PW's Chocolate Sheet Cake

I love it when I find a recipe that makes enough for a crowd, it is YUMMY YUMMY and it is quick and easy to make.....along with the fact that it is a recipe coming from one of my Queens of Cooking (QoC) Ree Drummond - I worship this lady!!!! (if you haven't figured that out yet).

This chocolate cake is to die to for.  It's moist.  It's rich (but not too rich).  It has a sinful frosting on top of it.   Enough said.   Let's get down to business....here is the recipe......

Pioneer Woman's Chocolate Sheet Cake

(found on Ree Drummond's site and her lovely cookbook)

Cake Ingredients:

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup buttermilk (if you don't have any just add 1tbsp of distilled white vinegar or lemon juice to 1 cup low-fat milk...I usually do this instead of buying a whole container of buttermilk for one recipe)

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp baking soda

2 sticks butter (remember this is making a big cake...so don't freak out over the amount of butter too much)

4 heaping tbsp cocoa powder

1 cup boiling water

Icing Ingredients:

1 3/4 sticks butter (don't freak...you will be OK)

4 heaping tbsp of cocoa powder

6 tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 pound powdered sugar

1/2 cup finely chopped pecans (optional)

Cake directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  

2. In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar and salt.  Stir together and set aside.

3. In another bowl mix the buttermilk, eggs, vanilla and baking soda (yes, the baking soda). Mix with a fork and set aside.

4. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and then add in cocoa.  Whisk together to combine.  Meanwhile, bring 1 cup water to a boil.

5. When the butter is fully melted, pour the boiling water into the butter/cocoa mixture.

Allow mixture to bubble for a moment and then turn off the heat.

6. Pour the chocolate mixture into the flour mixture.

Stir together for a moment to cool the chocolate and then pour in the egg mixture.

7.  Stir together until smooth.....

...then pour into an ungreased jelly roll pan (or a rimmed baking sheet).  Bake for 20 minutes.

*While your cake is baking make the icing - you will need the icing as soon as the cake comes out of the oven. Below is the group of ingredients needed to create your frosting.....

Icing Directions:

1. Melt butter in a saucepan over low-medium heat (you can easily use the saucepan that was used for the cake - just wash it out a bit before you use it for the 2nd time).

2. Add the cocoa powder to melted butter and stir until smooth.

3. Next add in milk and vanilla and then the powdered sugar.  Stir all together.

4. If you choose to use the chopped pecans now is the time to dump them into the icing mixture. Stir in nuts until well combined.

5. Immediately after removing the cake from the oven, pour the warm icing over the top of cake.  As you pour the icing over the cake, distribute as evenly as possible for you will want to avoid spreading the icing with a spoon as much as possible.

Enjoy this yummy yummy cake with a crowd....you will definitely have enough!

I served mine with my first ever made-by-scratch-homemade vanilla ice cream - WHAT A TRRRRREAT!!!

Happy Chocolate Sheet Cake Baking!

~avril :-)