BAKE: Texas Sheet Cake – Chocolate Buttermilk Cake with Mocha-Fudge Pecan Icing

• Chocolate Buttermilk Sheet Cake Ingredients
• Mocha Fudge Boiled Icing Ingredients
• Kitchen Equipment Needed
• How to Make Texas Sheet Cake
• Storage & Serving Ideas
• Texas Sheet Cake – Chocolate Buttermilk Cake with Mocha-Fudge Pecan Icing

This Texas sheet cake recipe is absolute perfection, with a buttermilk tang accenting the rich chocolate cake layer, drizzled with a bittersweet fudgy mocha frosting while it’s still warm, then topped with a sprinkle of crunchy chopped pecans. This dense chocolate cake is classic comfort food, and a recipe you’ll come back to again and again.

Best of all, you don’t need a mixer to make this cake batter, or the easy boiled fudge frosting. It’s lightning fast to throw this Texas-sized sheet cake together, and the mocha frosting cooks in less time than it takes to bake the cake.

You can leave out the coffee to make a plain fudge frosting, but I highly recommend trying the mocha frosting. The bittersweet mocha fudge balances out the sweetness of the cake and the buttery crunch of the pecans. It’s a quick and easy boiled frosting, that you start after the cake is baking and pour over the still-warm cooling cake.

This chocolate buttermilk sheet cake is moist and tender, and freezes or stores well. It travels like a champ, especially if you have a covered 9″x13″ baking pan or covered sheet cake carrier. You’ll be the potluck hero! Or, bake this cake for dessert this week, and stash a few slices in the freezer to pull out for surprise guests or those comfort food emergencies that can only be soothed by chocolate.

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Chocolate Buttermilk Sheet Cake Ingredients

Flour:

This recipe uses all purpose white flour. You can substitute whole wheat flour for up to half of the ap flour, though the cake will be more dense and less tender.

Sugar:

Use regular granulated white sugar in the sheet cake.

Buttermilk:

The buttermilk adds tangy flavor, and the acid in the buttermilk helps tenderize the cake. I use full-fat cultured buttermilk, which is best if you can get it. You can also use soured whole milk (sour it by adding a teaspoon or two of lemon juice or vinegar), plain kefir, or plain yogurt diluted with milk to a thick buttermilk consistency.

Butter:

I use salted butter when making this cake, but you can substitute unsalted butter if you need to reduce the sodium in the recipe.

Oil:

Use a light, neutrally flavored vegetable oil. I usually use canola oil, but you can use blended vegetable oil, sunflower seed oil, grapeseed oil, or avocado oil.

Cocoa:

Use a good quality cocoa powder.

Leavening:

The baking soda reacts with the acid in the buttermilk or sour milk to produce air bubbles to leaven this chocolate sheet cake. Because baking soda is single-acting (unlike many baking powders, which react to moisture, pH, and heat), it’s important to preheat your oven and bake the cake soon after mixing while the batter is light and airy.

Flavoring:

Vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt if you like.

Fudgy Mocha Frosting:

While you can use other icings on this cake, a boiled fudge frosting is traditional, easy, and delicious!

Pecans:

Toasted pecans are the usual garnish for this cake, though you can substitute other nuts (roasted salted peanuts or toasted walnuts are both delicious variations). You can of course omit them if you are cooking for a group with nut-allergies… try crunchy rainbow sprinkles for a fun pop of color!

Mocha Fudge Boiled Icing Ingredients

Powdered sugar:

Use powdered (confectioner’s) icing sugar for the boiled mocha fudge frosting. You can sift it if it has hard lumps, but otherwise just whisk it well to break up any softer clumps.

Cocoa:

Use unsweetened cocoa powder. Either dutched or regular cocoa powder will do.

Butter:

I use salted butter, but you can use unsalted butter if you need to reduce the sodium in the frosting. The salt helps balance the sweetness of the frosting.

Flavoring:

The mocha flavor comes from either instant coffee or espresso powder. Use espresso powder if you can get it for a richer mocha flavor. You can also use coffee instead of all or part of the milk or cream addition. A bit of vanilla extract adds depth of flavor, though you could also use pecan, hazelnut, or maple flavoring, and a pinch of salt adds balance.

Milk or cream:

I use either whole milk or half and half in this frosting, though you can use heavy cream, or brewed coffee for all or part of the liquid addition.

Kitchen Equipment Needed

9″x13″ baking pan:

I use a standard or deep 9″x13″ Pyrex baking pan with a lid to make and store this cake. You can also use a metal cake pan, though you may need to adjust the baking time.

Mixing bowls:

This cake is easily mixed by hand, since the butter is melted rather than having to be creamed into the batter. You’ll want one large mixing bowl, and two smaller ones (or large measuring cups) to whisk the dry ingredients and the egg and buttermilk separately before mixing the batter.

Small or medium saucepan:

You can use the same pan for melting the butter together with the cocoa for the cake and then again for the boiled frosting to save a dish, since you don’t start the frosting until after the cake is already baking.

How to Make Texas Sheet Cake

melt butter with cocoa:

• In a small to medium saucepan, combine the butter, vegetable oil, cocoa powder, and cold water.
• Heat over medium heat to melt the butter, stirring regularly.
• Bring just up to a boil, then turn off the heat and let cool just slightly while you measure the other ingredients.

combine dry ingredients:

• In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, and salt.
• Whisk, sift, or stir until they are well combined.

combine liquid ingredients:

• In a small bowl or large liquid measuring cup, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla.
• Preheat the oven to 375F.

add cocoa to flour mixture:

• Pour the melted cocoa and butter mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients.
• Scrape the pot well, and then fold the chocolate into the dry ingredients until they are just moistened throughout.

mix in wet ingredients:

• Pour the whisked buttermilk, egg, and vanilla mixture into the cake batter, and fold well until the batter is well-mixed.

prepare pan & add batter:

• Brush your 9″x13″ baking pan with butter and flour it, or spray it with baking spray, or brush it with cake goop.
• Pour the sheet cake batter into the pan. It should be thin enough to spread itself, but level it out if needed.

bake sheet cake:

• Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 35-45 minutes.
• Set the pan on a wire rack to let it cool slightly in the pan while you make the icing. I usually start it when the cake is almost done baking.

boil the mocha fudge frosting:

• Melt the butter in a medium saucepan on low heat.
  • You can use a double boiler to make sure the icing doesn’t scorch, but you can cook it over direct heat if you stir it constantly.
• Add in the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, milk/cream/coffee, and the instant coffee or espresso powder, and bring to a low simmer over low to medium heat.
• Keep the icing at a low simmer for about five minutes, stirring constantly over direct heat or frequently over a double boiler.
• Remove from heat, add the vanilla (or any other flavoring extracts as you like), and stir well.
• Pour the mocha icing over the still-warm cake, letting it spread and soak in to the cake.
• When the icing has just started to set, sprinkle the top with chopped pecans or other nuts, or colorful sprinkles (for a nut-free cake).

Storage & Serving Ideas

You can serve this cake right away, keep it at room temperature for a day or two, or cover and refrigerate it for up to a week. This chocolate cake also freezes well, either whole or sliced into portions.