square of the best White Sheet Cake being lifted from a pan, with a raspberry and sliced strawberries on top.
Prep 15 minutes
Cook 20 minutes
Total 35 minutes
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Ingredients
 
 

For the Frosting:

  • 6 Tablespoons milk
  • 1/2 cup salted butter
  • 3 3/4 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • Berries, for topping, if desired

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a bakers half sheet jelly roll pan (13×18'').
  • Mix together the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. In another small bowl mix together the sour cream, eggs and almond extract. Add sour cream/egg mixture to the flour mixture and mix just until combined. 
  • Add water and butter to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring mixture to a boil. Once the mixture is boiling, remove from heat and add to the batter, mixing to combine.
  • Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth with a spatula into an even layer. 
  • Bake in preheated oven for 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. When the cake is about 5 minutes away from being done cooking, prepare the frosting.

For the Frosting:

  • Add milk and butter to a saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil. Once boiling, remove from heat and stir in powdered sugar and almond extract. I like to beat the mixture with my hand-held mixer to get rid of any lumps.
  • Pour warm icing over warm cake. Use a spatula to gently spread it evenly over the cake. 
  • Allow cake to cool completely, then top with fresh berries, if desired.

Notes

Make Ahead Instructions: This cake tastes great made a day in advance. Cover well and store at room temperature or in the fridge. Add the fresh fruit just before serving. 
Freezing Instructions: Cover the cake well with aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months (without fruit on top). Thaw completely before serving. 

Nutrition

Calories: 346kcalCarbohydrates: 52gProtein: 3gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 56mgSodium: 205mgPotassium: 40mgFiber: 0.3gSugar: 42gVitamin A: 460IUCalcium: 21mgIron: 1mg

Did You Make This Recipe?

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I originally shared this recipe May 2015. Updated January 2018 and again in May 2023 with a name change from Almond Sheet Cake, to White Texas Sheet Cake.

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Lauren Allen

Welcome! I’m Lauren, a mom of four and lover of good food. Here you’ll find easy recipes and weeknight meal ideas made with real ingredients, with step-by-step photos and videos.

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Every time I make this everyone asks about it and loves it. I made two sheets this morning for a big group and topped it with raspberries. So delicious and so easy!

  2. 5 stars
    Absolutely divine! I made this for Mother’s Day and everyone loved it. I love almond extract and it reminded me of sugar cookies. I made a blueberry lemon sauce to go on top. So yummy! I baked it in a 9×13 pan just fine. Thanks Lauren

  3. 5 stars
    I made this for my daughter’s graduation party and it was the first thing gone. I ended up sharing the link with several people who were asking for the recipe because it was that good! It’s easy to make and perfect for large crowds.

  4. This cake is delicious! We can’t stop eating it lol Definitely keeping this recipe in rotation

  5. 5 stars
    Amazing flavor! I made this for my daughter’s graduation party a couple years ago. People were asking me for the recipe.
    My father’s 98th birthday is coming up and I’m pulling this recipe out for his party, too! So good <3

  6. This recipe looks awesome. Just thinking, what if I subbed in some almond flour that I have left over from Christmas baking…..I realize I’d have to adjust the liquid, but still.. I’ll let know what happens! BTW love the cookbook!!

  7. 5 stars
    My granddaughter made this cake for my husband’s birthday party and it was a huge success! I am bringing it to our women’s church group’s summer social.

  8. 2 stars
    Wonderful flavor! Chose this cake as we are huge fans of the almond flavor. The cake, however, was not quite what we expected. Followed the recipe exactly. Cake turned out nice and fluffy. After applying the warm frosting (more of a glaze and would be excellent on cookies), the cake deflated a bit and was pretty dense. Was kinda sad as we were so looking forward to it.

  9. This recipe sounds so good. In wondering though… do you think it could be made as a thicker cake in a regular cake pan?

    1. Yes, that should be fine! bake in a 9×13” and add some time (at least 5-10 minutes) to the bake time.

  10. How long can this cake be frozen in advance? Has only tried making a half sheet pan (doubling recipe) to create layered cakes?

  11. Just stumble on to you , several recipes attracted my attention to try, here in MX City – 1 I liked was Almond Sheet Cake. Is it possible to use Amaretto in place of Almond favoring? Also to cut some calories & grease, if I cut your powdered sugar in half, use more of your Greek yogurt in place of milk & I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter, still come out with a decent & a tasty desert? Jon W

  12. 4 stars
    I was needing something to fix in a hurry for a church dinner. I found four Almond Sheet Cake recipes and chose this one.
    Everyone that tried it seemed to like it. I thought the icing could have been a little thicker. The cake showed through from underneath. Wasn’t very attractive but sure tasted good.

  13. 5 stars
    My husband told me to please don’t ever make this cake again-because I can’t stop eating it and I don’t even like cake! It’s true he is not a cake fan at all, but he loves almond flavoring and this cake! My co-workers raves about this cake too!

