Texas Sheet Cake, ‘Cause It’s the Friendly Thing to Do

Texas Sheet Cake. Is it a cake? A brownie? And why the cult-like following?

If you are a real Texan you have probably experienced the phenomena of Texas Sheet Cake. A thick, rich, chocolaty cake…(dang…wait… IS it a cake?) with a frosting that is ..well is it a glaze or is it a frosting?

No matter. It is good and every Texan over the age of six months old knows it. It is quick to make; you can be shooing flies off off the finished cake within about forty five minutes. And that first bite? Rich, moist, chocolate, delicious…. dang.

The only people I have ever met that have NOT liked this cake are those unique individuals that don’t like chocolate (bless their hearts) and those individuals that did not follow protocol or those that used a non-Texas approved recipe. And, as everyone knows, you don’t mess with Texas. Not even once.

There are some don’ts:

1. Don’t use anything but pecans. No, walnuts will not substitute. Macadamias either. Don’t even think about hazelnuts or Brazil nuts.
2. Don’t use a 13×9 inch pan…the texture will be wrong.
3. Don’t experiment with flavor. Sometimes things should just be left alone. This is one of those times.
4. Don’t cool the cake. Be sure the cake is still quite warm when you put the frosting on.
5. Don’t drink sweet tea within three hours of eating this cake. The sugar jolt will have you zipping around like the Roadrunner. Beep Beep.

And here are some things you gotta do. Like my husband, the Aggie, says,  “It’s just tradition, that’s why.”

1. Have cold milk or hot coffee at the ready.
2. Share with someone. Texas Sheet cake is friendly. Take some to a neighbor or a co-worker.

Basically you can do this with a couple of Texas-Approved variations:

• Add chopped Heath bars to the frosting
• Substitute hot coffee for the water in the recipe
• Subsitute Dr. Pepper for the water in the recipe.
• Add a teaspoon of cinnamon to the cake batter

Well, honestly… there is one change I made. I browned the butter. Browned butter gives a rich, toffee flavor that is hard to describe and adds and amazing complexity and richness to this cake.

O.k.. You probably have everything on hand. You know what that means? You are about forty five minutes away from the best cake of your life…. if you hurry.

Texas Sheet Cake Recipe

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup water
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I prefer  Hershey’s Special Dark for this)
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup full fat buttermilk
• 1  teaspoons vanilla

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Grease a jelly roll pan and set aside.
3. Melt the butter until it is a golden brown in a heavy pan. Do not let it burn.
4. Add the water and the cocoa and stir until smooth.
5. Bring to a boil, stirring.
6. Remove from heat.
7. Mix flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
8. Beat in eggs, vanilla,  and buttermilk.
9. Stir in cocoa mixture and stir until smooth.
10. Spoon into jellyroll pan, smoothing out evenly.
11. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
12. Remove from oven.
13. Cover with the warm frosting mixture and let cool.
14. Cut in squares to serve,

Makes 36 servings.

Texas Sheet Cake Frosting

• 1/3 cup buttermilk
• 1/3 cup cocoa (again, Hersey’s Special Dark is the preference)
• 1/2 cup butter, browned until golden
• 3 3/4 – 4 cups of confectioner’s sugar, sifted
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups chopped, toasted pecans

Directions

1. Melt butter in saucepan until golden brown.
2. Add the milk and the cocoa.
3. Bring to a boil, stirring smooth.
4. Remove from heat and add the sugar, pecans, and vanilla.
5. Mix quickly and spoon over warm cake.

images: marye audet