Thursday, June 2, 2011

Texas Fudge Cake

Texas Fudge Cake - made May 29, 2011 from Birthday Cakes by Kathryn Kleinman (book #117)


Ever since I made Diane's Double Chocolate Sheet Cake, I've been looking for other chocolate sheet cake recipes (sometimes known as Texas chocolate sheet cake).  They're simple, easy to make and, with the right recipe, taste really good.  I'm also a fan of cakes that call for spreading frosting over the warm cake as an added measure of decadence.  Plus, the advantage of sheet cakes is they're easy to package and there's plenty for sharing.  So if you have end-of-school-year gatherings, graduation parties and summer picnics coming up, these are good candidates as a dessert made for a crowd.

I changed two things in this recipe.  First I added a teaspoon of cinnamon to the batter.  Diane's Double Chocolate Sheet Cake had cinnamon in it and I decided I liked that combination in a cake.  Second, I made the cake in a 9" x 13" pan instead of an 11" x 15" pan, both to make the cake a little bit thicker than the normal sheet cake thickness and because I don't have an 11 x 15" pan with sides high enough to bake even a thin cake.  Bear in mind though that makes it look less like the usual sheet cake that's supposed to be flat and thin.  If you bake it in a smaller pan, you also need to adjust the baking time accordingly.

I really liked this cake - it had the perfect chocolate taste and cakey texture.  The sweetness of the icing was a perfect complement to the dark chocolate flavor of the cake and had the added bonus of running down the sides for slightly more icing along the edges.  The icing sets so you can stack the pieces on top of each other if needed and it's not too thick of a layer, even baked in a smaller pan.  Remember to use a good, high quality cocoa for the best results.

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup water
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
½ cup sour cream or buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Icing
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cup milk
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
¾ cup finely chopped nuts of your choice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1.     Preheat the oven to 350˚F.  Butter an 11-by-15-inch pan. (I used a 9 x 13.)
2.     Put the cocoa in a medium saucepan and gradually stir in the water.  Bring to a boil, add the butter and let melt.  Remove from the heat and set aside.
3.     Sift the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt together onto a piece of waxed paper.  Gradually stir the dry ingredients into the cocoa mixture.  Add the eggs, sour cream or buttermilk, and vanilla to the cocoa mixture and stir until smooth.
4.     Pour the batter into the prepared pan.  Bake for 30 minutes, or until the cake is firm to the touch in the center.
5.     While the cake is baking, make the icing: In a medium saucepan, combine the butter, milk and cocoa.  Bring to a boil and stir to melt the butter.  Add the confectioners’ sugar and beat until smooth.  Stir in the nuts and vanilla.
6.     Spread the icing over the hot cake (still in the pan).  Let cool before cutting.


17 comments:

  1. