This healthier take on one of our all-time favorites – Texas Sheet Cake – is a guest favorite! This recipe will make a perfect-sized batch for you to enjoy (with enough to share), without making too much. If you'd like to take it one step healthier, substitute coconut oil for the butter. (If you love cake as much as we do, be sure to check out our Banana Cake and Apple Cake recipes!)

Ingredients

For the Cake

• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ stick butter (¼ cup)
• ½ cup water
• 3 Tbsp cacao powder
• ¼ cup applesauce 
• ¼ cup greek yogurt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 egg

For the Icing

• ½ stick butter
• ½ cup cacao powder
• 3 Tbsp milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1.5 cups powdered sugar
• ½ cup toasted pecans

Prepare

The Cake

1. Preheat oven to 350°F; spray 12x8 (small) metal sheet pan with nonstick spray.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. 
3. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt ½ stick of butter. Add water and cacao and bring to a gentle boil.
4. In the meantime in a small bowl, whisk the applesauce, greek yogurt, vanilla, and eggs together. Mix into flour mixture until just combined. 
5. Remove butter mixture from heat, and pour into the flour mixture.
6. Mix to combine. There may be some lumps, that’s okay.
7. Pour into pan and bake, checking after 10 minutes. Ready when knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.

The Icing

1. While the cake is cooking, in the saucepan over medium heat, prepare icing. 
2. Melt ½ stick butter, add cacao and whisk until smooth. Add milk and vanilla. Whisk in powdered sugar.
3. While the cake is hot, pour over and frost to the edges. Sprinkle toasted pecans over top. Let cake cool completely before serving.

Tips to Reduce Food Waste

While I don’t think there will be much of this cake left, just in case, use these tips to make cake truffles and store them in the freezer until you’re craving them! 

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