Kristi's Recipe Box: Texas Sheet Cake

I've been making this recipe for several years. I found it in one of my many Gooseberry Patch cookbooks. Unfornately, I don't remember which one. I think it might have been Family Favorites. A year or so ago, I was downsizing my cookbook collection and donated a few of my Gooseberry Patch cookbooks to our local library. Before I did, I wrote down a few of the recipes from each book that I regularly used. This was one of them. I make this several times a year for various community and church functions. Lots of Texas cake recipes call for buttermilk, but I like that this one uses sour cream as I always have it on hand! The great thing about a Texas cake is not having to wait until the cake cools before you frost it. This cake has a lot of ingredients, but it's very quick to put together and oh so yummy!!!!

I always cook both the cake and frosting in one pan. While the cake is baking, I give the pan a quick wash and I'm ready to make the frosting. Start with 2 sticks of butter, 4 T. cocoa, and 1 cup water.

Have dry ingredients, sour cream, and eggs ready to go.

Bring butter, cocoa, and water to a boil and remove from heat.

Add in dry ingredients.

Next, mix in sour cream.

Finally, add in eggs. Mix well.

Pour into prepared 10x15 jelly roll pan. Bake @ 375 degrees for 20-22 minutes.

While cake is baking, gather ingredients for the frosting. Don't forget to sift the powdered sugar. About a minute before the cake is ready to come out of the oven, bring 1 stick butter, 4 T. cocoa, and 6 T. milk to a boil

While waiting for above to come to a boil, remove cake from oven. Once butter, cocoa, and milk have come to a boil, remove from heat and stir in 1 lb. powdered sugar (SIFTED), 1 t. vanilla, and 1 c. chopped pecans. Stir well!! (NOTE: I didn't use the pecans this time).

Carefully pour frosting ALL OVER THE CAKE. Caution: Don't pour the frosting all in one place and expect to be able to spread. You'll end up with a sunken cake and just a big mess! Slowly drizzle the frosting throughout the cake and just use a spatula to fill in any gaps in icing.

Texas Sheet Cake

Source: adapted from Gooseberry Patch (Family Favorites???)

1 c. water

4 T. cocoa

2 sticks butter

2 c. flour

2 c. sugar

1/2 t. salt

2 eggs

1/2 c. sour cream

1 t. baking soda

Bring water, cocoa, and butter to a boil. Remove from heat and add flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda. Beat in sour cream and eggs and pour into a greased 10x15 jelly roll pan. Bake @ 375 degrees for 20-22 minutes. Top with frosting while cake is still hot from the oven.

1 stick butter

4 T. cocoa

6 T. milk

1 lb. powdered sugar (SIFTED)

1 t. vanilla

1 c. chopped pecans (OPTIONAL)

Combine butter, cocoa, and milk and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in remaining ingredients. Beat well and drizzle over hot cake.

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