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Joen's Recipes Texas Sheet Cake--A Summer Delight for Teenagers & Crowds Ingredients Combine the following ingredients: 2 cups flour 2 cups sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt Bring to boil the following ingredients. Then pour this mixture over the flour mixture. Blend them together well. 1 cup water 1/2 cup butter (also measured as 1 cube; one-fourth pound; or 4 ounces) 1/2 cup oil 4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa (bakers? cocoa) Combine the following and add it to the above ingredients: 2 eggs, beaten lightly 1 1/2 teaspoons soda 1/2 cup buttermilk 1 teaspoon vanilla Frosting Ingredients: 1/2 cup butter (1 cube butter; 1/4 pound; 4 ounces) 4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa (I use ?heaping? tablespoons) 5-6 tablespoons milk (or thereabouts) 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 box powdered sugar (1 lb.) Optional: 1 package or 1 cup chopped pecans Directions After you have mixed the ingredients together, place the mixture in a greased and floured 15"?x 10"?sheet cake pan. (I use a jelly roll pan, which is similar to a cookie sheet, but it has slightly higher sides than a cookie sheet.) Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from the cake center. FROSTING It is important you make the frosting before the cake finishes baking, as you want to put the frosting on the cake while it is still hot. The frosting melts on the cake. The two are scrumptious together. Place butter, cocoa, and milk in a small saucepan. Heat mixture until the butter melts and the mixture simmers. Place powdered sugar in a bowl. Slowly pour chocolate mixture over the sugar, stirring well so it remains smooth. Add vanilla and nuts (if desired). Beat well so all is mixed throughout. Pour over cake. Gently frost. The cake is ready to eat! Notes Years ago when my children were young, one of my friends gave me a recipe for a delicious chocolate sheet cake. It became our family?s favorite chocolate cake recipe, usurping my own childhood favorite. Because I am not fond of buttermilk, I used to shy away from recipes using buttermilk. In my naivete, I did not realize buttermilk adds so much to the taste of cakes, biscuits, waffles, etc. This is especially true with chocolate cakes. This recipe uses buttermilk, but do not let that deter you from making this cake if you are not a buttermilk connoisseur. Since Texas Sheet Cake is very rich, only small portions needed to be served. It is a great cake for a crowd. It is particularly popular with teenagers. This cake is wonderful to take on picnics or potlucks. If you have teenagers, or if you have a house full of hungry chocolate lovers, you will want to make this cake often. With regard to the name, I have no clue as to its origin. I have never known if the name referred to the size of the cake (very large), or if the recipe originated in Texas. If the recipe originated in Texas, my family and all who have eaten this cake thank the Texans for it! Go back to recipes