Came across this recipe today while working on the TEXAS food safety course we are developing, and thought I'd just add in here to save it. If you haven't heard of Texas Sheet Cake, you will at some point. It's a great sheet cake for a large group.
Texas Sheet Cake
Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease and flour a 13x9x2-inch baking pan.For the Cake:
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup cocoa
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), melted
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup canola or other vegetable oil
- 1 cup water
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
stirring until you have a smooth, rather thin batter.
Pour into your prepared pan, and bake at 400°F for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
While the cake is baking, prepare the frosting.
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk (whole, 2% or skim - doesn't matter)
- 1/4 cup cocoa
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 pound confectioners sugar, sifted (about 4 cups)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup chopped pecans
When the cake is just out of the oven, spread the frosting evenly on the hot cake.
Being a chocolate freak, I use just a half-teaspoon of cinnamon in this cake. I want the cinnamon flavor to come through, but I don't want it to overpower the chocolate.
If buttermilk is not a staple item at your house, this is a good recipe in which to use dry buttermilk. For a product review, see Dry Buttermilk.
If you aren't sure about your oven, you can test it with one of those little dime store oven thermometers. With its comparatively thin batter, Texas Sheet Cake requires every bit of the 400° heat in your oven, if it's going to get done in 20 to 25 minutes.
This is a wonderful cake, whether you make it for yourself or as an act of hospitality. You can eat it out of hand or serve it on your best china. Or you can deliver it to someone else and let them make those serving decisions. In whatever way it is served, Texas Sheet Cake will be relished and appreciated.
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