If you’re a real chocolate lover, chances are you already (or will) love a good Texas Sheet Cake. Which means you’re gonna need a gluten free Texas Sheet Cake recipe! But you may not need one to serve a small army (kindof Texas Sheet Cake’s claim to fame), which is why I decided to shrink this recipe down to normal human proportions and make this a gluten free Texas Sheet Cake for Two or Four, depending on just how much you’re willing to share.
You may know this classic chocolate cake by another name, like brownie sheet cake, chocolate brownie cake, chocolate sheet brownies, Texas brownie cake, Texas cake, Mexican chocolate cake, buttermilk brownies, or just chocolate sheet cake.
The fact that the cake is only 3/4- 1 inch thick does lend itself more to a brownie look than a traditional cake, but its Texas Sheet Cake name likely comes from the fact that it’s traditionally made in a huge (Texas-sized, in the cake world) half sheet pan, not a cake pan.
All Texas Sheet Cakes (or whatever you call them) seem to be made on the stovetop with the same basic ingredients and all seem to have a cooked chocolate frosting poured on shortly after the cake is baked, leading to a fudgey textured cake that truly is unique in the chocolate cake world.
As wonderful as this confection is, it’s pretty rare to have 16 of your closest friends sitting around ready to help you eat one, so I’ve made this delicious dessert into a more manageable proportion in my recipe for Gluten Free Texas Sheet Cake for Two or Four. If you’d like to serve a family reunion, feel free to double or quadruple the recipe — it works!
The other fun thing I did to make this gluten free recipe even better was to make it vegan. Feel free to use an egg if you’ve got one and you want to use it, but there’s no need when it works so well with aquafaba. All photos shown are this cake baked with aquafaba, and all gluten eating, egg loving taste-testers approved!
Because it’s me, and because I love you, I’ve also given you even more options. Namely, I’ve partnered with Naked Nutrition* to develop this cake recipe to be a bit healthier, too! Baking something this scrumptious with protein powder is rather mind-blowing, don’t you think?
Naked Nutrition has always been known for certified gluten free products with no artificial flavors, colors or sweeteners and no mixing agents. In this recipe, I used their Naked Shake Chocolate Vegan Protein Powder in lieu of regular cocoa, which allowed me to reduce the added sugars in the recipe. The vegan pea protein in their Naked Shake protein powder added a lovely, mild chocolate flavor that was perfect in this cake, and I think would be perfect for many other gluten free recipes, as well!
Between the cake and the frosting, using Naked Shake Chocolate Vegan Protein Powder in place of ordinary cocoa also added almost 9 grams of protein to this dessert, as well as calcium, iron and potassium. That’s enough to make me want another slice!
If you don’t have Naked Shake Chocolate Vegan Protein Powder, don’t let that stop you from enjoying this insane gluten free Texas Sheet Cake for Two or Four … it’s all about options! Just follow my recipe notes for how to bake this scrumptious dessert using Dutch processed baking cocoa instead. (see photo below!)
You’ll see from the photos that using different cocoas can totally change the color of this cake and can change the intensity and flavor profile of the cake as well, since cocoa really is the star of this show.
Using my premium gfJules Flour, there’s no grit or funny texture or taste coming from the gluten free flour, so it’s extra important to choose your cocoa or gluten-free chocolate protein powder wisely, since it will shine through in this recipe.
How to Make Gluten Free Texas Sheet Cake
Making a gluten free Texas Sheet Cake is so easy!!! You don’t even need a mixer. Just a pan and stove … and an oven.
You’ll whisk the gfJules Flour, sugar, baking soda and baking powder together in a bowl and set it aside first, then simply bring to a boil: vegan butter (or butter), cocoa (or Naked Shake Chocolate Vegan Protein Powder), water and lemon juice.
Remove from the stovetop to add vanilla and aquafaba (or egg), then stir that mixture into your dry ingredient bowl. That’s it! It’s ready to go into your pan and into the oven!
I recommend lining your pan with parchment for easy removal and cleanup (I’m all about the cleanup!).
It only takes about 10 minutes to whip that up and it bakes for about 14 minutes. While the cake is baking, you can make your frosting which is just as easy to cook on the stovetop.
Once the cake comes out of the oven, pour the frosting on top of the hot cake and then walk away, dreaming of your romantic evening for two … or four, if you’re inclined to want to share some chocolate with friends.
Another amazing stove-top gluten free chocolate cake recipe you MUST try is my gluten free Chocolate Beer Cake! It’s also super easy and totally divine, but makes a bundt or other round, layer cake. And speaking of chocolate cakes, have you tried my gluten free German Chocolate Cake yet? So much to love!
