Texas Sheet Cake

It has been a week of celebrating as we have had 3 birthdays of family and friends this week. Therefore, I have had several opportunities to perfect a family recipe for Texas Sheet Cake. Texas Sheet Cake has become a tradition in the Talbert household. Every time we go to visit Brad's aunt and uncle, his sweet sweet aunt makes us this yummy cake. For those of you who are not Texans, this is a super moist and always pleasing cake. Again it is really easy and also my all time favorite cake.

On this cake, I used walnuts on half with those in mind that don't like nuts (timmy!)

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup water or fresh brewed coffee (i highly recommend using coffee)
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
cinnamon to taste (optional)

Chocolate Frosting:
1/4 cup butter
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
3 tablespoons buttermilk
2 1/4 sifted confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chopped pecans or chopped walnuts (i used walnuts which I toasted to bring out the flavor)

To make the cake:
Grease a 15x10, jelly roll pan, or a 13x9 inch baking pan. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt (put in the cinnamon here if you would like to use it); set aside. In a medium saucepan combine 1 cup butter, 1/3 cup cocoa, and 1 cup water (again use coffee for a richer chocolate flavor). Bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. With an electric hand-held mixer on medium speed, beat chocolate mixture into the dry mixture until thoroughly blended. Add eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla. Beat for 1 minute (batter will be thin). Pour batter into the greased pan. Bake in a 350 degree oven about 25 minutes for the 15x10 or 35 minutes for he 13x9, or until a wooden pick or cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Pour warm chocolate frosting over the warm cake, spreading evenly. Place cake in pan on a wire rack; cool thoroughly before cutting. Makes 24 delicious servings!
To make the frosting:
In a medium saucepan combine 1/4 cup butter, 3 tablespoons and unsweetened cocoa powder, and 3 tablespoons buttermilk. Bring to a boil. remove from heat; add 2 1/4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until smooth. If desired, stir in 1/2 cup coarsely toasted chopped nuts.

-Laura

Great Cooks Start Alike

Like Brit, I too am starting with an easy, but delicious recipe. Cooking is a foreign concept to me. As a child I spent much of my time eating in restaurants. To this day I don't know how to do the most basic cooking like boil a chicken, roast beef, or sautee vegetables (correctly). So with that said, I thought I should start with a simple recipe to boost my confidence. This recipe for Triple Chocolate Cake was given to my pledge class by our Tri Delta mom at Texas Christian University. I made it for one of my husbands seminary classes and supposedly everyone enjoyed it (at least that is what he said). I hope you will enjoy it just as much. Happy Baking!

Triple Chocolate Cake

Serves at least 12, Prep time 10 minutes, Bake time 1 hour

12 oz. milk chocolate chips (to make it extra special splurge on the chocolate chips. It will make all the difference in this recipe. I use Guillard's Chocolate Chips)
1 box German Chocolate cake mix
1 small box instant chocolate pudding
4 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup water
8 oz. sour cream
Confectioner's sugar for dusting

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Combine all ingredients in bowl and beat 2 minutes.
3. Grease and flour Bundt Cake Pan. (I use Baker's Joy spray instead which makes life so much easier.)
4. Pour ingredients into Bundt Pan and place in oven and bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees. You might want to check if the cake is ready after 50 minutes by inserting a fork or toothpick in the middle. If it comes out clean it is already done.
5. Let cake cool for 20 minutes in pan and then flip onto cake plate. Dust with confectioner's sugar by using a flour sifter.

*Sorry that I don't have a picture :( It comes out very pretty though :)

Bundt Cake Tips Provided by Williams-Sonoma (My favorite kitchen supply store!!)

1. To prevent formation of air bubbles in your cake, spoon the batter into the pan somewhat slowly. If you pour the batter in quickly, air pockets are likely to form, which can produce holes in the finished cake. To release any bubbles that may have developed, tap the pan gently/
2. Place cake leveled on a lower oven rack so that the bundt design will be sharply defined.
3. Don't open oven door until its time to check the cake for doneness as a considerable amount of heat escapes each time you open the door. This will prolong baking time, and the cake may become too dark on the outside while the center is not yet done.

-Laura