  14. I just made this for Easter dinner, it may be all gone before then. Followed directions exactly and it is perfect, wonderful flavor and very pretty. Will definitely make this again.

  15. 5 stars
    This cake was out of this world delicious. Very simple to make and moist. I can see why you are asked for this recipe. Even after three days of the cake sitting covered on the counter it was just as fresh and delicious. Good for feeding a crowd or in my case three teenage boys!

  16. Any thoughts about replacing this with 1:1 Gluten Free flour? Has anyone tried that? I love this cake but have recently become gluten intolerant so was curious if it would work!

    1. Try Kamut flour. My friend who is allergic to wheat can tolerate that. Many suffering from celiac have used it successfully. It has some gluten but worth a try because it tastes so good!

  17. 5 stars
    This was a hit with my family. Easy to make. And it is delicious. My sheet cake pan has a lid and I store the cake in my he Fridge. Thanks for the recipe.

    1. Made this tonight after looking and drooling at it forever. I don’t know what I did wrong!!!! I am just crying it was so bad. My cake was moist but not in a good way. It sort of felt like mushy cornbread. The frosting was just gross! I checked and I used unsalted butter. Would that have made it turn out like this? Should I have let it sit longer before cutting? Your recipes are so good I know it was me. Sorry.

  18. 5 stars
    This is my family’s favorite cake! We love it! The cake is super moist and has an amazing melt-in-your-mouth flavor! Very easy to make! Highly recommend! ❤️

  19. 5 stars
    I made this and it is amazing!!! Super moist. This is my new go-to cake. And did I mention it’s super quick and easy, because it is. Thanks for posting!

  20. 5 stars
    I’ve made this a couple of times. This year for Christmas, someone actually asked me to make one for her Christmas present. I think she liked it. 🙂

    1. I’m sorry, that wont work well. Is there a dairy-free substitute for sour cream that has a similar thick consistency?

  21. 5 stars
    Wow. I was soooooo impressed by this. First time I’ve made a sheet cake, I followed the recipe to a T, and it turned out to be my new favorite cake!! Its moist, creamy pleasing on the pallet.. I usually have one slice of cake for dessert because most of the time it’s just too sweet for me, however this was not the case.. I had two peices!!!! It was a big hit on my home! Thank you for creating this little slice of heaven:):)

    1. Hi Katie, I haven’t tested this recipe in a bundt pan, but I think you will need more volume of batter than the recipe makes, in order to fill the bundt pan. It would take around 50 minutes to one hour to bake.

  22. 5 stars
    Excellent cake. Very moist and delicious. Only change I made was I used teaspoons vanilla bean paste and 1/2 teaspoon almond flavoring.

    1. I was wondering, is it possible to use a roun pan , is this enough batter for 2-9inch round pans or do i have to double the recipe

      1. You could use round pans, but the layers would be thinner since the volume of the batter is a little less than you’d normally fill them with.

  23. 5 stars
    i found taking out the egg yolks made a much lighter cake, almond is a very light decadent flavor and being lighter suits it very well 🙂

  24. This was a big hit at our luncheon. I actually doubled it and made in a half sheet pan to make a thicker cake. Everyone loved it and I have received requests to make again..I garnished with raspberries, blueberries and almond slices..looked fantastic! Making it again tonight!

  25. 5 stars
    This is definitely a winner. I used plain Greek yogurt and it was a perfect cake, other than my oven or racks are not level, so the cake wasn’t either. It seemed even more moist and delicious after it sat a couple of days.

  26. 5 stars
    I am not sure I have ever had so many compliments on a bar! All of the ladies at church wanted the recipe! Amazingly delicious and wonderful texture!

  27. 5 stars
    Let’s say you might have used baking powder instead of baking soda…..
    ….and let’s say the results were kinda of dense and not at all light and cake-like.
    Hmmmm. You could ask yourself if this is how the recipe is supposed to be, because
    they taste delicious, or you could look at the recipe again and realize you made a mistake.
    Now, the good part ….I get to make them again (using baking soda of course), and taste the difference!
    I alwasys wondered what the difference is between bp and bs. NOW I KNOW!!!

  28. 5 stars
    Made this cake for a family get together and was BLOWN AWAY. Family is Dutch, and this tastes like banket (Dutch pastry) – but with about 1/10th the effort required of banket. I was worried about it creating a too-thin cake in my Wilton half-sheet, but that was unfounded. The cake came out thick and tender, and served more than the large family could eat! The recipe was requested several times that afternoon.

    I tend to make pretty extravagant cakes several times a year, but this one is going into my standard “every day” cake rotation. Thank you Lauren!

  29. 5 stars
    This is now my most favorite cake EVER!
    Question: can I store in covered on counter? I don’t really like the coldness of the cake in fridge.

