The classic tea and lemonade combination of the Arnold Palmer is now available in Texas sheet cake form.  It is perfect for BBQs, potlucks or any summertime party!

Sweet tea sheet cake topped with lemon icing for an Arnold Palmer cake.

This yummy sweet tea cake screams summertime!  The Arnold Palmer sheet cake features the flavors of tea and lemonade. It is easy to put together and feeds a crowd.

The lemon icing is made in a saucepan and poured over the warm cake for an easy smooth finish.  The combination of flavors is absolutely delicious and tastes like an Arnold Palmer.

Whip up this Arnold Palmer cake recipe for a family reunion or summer BBQ. The flavors of tea and lemon are perfect for summer.

So get out your half sheet pan and grab a few tea bags, it is time to get baking and this cake is going to be fun!

Sweet Tea Sheet Cake

The cake batter for this cake is made in the same way as you would make a chocolate Texas sheet cake. So you need a nice big saucepan.

But instead of starting by bringing the water and butter to a boil, you will do just the water first. Then add some tea bags and make turn it into tea.

From there, you add the butter and warm it until it’s melted. Then remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the remaining ingredients.

Making a cake batter like this is so easy. You don’t need any fancy mixers and you don’t make a lot of dirty dishes.

Just one dirty pan and a whisk is all you need! You will be pouring your sweet tea cake batter into a sheet pan in no time at all.

Once the cake is baked, allow it to start cooling and whip up the lemon icing.

Lemon Icing

This easy lemon icing is about as easy as it gets. While the cake cools, get out a medium saucepan and start the icing.

Again, you don’t need a mixer because you are going to melt your butter. So there is no creaming and getting it to just the right temperature.

Once the milk is warm and the butter is melted, whisk in some powdered sugar and lemon extract.

Pour the warm icing over the warm cake and gently spread it to the edges. It shouldn’t take much effort to get it nice and smooth.

That is one of the beautiful things about a sheet cake like this, there isn’t a lot of fuss making it look nice. You get a pretty smooth finish without any hassle.

Feel free to toss on some sprinkles if you want. Then allow the cake to cool completely and the icing to set up.

Or serve with a small slice of fresh lemon and a garnish. It is sure to be delicious either way.

piece of Arnold Palmer cake with tea flavored cake layer and smooth lemon icing on glass plate ready to eat.

More Texas Sheet Cake Recipes

We are big sheet cake fans, they are no fuss and perfect for potlucks and BBQs.  This one is a new favorite, but we also love MiMi’s other original sheet cake recipe the chocolate chip cookie dough sheet cake.

Lemon Texas sheet cake is another great summer option. Or try a peanut butter sheet cake if you want something a little different.

Piece of tea flavored sheet cake with lemon icing, ready to eat.

The white Texas sheet cake is a hit on Pinterest.  Have you ever tried different flavors of Texas sheet cake or have you stuck to the tried and true chocolate?

Sweet tea sheet cake topped with lemon icing for an Arnold Palmer cake.
4.88 from 8 ratings

Arnold Palmer Texas Sheet Cake

Author: Carlee
Servings: 24 Servings
The classic tea and lemonade combination of the Arnold Palmer is now available in Texas sheet cake form. Perfect for BBQs, potlucks or any summertime party!
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Total: 45 minutes

Ingredients 

Sweet Tea Sheet Cake

  • 1 cup water
  • 3 tea bags your favorite blend
  • 1 cup butter
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 large eggs beaten
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 Tablespoon lemon juice

Lemon Icing

  • ½ cup butter
  • cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon lemon extract
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
Makes: 13 x 18inch rectangle

Instructions 

Cake

  • Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a half sheet jelly roll pan (13×18×1″)
  • In a large saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Turn off heat then add tea bags to brew for 5 minutes.
    1 cup water, 3 tea bags
  • Remove tea bags and add butter. Bring back heat until butter is melted.
    1 cup butter
  • Whisk in the sugar.
    2 cups granulated sugar
  • Add the remaining ingredients and stir until combined.
    2 cups all purpose flour, 2 large eggs, ½ cup sour cream, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
  • Pour into prepared sheet pan and bake for 17-20 minutes.
  • Cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes during which time you should begin making the icing.

Icing

  • Combine the butter and milk in a saucepan. Heat over medium heat until the butter is melted and the mixtures just starts to boil.
    ½ cup butter, ⅓ cup milk
  • Remove from heat and stir in the lemon extract.
    1 teaspoon lemon extract
  • Gradually add the powdered sugar, whisking until it reaches a good consistency for spreading.
    3 cups powdered sugar
  • After the cake has cooled for about 20 minutes, spread the warm icing over the cake. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1Serving | Calories: 276kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 49mg | Sodium: 242mg | Sugar: 30g
“Cooking With Carlee” is not a dietitian or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.

Did you try this recipe?

Don’t forget to leave a rating below and make sure to follow on Pinterest and Instagram for more!

Categories:

, ,

Get social!

Recipes in your inbox

4.88 from 8 votes (8 ratings without comment)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




49 Comments

  1. Anonymous says:

    I've never made a cake using water/tea….would love to hear from somebody who has baked this cake.

    1. The original Texas sheet cake (the chocolate version) uses water too! So does my chocolate chip cookie dough sheet cake and there's a video on that recipe so you can see it come together. It really works 😉

  2. Colleen - Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck says:

    This sounds lovely…perfect for spring…if it every arrives!!!

    1. Fingers crossed that it shows up soon!

  3. thepaintedapron.com says:

    Yum! I love Arnold Palmers!

    1. Aren't they the perfect combination?

  4. I love lemon and I love sheetcake, so I don't think that I can go wrong with this Sheetcake. Thank you for sharing.

    1. I hope you give this one a try!

  5. Oh goodness, I'm a huge fan of all things lemon!! This looks so delicious!

  6. Hi Carlee, I don't think I've ever made a true sheet cake. In fact I don't think I've ever made a cake without creaming and faffing. Anything lemony goes down well in this house and anything that requires minimum prep is a winner with me. Will have to give this recipe a try.

    xx

    1. It's nice to have some no fuss recipes, especially when they result in yummy cake! I can't wait to hear what you think!

  7. Love this idea! I'm a big fan of Arnold Palmers and drink them religiously during the summer. I'm pinning this recipe for later!

    1. This cake will be perfect for summer parties then! I hope you love it!

  8. Oh this sounds so interesting! Pinned and sharing! Thank you for sharing on Merry Monday! Hope to see ya next week!
    Kim

    1. Thank you so much! It was a fun surprise MiMi had up her sleeve!

  9. Kelsie | the itsy-bitsy kitchen says:

    I love Arnold Palmers! Is there anything more refreshing on a hot day? I can only imagine how delicious it is in cake form. Tell Mimi thank you for such a brilliant recipe!

  10. Andrea Nine says:

    Now, I would be crazy over this sheet cake..lemon and of course my Arnold Palmer loving boys would love it too!! Tell MiMi GREAT job, this is a Texas Sheet cake big time WINNER!!

    1. Thank you Andrea! – MiMi

More Recipes You'll Love