Texas Chocolate Sheet Pan Cake

 

The recipe which I am sharing with you today is a small batch version of the original texas sheet cake recipe which I have been making since the 1970's.  I can't remember where I got the original recipe.

In all likelihood it was one of the popular ladies' magazines of the day.  Family Circle or Women's Day. I used to buy them all the time. 

 

It was a cake that my then husband and my children just loved and I made it for them quite frequently.  The original recipe made a 13 by 18 inch cake.  With there just being me in the house now, I have no need for a cake that large and so I have cut the original recipe in half.

It was one of those recipes I saved because it used buttermilk. Buttermilk was not something which my mother ever used.  I remember buying some one time because I was making fried chicken, but I ended up with lots of buttermilk that needed using up.

 

 

Most of it got wasted because back then I had no idea of what to do with it.  That's when I  started collecting buttermilk recipes because I never wanted to have to waste like that again.

I ended up with a whole folder of recipes that used buttermilk.  Pancakes, cakes, biscuits, etc.  This was way back in the days before the internet. And I did not have a lot of cookbooks. Collecting these recipes was serious business!  I did not have the world at my fingertips like we do today. 

 

This cake may be a very thin cake, but it packs a HUGE wallop of tastiness into it.  Its moist and dense and chocolatey.

It also boasts some ground cinnamon in the cake batter, which we really enjoy.  Its very Mexican to mix cinnamon and chocolate together.  They actually have a natural affinity for each other. 

 

You need a quarter rimmed sheet pan for this recipe.  This is a  sheet pan which measures 12 by 10 inches in size. You could use a 9 by 13 inch pan if that is all you have.  

You will need to adjust the baking time as the cake will be a bit thicker. I would add about 5 minutes to the time. 

There is plenty of icing to go around, so no worried there. 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE A TEXAS CHOCOLATE SHEET PAN CAKE

(SMALL BATCH)

Its as easy and unfussy as you can get. Nothing special needed here, unless you consider buttermilk special and I got a solution for that! 

For the cake:

• 1 cup (140g) plain all purpose flour
• 1 cup (200g) sugar
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup (120g) butter
• 2 heaping TBS unsweetened cocoa powder (not the drink mix)
• 1/2 cup (120ml) boiling water
• 1/4 cup (60ml) buttermilk
• 1 large free range egg, beaten
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

For the frosting:

• 2 TBS butter
• 3 TBS whole milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 heaped TBS cocoa powder
• 2 cups (260g) icing sugar, sifted

You will also need:

• a handful of toasted pecans, coarsely chopped

You will note that it calls for a small quantity of unsweetened cocoa powder.  You would not believe the number of people who confuse that with chocolate drink mix. Cocoa powder is NOT chocolate drink mix.

It is unsweetened and about the only thing it has in common with chocolate drink mix is that it is chocolate.  Drink mix has powdered milk and sugar added to it, so do NOT be using that in the place of cocoa powder!

 

If you have run out of buttermilk, or just can't be bothered to buy any, I have the solution to that. There are two ways that you can make your own.

1.  Add a TBS of lemon juice or vinegar to a cup and pour in whole milk to make up the measure. Stir and leave to clabber.

2. Whisk together equal parts of full fat yogurt and whole milk to make up the measure.  This works a charm.

 

HOW TO MAKE TEXAS CHOCOLATE SHEET PAN CAKE

Easy peasy, lemon squeasy!!

Lets put the cake together first. Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/gas mark 4. Butter a 12 by 10 inch rimmed sheet pan really well. Set aside. (I use canola cooking spray)

Whisk the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt together in a medium sized bowl.

Melt the butter in the microwave (about 20 seconds on high). Whisk in the cocoa powder and the boiling water.

 

Whisk the buttermilk, egg, baking soda and vanilla together in a measuring cup.

Stir the buttermilk/egg mixture into the flour mixture in the bowl, followed by the butter mixture. Stir everything together until smooth and well combined. Pour the batter into the prepared sheet pan.

Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean and the top should spring back when lightly touched.

 

While the cake is baking make the icing, ready to spread on the cake as soon as it comes out of the oven.

Melt the butter in a medium sized bowl in the microwave. Remove and whisk in the vanilla, cocoa powder and milk. Beat in the icing sugar until smooth.

Spread this over the cake as soon as it comes out of the oven, using an offset spatula to spread it right into the corners. Sprinkle the toasted pecans over top.

Leave to cool for half an hour before serving. This is a lovely moist cake!

 

This recipe makes six very generous servings.  I actually find it to be a lot sweeter than I remembered it being when I made it this time. I am trying to get away from using so much sugar.  

I think that you could actually cut it into 9 servings adequately and serve it with some ice cream or whipped cream to cut the sweetness a bit.  Its the icing that is really sweet.  Maybe even cut the icing quantities in half and have a thinner layer.

Its a really lovely cake however, beautifully moist and delicious. If you wanted to you could substitute hot coffee for the boiling water. Coffee really enhances the flavor of the chocolate. Leave the nuts off if you are not a nut lover! 

 

If you are like me when I was younger and are looking for ways to use up the rest of your buttermilk, look no further. Have I got some recipes for you! 

LEMON BUTTERMILK CAKE - I have never met a lemon cake I did not love and this one is no exception. It is a well known fact that buttermilk makes cakes that are wonderfully moist and rich.  This is an exceptional cake, with beautiful lemon flavor and a dense almost pound-cake-like moist texture. 

GRANDMOTHER'S BUTTERMILK CAKE - This is a really lovely cake.  Its pretty basic, but its moist and delicious. Its the kind of cake that your nan would have cut and sat down in front of you when you went around to visit. 

BUTTERMILK BISCUIT MUFFINS - A delicious drop biscuit baked in a muffin tin.  Muffin shaped, but as delicious as biscuits. These are fabulous with whatever you wish to serve them with. Any meal. Any time. Any how.

Texas Chocolate Sheet Pan Cake (small batch)

Yield: 6 very generous servings

Author: Marie Rayner

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 35 Min

This smaller sized Texas Sheet Pan Cake, lacks none of the flavors or appeal of its larger counter part. You will need a quarter sheet pan to bake this. (rim edge)

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 1 cup (140g) plain all purpose flour
• 1 cup (200g) sugar
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup (120g) butter
• 2 heaping TBS unsweetened cocoa powder (not the drink mix)
• 1/2 cup (120ml) boiling water
• 1/4 cup (60ml) buttermilk
• 1 large free range egg, beaten
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

For the frosting:

• 2 TBS butter
• 3 TBS whole milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups (260g) icing sugar, sifted
• 2 heaped TBS cocoa powder

You will also need:

• a handful of toasted pecans, coarsely chopped

Instructions

1. Lets put the cake together first.
2. Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/gas mark 4. Butter a 12 by 10 inch rimmed sheet pan really well. Set aside. (I use canola cooking spray)
3. Whisk the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt together in a medium sized bowl.
4. Melt the butter in the microwave (about 20 seconds on high). Whisk in the cocoa powder and the boiling water.
5. Whisk the buttermilk, egg, baking soda and vanilla together in a measuring cup.
6. Stir the buttermilk/egg mixture into the flour mixture in the bowl, followed by the butter mixture. Stir everything together until smooth and well combined. Pour the batter into the prepared sheet pan.
7. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean and the top should spring back when lightly touched.
8. While the cake is baking make the icing, ready to spread on the cake as soon as it comes out of the oven.
9. Melt the butter in a medium sized bowl in the microwave. Remove and whisk in the vanilla, cocoa powder and milk. Beat in the icing sugar until smooth.
10. Spread this over the cake as soon as it comes out of the oven, using an offset spatula to spread it right into the corners. Sprinkle the toasted pecans over top.
11. Leave to cool for half an hour before serving. This is a lovely moist cake!

Did you make this recipe?

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