This cake almost always gets rave reviews. It is similar to the one Ree over at Pioneer Woman Cooks calls The Best Chocolate Sheet Cake. Ever. The only difference I can find is that my recipe includes a teaspoon of cinnamon and is cooked in a 9 X 13 inch pan rather than a jelly roll pan. So my cake is a little thicker than Ree’s and has a subtle cinnamon flavor that enhances the taste but leaves most people wondering what makes the cake different. You can leave out the cinnamon if you like and/or bake it in a larger pan if you would rather have a thinner layer. We think it is just perfect the way it is.
I got my original recipe approximately forty years ago in Home Ec class. A new girl at school brought the recipe for us to try in class. (Was it a coincidence that she was from Texas?) This cake is so good that it has been a family staple ever since.
TEXAS CHOCOLATE SHEET CAKE:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks butter
3 tablespoons cocoa
2 eggs — well beaten
1 teaspoon soda
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup water
Sift flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt together. In saucepan, add butter, water and cocoa and bring to boil. Pour this over flour mixture. In another bowl, beat eggs, soda, buttermilk and vanilla. Add this to flour and chocolate mixture and mix well. Place in greased and floured 9 X 13-inch pan. Bake at 350° until done – about 25 minutes.
ICING:
1 stick margarine
1 box powdered sugar
3 tablespoons cocoa
1/2 cup nuts
6 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
About 10 minutes before cake is done, mix all ingredients except sugar and nuts in saucepan and heat until butter is melted. Do not boil. Remove from heat, add sugar and beat well. Stir in nuts. Pour and spread over cake as soon as it comes out of oven.
