Cook the Book: Chocolate Sheet Cake
"Please make this cake today. I don't want you to live another day without it." With an endorsement like that there was no way that I wasn't going to try The Pioneer Woman's Chocolate Sheet Cake, otherwise known as the Best Chocolate Sheet Cake Ever.
I've just finished icing the cake and I must say, it looks flawless. But there's a part of me that feels a little like I've cheated. Baking a cake that looks as good as it tastes usually takes a good long while. Sure, the cake and icing might come together pretty quickly, but then there is the interminable period waiting time that occurs while the cake cools enough to be frosted. After all of my years of baking I still jump the gun and end up with a spottily finished cake with unattractive cake crumbs mixed with the icing.
The cake clocked in at a little less than half an hour from start to finish, icing and all. There's no messing with a sifter, or even bringing butter to room temperature. This recipe from The Pioneer Woman Cooks seems like the antithesis of every established rule of baking. It's just so easy. The cake is still sitting on my kitchen counter, and I'm impatiently waiting for it to cool down to a sampleable temperture, but I'm pretty sure that this cake is The Best Chocolate Sheet Cake Ever.
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Chocolate Sheet Cake
- makes one 18x12-inch cake -
Adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks by Ree Drummond.
Ingredients
Cake
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter
4 heaping tablespoons cocoa powder
Icing
1 3/4 sticks butter
4 heaping tablespoon cocoa powder
6 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pound powdered sugar
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans (optional)
Procedure
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Stir together and set aside.
3. In another bowl, mix the buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, and baking soda. Mix with a fork and set aside.
4. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and add the cocoa.
5. Whisk together to combine. Meanwhile, bring 1 cup of water to a boil.
6. When the butter is melted, pour the boiling water in the pan. Allow to bubble for a moment, then turn off the heat.
7. Pour the chocolate mixture into the flour mixture.
8. Stir together for a moment to cool the chocolate, then pour in the egg mixture.
9. Stir together until smooth, then pour into an ungreased jelly roll pan (or rimmed baking sheet) and bake for 20 minutes.
10. While the cake is baking make the icing. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. (I just wash out the same one I used for the cake. Makes me feel responsible and productive.)
11. Add the cocoa powder and stir until smooth.
12. Add the milk and vanilla.
13. Add the powdered sugar. Stir together.
14. Dump in the chopped pecans and stir until well combined.
15. Immediately after removing the cake from the oven, pour the warm icing over the top. You'll want to avoid doing much spreading, so try to distribute it as evenly as possible.
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34 Comments:
Has anyone made this cake? Does it fall apart like that? It does look delicious.
therealchiffonade at 1:14PM on 10/27/09
I made it last night and just had another piece for breakfast. Mine didn't fall apart at all. And yes, it was really delicious.
Caroline Russock at 1:17PM on 10/27/09
I grew up eating this cake (although my mom called it "Texas cake") and it most certainly is outstanding. Icing the cake while warm creates an amazing fudgy frosting/cake mixture at the top.
Wow, I really want to make this cake now.
car1fsu at 1:21PM on 10/27/09
After it cools it holds together well. Any cake just out of the oven is going to be falling-apart tender and not-quite-together.
I make this cake frequently for our big family and it's a lifesaver of a recipe. You can pour the frosting on while warm and quickly smooth it over with a long icing knife, but the hard part is staying away from it while it's finishing cooling.
For the next day or so it's hard not to keep cutting little slivers of it to see if it still tastes good. It just gets in your mouth, you know?
moibec at 1:30PM on 10/27/09
My mom called this Texas Sheet Cake, and it is awesome. Perfect for a party.
shandygirl at 1:34PM on 10/27/09
All right - I'm sold. Next time I need a chocolate cake, this is the one I'll bake. Thanks.
therealchiffonade at 1:48PM on 10/27/09
It's been years since I made one of these cakes! It looks delicious! www.satisfiedsole.com
Pammie at 2:09PM on 10/27/09
It was Texas Hot Cocoa Cake at my house, and it's really good. My mom makes it every time we're all home, because it's so easy and such a crowd-pleaser.
omglawdork at 2:16PM on 10/27/09
would this recipe work if i halved the ingredients and made it in a 9x11 pan? just wondering, as i don't have a sheet pan.. should i change the amount of time it bakes for?
proletarian at 2:21PM on 10/27/09
My Slovak great-grandmother made something nearly identical, from the 1940s on (and perhaps before). The cake part is identical--measure for measure--except she used margarine. Frosting also used margarine, but only one stick and no vanilla. The rest of the stuff was identical--measure for measure. Assembly is the same, too. Ours bakes at 400, though, and tends to finish pretty quick.
And yes, this is the best choc. cake ever. What makes it so good is the high frosting-to-cake ratio. Generations of people in my family have enjoyed this cake.
@proletarian: def. halve the recipe, and adjust the cooking time. Just keep an eye on it.
