Texas Sheet Cake

Recipe 12.

Texas Sheet Cake

(from my mom from my aunt)

It's funny how anything with the word "Texas" in it is incredibly appealing and must be had/bought/made by a Texan girl. 

My favorite part of this cake was telling people, "It's Texas sheet cake," and watching their faces when they connect my home country with my creation.  Then they tease me.  In the same way people (who decided on their own to come to college in Utah) complain about Utah, they try to resist Texan pride by mocking it.  But they were weak arguments, they couldn't stop eating the cake anyway. Texas will always win. You'll agree once you have a slice.

Cake:

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup shortening

4 tbsp cocoa

1 cup water

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1 tsp soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

Icing:

1/2 cup butter

3 tbsp cocoa

6 tbs milk

1 lb powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Sorry about the pictures, I had two hours to make three cakes for a last-minute birthday party. So I pretty much forgot about my camera until the party was about to start, snapped some shots, and regretted it later.

Many Texas sheet cakes are sweeter than this one.  I loved this one because the balance between the cake and frosting was perfect. And it was so easy to make! It was a hit; both sheet cakes were gone by the end of the night.

Boil the butter, shortening, cocoa, and water for the cake. Sift the dry ingredients. Pour the mixture over all the dry ingredients. Add the buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla. Beat well and bake at 400 for 20 minutes.

While baking, boil the butter, cocoa, and milk for the icing.  Add in a whole pound of powdered sugar (celebrate!) and the teaspoon of vanilla.  Mix it up and pour it over cake as soon as the cake comes out of the oven. Let set for about 20 minutes before serving.

Oh, and when you are making the frosting and it is looking super weird and not frosting-like, check the recipe. You forgot to add the pound of powdered sugar. Believe me, you can add it in still, it isn't picky.

"Texas does not, like any other region, simply have indigenous dishes. It proclaims them. It congratulates you, on your arrival, at having escaped from the slop pails of the other 49 states."

 - Alistair Cooke