Chocolate is a food product made from roasted and ground cacao seed kernels, that is available as a liquid, solid or paste, on its own or as a flavoring agent in other foods. Cacao has been consumed in some form since at least the Olmec civilization (19th-11th century BCE),[1][2] and the majority of Mesoamerican people ─ including the Maya and Aztecs ─ made chocolate beverages.[3]
Note: I use an 18×13 sheet cake pan. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt. In a saucepan, melt butter. Add cocoa. Stir together. Add boiling water, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Pour over flour mixture, and stir lightly to cool.
In a measuring cup, pour the buttermilk and add beaten eggs, baking soda, and vanilla. Stir buttermilk mixture into butter/chocolate mixture. Pour into sheet cake pan and bake at 350-degrees for 20 minutes.
While cake is baking, make the icing. Chop pecans finely. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add cocoa, stir to combine, then turn off heat. Add the milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Stir together. Add the pecans, stir together, and pour over warm cake.
Cut into squares, eat, and totally wig out over the fact that you’ve just made the best chocolate sheet cake. Ever.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Stir together and set aside.
In another bowl, mix the buttermilk, baking soda, vanilla and eggs. Mix with a fork and set aside.
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and add the cocoa. Whisk together to combine. Meanwhile, bring 1 cup water to a boil. When the butter is melted, pour the boiling water in the pan. Allow to bubble for a moment, then turn off the heat. Pour the chocolate mixture into the flour mixture. Stir together for a moment to cool the chocolate, then pour in the egg mixture. Stir together until smooth, then pour into an ungreased jelly roll pan (or rimmed baking sheet) and bake for 20 minutes.
While the cake is baking, make the icing: Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the cocoa powder and stir until smooth. Add the milk, vanilla and powdered sugar. Stir together. Dump in the pecans and stir until well combined.
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 evenly as you pour.
For a child’s birthday, omit pecans in the icing. Serve the cake with a large bowl of M and M’s and allow the kids to decorate it themselves. This cake can also be made into cupcakes: Just fill muffin tins a little less full with the batter than you normally would so the baked cupcakes remain below the upper rim. That way, the thin icing can be poured into each tin.
This Pioneer Woman Texas Sheet Cake is chocolatey, without being overpowering, allowing the buttermilk to shine. It is dense, rich, and slightly chewy at the same time, It is decorated with a simple chocolate frosting that pours on while still warm and sets with a crackling crust.
Why Is It Called Texas Sheet Cake?
According to some sources, it’s been called a “Texas” sheet cake because it was first published in a Texas paper, but others assert the name comes from the fact that it’s as large as Texas. Although this cake’s origins may be unclear, it is a true crowd-pleaser.
INGREDIENTS
For the Cake
2cupsunbleached all-purpose flour2 ½ cups high altitude
1cupgranulated sugar | I use all natural cane sugar2 tablespoons less for high altitude
1cuplight brown sugarpacked (2 tablespoons less for high altitude)
1/2teaspoonkosher salt
4-6tablespoonscocoa powderheaping if darker cake desired regular unsweetened cocoa powder or Dutch Processed Cocoa powder
1cupbutter2 sticks
1cupboiling water
1/2cupbuttermilk*see notes for buttermilk substitutions
In a mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, brown sugar and salt.
In a medium saucepan, melt butter then add cocoa powder, stirring together until mixed. Add boiling water and allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then remove from heat.
Pour over flour mixture, mixing lightly to cool.
In a 1 cup measuring cup, pour in buttermilk, beaten eggs, baking soda and vanilla. Stir to combine. Pour into butter/cocoa/flour mixture, whisking until just combined and only a few lumps remain.
Pour into sprayed half sheet pan (13 x 18″) and bake at 350° F for 20-25 minutes until it springs back lightly when touched. See notes for baking in different sized pans. Remove from oven and cool 5 minutes before pouring on frosting.
Frosting
About 10 minutes into baking time, start making the frosting.
Using the same saucepan you made the cake batter in, melt butter over medium-low heat. Stir in cocoa powder to combine, remove from heat. Add powdered sugar, vanilla and milk stirring together until combined, then whisk until smooth.
If desired, add pecans to the frosting directly, mixing to combine or sprinkle over the top of cake after frosting.
Remove cake from oven and allow to cool 5 minutes on cooling rack, whisk frosting one more time, adding a bit of milk if it’s too thick, it should be pourable and still warm. Pour warm frosting over warm cake, spreading with spatula until covered.
Serve warm or room temperature with or without a scoop of vanilla or chocolate ice cream.
Store leftover cake in airtight container or covered with plastic wrap for up to 3 days. May be refrigerated up to 7 days.
In a saucepan, melt butter. Add cocoa and stir together. Add boiling water, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Pour over flour mixture and stir lightly to cool.
In a measuring cup, pour the buttermilk and add beaten eggs, baking soda and vanilla. Stir buttermilk mixture into butter/cocoa mixture. Pour into a 18×13-inch sheet cake pan and bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes.
While cake is baking, make the icing. Chop pecans finely. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add cocoa, stir to combine, then turn off heat. Add the milk, vanilla and powdered sugar. Stir together. Add the pecans, stir together and pour over warm cake. Cut into squares.
CAKE:
Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl.
In a saucepan, melt the butter and 4 heaping tablespoons cocoa. Stir together.
Add 1 cup boiling water, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Pour over flour mixture, and stir lightly to cool.
In measuring cup, combine the buttermilk, beaten eggs, baking soda and vanilla.
Stir the buttermilk mixture into butter/chocolate mixture.
Pour into sheet cake pan and bake at 350°F for 18 to 20 minutes.
FROSTING:
While the cake is baking, melt the butter, then stir in cocoa powder, milk, vanilla, powdered sugar and pecans (if using).
Pour over warm cake.
What To Serve With The Pioneer Woman Texas Sheet Cake?
Fresh strawberries + whipped cream + torn mint leaves.
Lemon curd + chopped toasted pistachios.
Chopped peaches + whipped cream + Demerara sugar.
Fresh blueberries + simple syrup.
A scoop of vanilla ice cream + chocolate sauce.
Sliced bananas + toasted coconut + honey.
Thank you for staying with this post “pioneer woman chocolate sheet cake” until the end.