Let me know in the comments which way you choose to make this gluten free Texas Sheet Cake! And if you love it, please leave a 5-star review!
Gluten Free Texas Sheet Cake for Two or Four
Gluten Free Texas Sheet Cake for Two or Four
This decadent chocolate dessert is famous for feeding a crowd, but it's even more fun when you can make it in under 30 minutes and save it all for yourself!
Ingredients
Cake Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (68 grams) gfJules Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 cup vegan butter OR butter (I used Earth Balance Buttery Sticks)
- 1 1/2 Tbs. Naked Shake Chocolate Vegan Protein Powder OR Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder (see notes)**
- 5 Tbs. water
- 1 tsp. lemon juice
- 2 Tbs. aquafaba OR 1 egg white
- 1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Frosting Ingredients
- 2 Tbs. vegan butter OR butter (I used Earth Balance Buttery Sticks)
- 2 Tbs. milk of choice (I used almond milk)
- 1 Tbs. Naked Shake Chocolate Vegan Protein Powder OR Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder
- 1 cup sifted powdered sugar
- 1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 - 1/2 cup chopped, toasted pecans (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line one 8x8 or 7x9 baking pan with parchment or lightly oil and set aside.
- Whisk together gfJules Flour, sugar, baking soda and baking powder in a bowl and set aside.
- Add butter, cocoa (or Chocolate Protein Powder), water and lemon juice to a sauce pan and heat to medium on a stove top, stirring constantly. Once boiling, continue stirring for 20-30 seconds, then remove from heat. Whisk in aquafaba (or egg) and vanilla.
- Pour chocolate mixture into flour bowl and stir until combined. Quickly transfer to prepared baking pan, smooth top and place in oven to bake for 13-14 minutes.
- Cake is done when it springs back to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes back clean, but not wet.
- With 5 minutes left of bake time, toast pecans on a baking sheet, if using.
- Prepare frosting by adding butter, milk, cocoa (or Chocolate Protein Powder) and powdered sugar to saucepan over low-medium heat, whisking to integrate the sugar and cocoa. Once totally mixed and the butter is melted, remove from heat -- do not bring to a boil. Add vanilla extract.
- When cake is done, remove to cool on a wire rack and pour frosting over top cake. It will set quickly, so if adding pecans, sprinkle on immediately after pouring.
Notes
Recipe using Dutch Process Cocoa Powder:
1/2 cup (68 grams) gfJules Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 cup vegan butter OR butter (I used Earth Balance Buttery Sticks)
1 1/2 Tbs. Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder
5 Tbs. water
2 Tbs. aquafaba OR 1 egg white
1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Nutrition Information
Yield 6 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 335Total Fat 18gSaturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 2gUnsaturated Fat 12gCholesterol 13mgSodium 194mgCarbohydrates 34gFiber 1gSugar 32gProtein 10g
Please keep in mind that nutrition information provided is approximate, and per serving, which may vary. While we have taken care to provide you with the most accurate nutritional values possible, please note that this information may differ significantly depending on the exact ingredients and brands that you choose to use to make this recipe. Additionally, where options are given for ingredients, the resulting calculation may include all ingredient options instead of only one per line, skewing the totals significantly.
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*I’ve partnered with Naked Nutrition to use their products in order to increase the nutrition in this gluten-free recipe. Some links to products may be affiliate links. As always, all opinions are my own. See my disclosure policy for more information. Working with select brands I love allows me to keep bringing you free recipes, and I hope that in the process, you’ll learn about some of the safe gluten free products I choose for my family. Thanks so much for your support!
Jules,
Thank you for sharing this recipe! I decided to make this today for my husband, who cannot have gluten nor dairy. This was a BIG hit with him. He loved this cake and Texas Sheet cake is one of his favorite cakes!
Thank you for your amazing, fail-proof, award-winning gluten free all-purpose flour! I’m a happy baker, once again, and enjoy making gluten free baked good recipes for my husband!
To anyone who has not tried Jules flour, I encourage you to try it! It is the BEST gluten free flour I have used…and believe me…I have tried many different brands! None stand up to Jules flour! And the best part, you don’t have to substitute flavor and texture just because it is gluten free!! Happy baking 😊
Oh Harriet, I’m so glad you dove right in and made this recipe the very first day I published it! Your gluten free Texas Sheet cake looks amazing – bravo!!!!! And thank you for your sweet words about my gfJules Flour – so very happy you are thrilled with it. If it makes your baking all that you want it to be, then I am over the moon!!!!! Thanks for taking the time to share your photo and review! xo
~jules