What Is Texas Pie And How Did It Get Its Name?

Texas is one state that has gained a reputation for its multitude of Southern food delights. While there may be some truth to the saying "everything is bigger in Texas," next to the state's geographical landscape, large cowboy hats, and sense of pride felt among Texans, this Southern state is also known for producing a multitude of flavorful dishes. Besides brisket, chicken fried steak, and pecan pie, there's one ubiquitous dessert that may have those living outside the Lone Star state scratching their heads in wonder.

Texas pie is a blend of Texans' favorite desserts all in one. Infusing elements of traditional pie, cobbler, and crumble in an easy-to-prepare yet satisfying dessert, Texas pie is loaded with a small list of common, pantry-specific ingredients and comes together in a snap. This statewide dessert is generally composed of 1 can of cherry pie filling and 1 can of crushed pineapple. After these two sweet ingredients are mixed together and poured into a baking dish, a box of dry cake mix is sprinkled on top. That's followed by pecans, shredded coconut, and a generous pour of melted butter. 

But beyond the shelf-stable ingredients of this layered dessert, why did this cobbler-style pie garner a name exclusive to the bounds of the Texas border?

If you haven't already made the comparison yourself, the elusive Texas pie is similar to traditional dump cake. Unlike tart cherry dump cake, which is made exclusively with canned cherry filling, boxed cake mix, and butter, Texas pie has an upgraded texture thanks to a few ingredients Texans are partial to, including pecans. Even though dump cakes aren't exclusive to Texas, this dessert tends to be a favorite among many Southerners. Foodies who reside in the South, and Texans specifically, are big on food that packs immense flavor and is also easy to prepare.

Another reason this dump cake style "pie" gained the Texas title may have to do with Texans' love for cobbler-style desserts. Historically, cobblers included some form of pastry dough. But through the years, cake mix became a viable substitute. Peach cobbler is one of the official food symbols of Texas, so naturally, Texas pie eventually grew into a convenient, workable alternative. 

Lastly, Texas pie isn't exactly a pie; it's more of a cross between pie filling, cobbler, and crisp poured into one large pan. As Texans enjoy the larger things in life, this sizable dessert has found its way into many hearts and mouths within the Lone Star state. However, Texas pie is not only relegated to a rectangular pan of pie filling and cake mix.

Texas has a few popular variations of this state-specific dessert that include varying titles and ingredients. While the Texas pie referenced throughout this article is a true variation of traditional dump cake, Texas is also known for a confection labeled Texas tornado cake or "do-nothing cake" which is made up of similar ingredients. However, instead of sprinkling dry cake mix over canned pie filling, Texas tornado cake is made by crafting a cake out of canned crushed pineapple, flour, sugar, and eggs which is then topped with nuts and a luscious icing composed of butter, sugar, evaporated milk, and shredded coconut. While Texas tornado cake has a bit more structure, this treat shares the same outline of ingredients and relies on the convenience factor without skimping on flavor.

Another popular state-specific dessert, Texas trash pie, infuses pantry-specific ingredients, such as pretzels, pecans, and chocolate chips, which are mixed with sweetened condensed milk. This pie's filling is usually baked in a standard pie shell and can be made with a variety of different add-ins.

Depending on where you live, Texas pie can take on many different meanings. When you're a Texan, there will always be room for another slice of pecan or classic buttermilk pie.