Sunday, May 26, 2013

Texas Sheet Cake with Pecan Frosting

Chocolate cake topped with chocolate pecan icing! Texas sheet cake is baked and served in straight from the pan so it's easy to transport. Great for picnics or potlucks!


This week the Sunday Supper group is getting ready for summertime fun.  Picnics and family reunions in parks or at the beach!  What’s a picnic without dessert?

This cake is moist, chocolaty and altogether delicious.  I got the recipe many years ago from my friend, Sharon, who is an excellent cook as well as a delightful person with a great sense of humor.  She is also from Louisiana, so that explains a lot.  I almost always have the ingredients on hand and it's quick to put together.  You don't even have to get out your electric mixer (although sometimes I do) because it can be mixed by hand.  But the best part of all is that it is baked and frosted and served straight from the pan, so it is easily transported to a picnic or potluck or party.   If you want to make your life even easier, bake it in a disposable aluminum pan and you won’t even have anything to bring home to wash up.  Because I can assure you, there will be NO CAKE left.

Many thanks to our host for this week’s Sunday Supper, Katy from Happy Baking Days!  If you haven’t met her yet, go on over and say howdy.  She’s cute and sweet and always shares lovely recipes from her happy kitchen.  I know I have at least a few readers who cook and bake gluten-free and Katy can help you out there!

Ingredients
For the cake:
2 cups or 450g sugar
2 cups or 250g flour
1/4 cup or 20g cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup butter 115g, softened
1/2 cup or 120ml buttermilk
1/2 cup canola or other light vegetable oil
1 cup or 240ml water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the frosting:
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons or 90ml milk
1/4 cup or 20g cocoa
1/2 cup or 115g butter
16 oz or about 450g confectioners or powdered sugar, sifted (about 4 cups)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup pecans

Method
Preheat oven to 400°F.  Grease and flour a 13x9x2 inch or 33x23x4cm baking pan.

Toast your pecans in a skillet over a medium flame.  Shake the pan regularly until the fragrance of toasted nuts tells you they are done.  This takes just a few minutes.  Chop the pecans roughly and set aside.



Sift together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda and cinnamon, and set aside.


In a large mixing bowl, blend together the two eggs, softened butter, buttermilk, canola, water and vanilla.



Pour your dry ingredients into the wet ones, stirring or beating until you have a smooth, rather thin batter.



Pour into your prepared pan, and bake at 400°F for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.


While the cake is baking, prepare the frosting.

Mix the milk and cocoa in a heavy saucepan and stir, stir, stir.  I used a whisk because the cocoa sometimes doesn’t want to mix in right away.



Add the butter and, over medium heat, stir until the butter melts.



Remove from heat and gradually stir in the sugar and vanilla until smooth.




Finally, add the pecans.



When the cake is just out of the oven, spread the frosting evenly on the HOT cake.



Enjoy!


My apologies for not taking a photo of the cake being served.  I took this along to a ladies lunch and we were too busy eating to remember pictures!

Update: I MADE IT AGAIN. See, I told you it was a favorite.  So here's the photo.  This time I used Hershey's Dark Special Cocoa (Special Dark Cocoa?) so it was even more fudgy and delicious.


Make sure you check out the links below for more great picnic party ideas!


Salads and Slaws
Sandwiches and Mains
Desserts

60 comments :

  1. Oh, I can taste this! My mother-in-law makes one of these and always brought one when she came to visit in San Antonio...or whenever we went to visit her in Logansport. Tastebud memories! Definitely bookmarking...

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  2. Are you sure this cake isn't called Texas Hold 'Em? I imagine the pan roasted pecans, the luscious chocolate cake and frosting capture the senses rendering one incapable of passing on seconds! Thank you for sharing this recipe, Stacy =)

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  3. Thank you for your sweet comments and for sharing such a delicious cake - no wonder it went too fast for you to take pictures of!

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  4. Rich, chocolate-y, and with a crunch of pecans = my kind of cake. I can see how this would disappear quickly.

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  5. My favorite cake in the world. hehe I just made one a few weeks ago for #SundaySupper too. :) Yours looks amazing and your step by steps were fun! :0) And I know exactly what you mean by "it went fast" haha That's what always happens when I take one somewhere too.

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  6. No picnic is complete without a Texas sheet cake! YUM!

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  7. Always a good sign when cake is being enjoyed so much pictures aren't taken :) Plus, it's an excuse to make it again. I might try to make this with carob - it looks amazing!