Garvey at 2:51PM on 10/27/09
This cake makes a FULL sized sheet pan? 18 x 12 is a half sheet, no?
therealchiffonade at 2:57PM on 10/27/09
I used this recipe for cupcakes last easter and they were delicious. SO moist. I can never get over melting and adding the eggs to the liquid but it works great!
artychoke at 3:03PM on 10/27/09
I halved this recipe and made it in a smaller ish pan (I don't know the measurements, but it was smaller than a normal Pyrex. Ya, real helpful, I know). It was amazing. I think I might just have to make it right now. Dang, I just cleaned the kitchen.
sorahatch at 3:27PM on 10/27/09
Texas sheet cake is an old tradition in my family, and this looks like a delicious rendition. I've been wondering though, does anyone out there have a recipe for a white Texas sheet cake (I think white cake and white icing)? My aunt mentioned it to me the other day, but I'm not sure she has the recipe herself. If anyone has any insights on that I would appreciate it. Obviously I know there are many recipes out there for white cake and for white frosting, but I'm looking specifically for a white version of Texas sheet cake.
LizLemon at 3:31PM on 10/27/09
Having made this cake several times (from PW's recipe) I can assure you all that it is as easy as it sounds, turns out flawless every time and is always scarfed up quickly and with great yummy noises.
Two thumbs enthusiastically up.
And great, now I feel like I need to bake this tonight.
arwenb at 3:47PM on 10/27/09
Okay, I just made this in a smaller Pyrex pan and I should have used my normal size one, the 9 x 13. It's still really good, though.
sorahatch at 4:16PM on 10/27/09
I made two of these cakes for a camping trip last year and underbaked the cakes just a bit so that when I warmed them up to frost them, they didn't over cook. We were in the Rocky Mountains, so I didn't want to mess with high-altitude baking. The cakes came out great and everyone finished off both pans. Thinking I may need to make this again soon!
jmoilanen at 5:25PM on 10/27/09
I didn't know this was the secret of Texas sheet cake, or what made it so special!
HeartofGlass at 7:39PM on 10/27/09
I'm pretty sure you are missing a cup of water from the cake recipe.
sscutchen at 8:17PM on 10/27/09
Can someone please confirm what size of pan is best for a half recipe? I have a 9 x 13 and an 8 x11 Pyrex.
PeanutButter at 9:04PM on 10/27/09
I checked a handful of other Texas Sheet Cake recipes around the net and they all had the missing 1 cup water.
Bob Foster at 9:11PM on 10/27/09
Water is there. You can get the recipe from Pioneer Woman's website too. I love her. I think she's fab.
julieping at 10:49PM on 10/27/09
A jelly roll pan is nominally 15x10, so 150 sq. in. so you're looking for 75 sq. in.
An 8x11 is 88 sq. in, which is closer than the 9x13 at 117.
Not sure what the effect of Pyrex versus metal will be.
sscutchen at 12:33AM on 10/28/09
This kind of baking sounds right up my alley! I think it's going on the weekend menu!
misplacedtexan at 8:05AM on 10/28/09
@sscutchen. My head hurts. Thanks for the explanation.
therealchiffonade at 9:43AM on 10/28/09
Ours always has cinnamon!
seikel at 4:35PM on 10/28/09
PWC!!
elinell at 5:53PM on 10/29/09
This is a staple for birthdays in my house, but it has a healthy dose of cinnamon in the cake and walnuts in the frosting. Easy and moist and delicious.
lmd at 5:54PM on 10/29/09
Yumm... this cake looks delicious ... and I'd love to win a copy of Pioneer Woman Cooks!
dafogle at 7:30PM on 10/29/09
@LizLemon -- here's some White Texas Sheet Cake recipes:
http://southernfood.about.com/od/yellowandwhitecakes/r/bl30322c.htm
http://www.tulsaworld.com/scene/article.aspx?subjectid=39&articleid=20090506_39_D1_Chocol46727
(scroll down for the White Texas Sheet Cake recipe. This recipe comes from someone in Pioneer Woman's hometown.
http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/White-Texas-Sheet-Cake
http://wegottaeat.com/mandstapp/recipes/white-texas-sheet-cake
(this one is supposedly from Paula Deen)
IndyGal at 7:00AM on 10/30/09
I just had some for breakfast.
samueltobin at 10:46AM on 10/30/09
I made this over the weekend and it didn't come out very cakey. Wondering if high altitude would affect the outcome? The flavor was amazing, but the sugar content was rather extreme for this girl. I'm looking forward to adjusting this to suit my taste buds. Loved how quick and easy the recipe is.
CarolB at 4:53PM on 11/02/09
I haven't made this recipe, but I've used some of Pioneer Womans other recipes and I have always enjoyed them. Yes, sometimes too much butter or too much sugar, but that's the joy of dessert!
ssdf23 at 1:19PM on 11/04/09
I did it. It was AWESOME! A little more like an hour, but I'm slow. My wife, not really a fan of cake, loves it as well. Make sure you eat it when the icing is warm/room temp. I must admit, having a total of nearly a pound of butter and as much sugar as this recipe has certainly helps! ;)nom nom nom!
galadiman at 3:25PM on 11/05/09