Texas Sheet Cake - Chocolate Buttermilk Cake with Mocha-Fudge Pecan Icing
Equipment
Ingredients
Chocolate Buttermilk Sheet Cake
melt together:
- 1 cup cold water
- ½ cup canola or neutral vegetable oil
- ½ cup salted butter (4 oz, 8 tbsp or 1 standard stick)
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
dry ingredients
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 cups all purpose flour (substitute whole wheat flour for up to 1 cup)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp kosher salt
wet ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- ⅔ cup whole-fat buttermilk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Mocha-Fudge Frosting
- ¼ cup salted butter (2 oz, 4 tbsp, or half a standard stick)
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 tbsp milk, cream, or coffee
- 2 tsp instant espresso powder or instant coffee
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
garnish
- 1 cup chopped pecans, toasted (substitute walnuts or roasted peanuts)
Instructions
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 375℉ (190℃).
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 the boiled frosting when the cake is almost done baking, though you can make it earlier, cover it tightly, and rewarm before pouring over your cake.
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).
Notes
Notes on Nutritional Information: Values shown are estimates, based on using canola oil, whole buttermilk, and salted butter, and with the icing made with whole milk, and topped with chopped pecans. Changing ingredients or quantities will alter the estimates shown.
Nutrition
Calories: 411kcalCarbohydrates: 52gProtein: 4gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 48mgSodium: 269mgPotassium: 135mgFiber: 2gSugar: 37gVitamin A: 325IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 34mgIron: 2mg
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