Texas Sheet Cake with Jaca
This is the cake that shows up at every potluck, church supper, and backyard cookout and disappears before anything else on the table — a thin, ultra-moist chocolate sheet cake under a glossy, fudgy poured frosting that sets up just firm enough to slice into neat squares. The magic is in the method: you melt butter, water, and cocoa together, pour it into the batter warm, and bake it in a big jelly roll pan so every piece is edge-to-edge tender with that signature soft crumb. While it's still warm, you pour over a pourable chocolate frosting that soaks into the top and hardens into a satiny shell. A whisper of instant coffee deepens the chocolate, and sour cream keeps it impossibly moist for days. Our version swaps every bit of sugar for Jaca (100% pure allulose) at double the amount — 3 cups of granular Jaca in place of 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar and 1 cup in place of the 1/2 cup brown sugar in the cake, plus 8 cups of powdered Jaca in place of 4 cups of powdered sugar in the frosting — so you get the same rich, fudgy, caramelized chocolate flavor with no added sugar. Allulose browns and caramelizes just like sugar, so the cake bakes up deeply chocolatey and the frosting still pours glossy and sets firm. Adapted from Spend With Pennies. This is a Jaca-adjusted healthier version.
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter (cut into pieces — for the cake batter; melted with the water and cocoa)
- 1 cup water (brought to a boil with the butter and cocoa to bloom the chocolate)
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (for the cake; use a good-quality natural cocoa for the deepest flavor)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
- 3 cups Jaca (allulose), granular (replaces 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar at the 2x ratio — dissolves and caramelizes like sugar with no added sugar and no aftertaste)
- 1 cup Jaca (allulose), granular (replaces 1/2 cup brown sugar at the 2x ratio; for a brown-sugar note, add 1 teaspoon molasses)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda (helps the thin cake rise tender and even)
- 3/4 teaspoon salt (balances the sweetness and sharpens the chocolate)
- 1/2 teaspoon instant coffee (optional — deepens the chocolate flavor without tasting like coffee)
- 1/2 cup sour cream (the secret to a moist, tender crumb that keeps for days)
- 2 whole large eggs (room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (for the cake batter)
- 6 tablespoons milk (for the poured frosting)
- 1/2 cup butter (cut into pieces — for the frosting)
- 6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (for the frosting)
- 8 cups Jaca (allulose), powdered (replaces 4 cups powdered sugar at the 2x ratio — blend granular Jaca in a dry blender until powder-fine, then add gradually until the frosting is smooth and pourable)
- 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract (for the frosting)
Sweetener Used
4 cups granular Jaca (cake) + 8 cups powdered Jaca (frosting) Allulose
Replaces: 1 1/2 cups granulated + 1/2 cup brown sugar (cake) + 4 cups powdered sugar (frosting)
Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 10x15-inch jelly roll pan.
- 2
Make the cake: In a saucepan over low heat, combine the 1 cup butter, water, and 1/3 cup cocoa, stirring until melted. Increase to medium and bring to a boil, then remove from the heat and let cool 15 to 20 minutes.
- 3
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, 3 cups granular Jaca, 1 cup granular Jaca, baking soda, salt, and instant coffee.
- 4
In a separate bowl, whisk the sour cream, eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Stir this into the dry ingredients.
- 5
Pour the cooled chocolate mixture into the batter and stir until smooth.
- 6
Spread the batter into the prepared pan and bake 18 to 22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- 7
Make the frosting near the end of baking: In a saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the milk and 1/2 cup butter together. Remove from the heat and whisk in the 6 tablespoons cocoa.
- 8
Gradually whisk in the powdered Jaca and 3/4 teaspoon vanilla until smooth and pourable. If it is too thick, add a splash more milk; if too thin, add a little more powdered Jaca.
- 9
Pour the warm frosting evenly over the warm cake. Let it set about 1 hour before slicing into squares and serving.
Pro Tips
- Let the melted chocolate mixture cool the full 15 to 20 minutes before adding it — pouring it in hot can start to cook the eggs.
- Blend granular Jaca into a fine powder in a dry blender or spice grinder to make your own powdered Jaca for the frosting; add it gradually so you can stop at a smooth, pourable consistency.
- Pour the frosting while both the cake and frosting are still warm — that is what lets it soak in slightly and set into a glossy shell.
- For the classic Texas twist, stir 1 cup of toasted chopped pecans into the frosting before pouring.
- Allulose can brown faster than sugar, so check the cake at 18 minutes to avoid over-baking the thin layer.
- Store covered at room temperature for up to 3 days — the sour cream keeps it moist and fudgy.