    1. You could try it. This is not a very dense cake so I don’t think it will bake well in a pan that it is not served in. You will also need to adjust the baking time.

  30. If I made this a day in advance, what would be the best way to store it? In the fridge? Should I wait to put the frosting on the day of serving? Also would it work in a normal 13 x 18 sheet pan? Thanks!

    1. Hi Ellen, Yes a 13×18” pan will work perfectly! (I just updated that in the directions.)
      I would make the cake completely (with the frosting), allow it to cool completely and store it, covered, in the fridge. This cake keeps really well–it will be fantastic the next day 🙂 Good luck–I really hope you enjoy it, and I’d love to hear how it turns out!

  31. Hi there! Our family had this last week at my daughter’s and it was AMAZING!! Everyone loved it!! Tried to make it myself today and it didn’t turn out the same. It seemed kind of flat and just not quite right. I just noticed on the write-up that it says “baking powder”, but on the recipe it calls for “baking soda”. I used baking soda, so maybe that was why it was different? I couldn’t reach my daughter to see if she had used baking powder. Just wanted to check in to see if that is what I did wrong? Can’t wait to dial this in! Thanks so much!! (Beautiful photos!!)

    1. Hi Gardiner,
      Thanks for your comment. It is baking soda that you should use! I’m not sure excatly what went wrong. Is it possible that you baking soda wasn’t fresh? I’m so sorry it didn’t turn out the second time! I hope you get the chance to try again!

  32. 5 stars
    I noticed it said you updated the recipe in Jan. Did you change anything major? I’ve made this in the past, but when I just made it, the batter seemed more watery than I remembered it and even when it came out of the óven, it didn’t seem right. I don’t think I left anything out. Any ideas what I did wrong?

    1. Hi Erin, I did not change or edit the recipe at all–just added new photos process photos. The cake batter is going to be really runny when you pour it into the pan. When it’s finished baking it’s soft and really light/tender–not dense at all.

  33. Hello Lauren, My daughter is bringing this to a birthday celebration and i just need to confirm that this cake is LIGHT and not DENSE as I have made pastry cream as the topper with fresh strawberries in simple syrup/drained. It has to be 11×17. Please advise if another of your recipes might be more suitable.

    1. Hi there, this cake is NOT dense! I think the pastry cream sounds like a great pairing 🙂 I’d love to hear how it turns out!

      1. thank you so very much for the immediate reply to my ?. i waited in hopes to get this reply and now, at 7:30 a.m. i will make this cake for tonight’s party.

  34. 5 stars
    Tried this Almond Sheet Cake recipe and brought it to work. Coworkers have given me many compliments…yum yum yummy!

  35. 4 stars
    I love the way this recipe sounds. I would want to make it for a very large gathering. Is there a way to double this or should I make 2?

  36. You mentioned cutting with a butter knife… try a plastic butter knife. A coworker gave me that tip for brownies and it’s genius. No crumb buildup on the knife and always a clean edge.

  37. Hi, this looks amazing and perfect for an upcoming celebration. Could I make it the day before and then serve it at a party?

    I’m also wondering what if I made two sheet cakes and threw a thin layer of raspberry jelly in between them, what that would taste like.
    Thanks!

    1. Hi Amanda, this can definitely be made a day in advance. I have never tried using raspberry jelly with the cake. I would love to know how it turned out!

  38. 5 stars
    This looks delicious never tried before sheet cake and the berries are looking so cute on top would love to try this,Thanks for sharing

  39. 5 stars
    Amazing! My daughter and I made this tonight and she was so happy! This is easy, delightful and yummy!

  40. I’ve made this three times for work potlucks. Everyone raves about it! It’s super moist and the almond is a sweet, but not too sweet taste.

  41. I made this sheet cake this past weekend…it was simple and soooooo delicious. I followed the recipe exactly and the results were so tasty. My husband and daughter loved it too. Thanks for sharing this.

    1. Hi Belinda, I have never tried it in that size of pan. You would have to bake it for quite a bit longer. But I think it should work ok. Good luck, I hope you enjoy it!

  42. How much almond extract is supposed to go in the cake and how much is supposed to go in the frosting. The almond extract isn’t listed in the frosting ingredients. Thanks

    1. I haven’t tried it but it should work. You will probably need to adjust the baking time. I’d love to hear how they turn out!

    1. Thanks Tianna! You could really put any kind of fruit but I think the berries are especially cute 🙂

  43. This looks so delicious! I’m pretty sure I have everything I’d need to make this in my pantry right now. I love sheet cake!

    1. That’s one of my favorite things about this cake–you usually have everything you need! Hope you like it 🙂

  44. Wow you’re right, looks seriously delicious. We’re not really big cake people in our house but my neighbor makes lots of cakes for other people so I’m sure she’d love this 🙂