Jennifer Garner’s Go-To Chocolate Cake Recipe Is by This Famous Chef

If you’re anything like me, you probably prefer a straightforward, easy-to-follow recipe when it comes to baking. Baking, for some reason, tends to stress me out! How can these professional chefs look so composed while they juggle so many elements at once?

That’s why it’s so refreshing to watch actress and avid home cook Jennifer Garner keep it real on her “Pretend Cooking Show,” where she tackles all manner of recipes with humor and humility, from a ridiculously simple (and ridiculously good) 2-ingredient treat to the family-favorite recipe that she spends “all afternoon making” during the holidays.

And like any enthusiastic home cook, Garner loves to try recipes from some of the most beloved TV chefs. We know she adores Ina Garten and her recipes (her fancy scrambled eggs and favorite soup, for starters), but in an early episode of “Pretend Cooking Show,” Garner showcases a delicious home-baked creation by another food personality—dare we say pioneer—that we all know and love.

Jennifer Garner Loves The Pioneer Woman’s Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake Recipe

In one of her earlier episodes, Garner reveals that one of her go-to chocolate cake recipes is from a very well-known chef, The Pioneer Woman. 

Garner’s video begins with her opening a well-loved Pioneer Woman cookbook to Ree Drummond’s Texas Sheet Cake recipe and revealing that she even wrote “Great” in the margins of the page.

“[The cake] just works all the time,” Garner says. “There is never a day that is not a good day for a chocolate sheet cake.”

Garner proceeds to put the cake together, joking that she has a fresh manicure and will do her best to keep it smudge-free as she works. She follows Drummond’s original recipe, but makes a few tweaks where sugar is concerned, reducing the amount in both the cake and the icing. In the cake, she uses 11/2 cups versus the recommended 2. In the icing, she cuts the amount of powdered sugar in half, from 1 pound to 1/2 pound.

Garner uses eggs from her own chickens in the batter, and as she spreads it on a baking sheet, it’s clear how excited she is about this recipe. As the cake bakes, she prepares the rich, glossy icing. “We’ll all be happy tonight,” she says, as she tops the cake with it a little while later. Garner has baked up a beautiful cake and—spoiler alert—her manicure survived, too.

When it comes to appreciating this Lone Star State specialty, the Allrecipes team is in agreement with Garner. Emily Lichty, who hails from Texas where the cake originates, explains it’s a no-brainer that celebrities like Garner love this cake so much. 

“As a dedicated, long-time Pioneer Woman fan, this Texas Sheet Cake is definitely one of [me and my family’s] favorites,” she says. “I remember [my mom] making it for my sister’s birthday in August, but we have done it a ton for different occasions or just for a fun treat. It’s super easy, and it’s a Texas classic.”

Sounds like it’s time to make like Garner and Texans everywhere, and make this sheet cake recipe a part of your recipe repertoire.