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  8. Something about chocolate and pecans that just says it all for me!! Love this addition to any picnic or BBQ!!

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  9. Perfect for a picnic! or any other time :-). Chocolatey chocolate always wins at our house.

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  10. Oh, man, I love that lovely layer of frosting! I'm sure your friends did, too! Wonderful cake~

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  11. Chocolate and pecans I'm there, Stacy!

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  12. OMG Stacy - this is ridiculously decadent and delicious! I love how easy it is to put together, which means I can easily have texas sheet cake whenever I want (so dangerous). I'm drooling over that pecan frosting. I hope you're having a wonderful long weekend!

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  13. Oh wow that pecan frosting sounds incredible

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  14. This is one of those comfort foods I remember eating as a young girl at my best friend's house across the street. The cinnamon is perfect and the recipe wouldn't be the same without it!

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  15. Wow, that is one heck of a cake! I want this now!

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  16. Perfect idea for a picnic!! Love that frosting so very much!!

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  17. can you send a piece, i'm drooling.

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  18. G'day! LOVE your step by step photos, TRUE!
    I can here today as never heard of the cake and am American (NY) born and bred too!
    Cheers! Joanne
    What's On The List
    http://www.whatsonthelist.net

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  19. I can't believe I have STILL never made this cake! It looks so good!

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  20. looks delicious...

    love it...

    get shopping tips
    http://puterakd.com

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  21. You had me at Pecan Frosting. Great recipe!

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  22. Actually, I find myself making it again today for another ladies group, Kathia. If only you lived closer. I've tried to access your site but get the following message: Authentication required. Here's a screenshot. Any idea how to get around it?

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  23. Yours looks fabulous, Nicole! I missed a couple of weeks of joining Sunday Supper and being able to read everyone's posts when I was traveling without internet or I probably would have chosen something else to share. But we can never have too much chocolate cake, right?

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  24. I kind of want to drink that pecan frosting, it looks so good! perfect picnic treat!

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  25. Stacy hon - there is not only no such thing as too much chocolate cake, but more importantly there is no such thing as too much Texas Sheetcake. I think it was the perfect recipe for a #SundaySupper picnic! :)

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  26. Mmmmmm this cake looks so decadent and deeeeelicious

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  27. Whoa. This looks INTENSE. In the best possible way :)

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  28. It's not a dessert of my childhood, but I adopted it quickly!

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  29. Ha, ha! You are too funny, Kim! I couldn't hold it for long!

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  30. I made it again Monday, Katy, and finally took a photo so I'll probably update the post when I have time. Thanks so much for hosting!

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  31. Thank you! You are such a sweetheart!

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  32. Thanks, Laura, and you are so right!

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  33. Anything with pecans is my favorite, Tammi!

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  34. It is delicious but, for me, what makes it picnic worthy is how easy it is to carry along! No muss, no fuss!

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  35. It's pretty thick, Liz, and I have many friends who are in the thicker-the-frost-the-better camp. This makes them very happy.

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  36. Most welcome, Cindy! I'll save you a slice.

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  37. Sadly, it's not a long weekend in Dubai, Nancy. But I am today (Tuesday, as I finally have time to respond to comments!) headed to the US for my daughter's graduation and some R&R. Hope you had a great weekend yourself.

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  38. I agree, Kelli! You don't reeeally taste it but you know it's there, complimenting the chocolate. I know some people put even more but my friend, Sharon, says she likes to let the chocolate shine through.

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  39. Thanks, Tara! That's what I thought!

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  40. I had never heard of it either, Joanne, and I grew up mostly in Texas!

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  41. It was good, Sarah! You need to try it.

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  42. You really can't go wrong with that combo, can you, Shannon?!

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  43. Well, it's a little thick to drink, Joanne, but I have known of people who eat it with a spoon, straight out of the cooking pan. No one I know intimately, of course. :)

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  44. Intense is always best when it comes to chocolate, Lori!

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  45. I LOVE how we can all learn from each other worldwide food wise every day too! Thank you!

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  46. Oh yum! Love the frosting. This looks amazing!

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  47. Is it wrong that I really wanted to lick the batter after you showed the photo?

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  48. Stacy! I love this cake! Of course there would be no leftovers with this.. delicious!! and the frosting. . omg, YES! and please don't apologize for not having a photo of the cake being served. . your photos are AWESOME! The cake looks delish!

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  49. I think that makes you normal, Susan.

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  50. Thank you, Alice! You are so sweet.

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  51. oh man... that is one serious dessert.

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