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If one-bowl, no-mixer sheet pan cakes aren't in your baking repertoire you're missing out on one of the best-kept, most delicious everyday/entertaining secrets!
I have to say, sheet pan cakes are probably one of my favorite things to make. Why? To be honest, I'm a little lazy (and getting more so every day). And sheet pan cakes are not only one of the easiest things to make, but I've also never made one that neighbors, co-workers, family, friends ... even foes haven't raved about. That, to me, is a BIG bang for the buck - translated that means lots of delicious enjoyment with minimal effort. Certainly a win-win!
A memorable day
I'll never forget the first time I ever tasted a sheet pan cake. It was over 40 years ago and I was working on the surgical floor at a nearby (at the time) hospital. One of my co-workers, who was a bit older and had a reputation for being an amazing cook, brought a large, flat, foil-covered pan into work one day. She left the pan in the nurse's lounge and told us to enjoy the "Texas Sheet Cake" whenever we had time to take a break.
The first bite of that long-ago cake had me smitten for life! The cake itself was super moist, tender and loaded with great chocolate flavor and the creamy, silky-smooth frosting was a fabulous crowning glory for the delicious cake. I begged that clever co-worker for the recipe and the rest is sheet pan cake history.
Easy-peasy!
When I checked out the recipe, I could hardly believe how super, super easy it was. Just melt some butter, add the remaining ingredients and pour it into a pan. No mixers, no fancy steps, no time-consuming directions. Texas sheet cake became one of our all-time favorite recipes and that little recipe card turned yellow and became frayed and stained from much use and love.
A rose by any other name...
As the years went on, I adapted that original recipe in myriad ways. I sprinkled toffee bits or salted, roasted pecans, walnuts or sliced almonds on the top. I added a splash of mint to the icing, swirled a little raspberry jam into the cake batter before baking and lots of other fun variations.
At one point, I discovered you could bake this same fabulous chocolate cake in other types of pans and then pour the icing over the top. It transformed the simple cake into a gourmet-looking dessert (think of a French petit four) so I gave it a gourmet-sounding name and called it my "Chocolate Obsession Cake".
And when I started the journey of this little blog back in 2011 called The Café Sucre Farine (that I was sure only my sisters and a few close friends would ever look at) I featured the Chocolate Obsession Cake as one of the early entries. It's been super popular ever since!
The original Texas Sheet Cake recipe, all dressed up! The moistest, most delicious cake you'll ever have the pleasure of meeting. Also, the easiest, which might be the best part! Chocolate Obsession Cake.
An old friend dressed in new clothes
I've branched out a lot in recent years with new flavor profiles for these easy, no-fail sheet pan cakes and have discovered that there are SO many delicious directions you can go with the same basic recipe. Thought I'd share all our favorites in one post so you could have them at your fingertips. So here you go:
This delicious, one-bowl, no-mixer Peanut Butter Texas Sheet Cake is one of our favorite desserts EVER! It's also one of the quickest and easiest cakes you'll ever make!
Besides being ridiculously easy (one-bowl, no mixer), this Funfetti Sheet Cake is also moist, tender, ridiculously delicious and so FUN with a magical kaleidoscope of multi-hued polka dots!
If you're looking for a super easy cake that's tender, moist, comes together quickly, feeds a crowd and is incredibly delicious, this Lemon Poppy Seed Sheet Cake is IT!
With just one bowl and no mixer, this super delicious, Ridiculously Easy Applesauce Cake comes together in minutes. Make the vanilla bean icing while the cake bakes (and creates amazing aromas) and wait for everyone to come running!
With just one bowl and a whisk, you can put together this FABULOUS Caramel Buttermilk Sheet Cake. The melt-in-your-mount caramel icing is as easy as the cake!
This fabulous one-bowl, no-mixer pumpkin sheet cake is super moist, has an amazingly tender crumb and you can put together in just minutes!
This fabulous Vanilla Bean Sheet Cake with Fresh Strawberry Icing comes together super quickly with just one bowl, a whisk, no mixer needed!
With a moist, tender butterscotch cake and a delicious, creamy icing studded with vanilla beans, this Butterscotch Sheet Cake is the stuff dreams are made from!
And if you're looking ahead to the holidays (yikes, Christmas is exactly 3 months from today!) we're back to where we started! The original Texas sheet cake all dressed up in holiday attire. The festive, candy cane-studded, vanilla-peppermint buttercream is truly "the icing on the cake"! Ridiculously Easy Chocolate Peppermint Sheet Cake for your holiday entertaining!
Bon Appétit and happy (easy) baking!
Thought for the day:
Jesus said to him,
"I am the way, and the truth, and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me."
John 14:6
What we're listening to for inspiration:
If you enjoy any of these recipes, please come back and leave a star rating and review! It's so helpful to other readers to hear your results, adaptations, and ideas for variations.
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Can these be frozen if made ahead of time? If so, how?
Hi Gina, Yes - these sheet pan cakes freeze very well! You can either freeze and then defrost the whole cake, or you can slice first and then freeze the cake in individual servings. To keep the frosting looking nice, first flash freeze the cake uncovered. Once the frosting is frozen, you can wrap the cake tightly and then freeze for longer storage.
I do not see any recipes in the descriptions. So how do I know how to make these?
Hi Jim, there is a link to each recipe in the post, under the picture. It's underlined. Enjoy!
Can’t wait to try them!
Enjoy, Marjorie!
Where are the recipes?
I absolutely love Cafe recipes created by wonderful Chris Scheuer. The sheet cake recipes are easy and soo delicious. You should try them; especially the caramel for Fall . Yummy! Thanks Chris
Hey Grams! Thank you for the kind review! So glad to hear you are enjoying the recipes! 😘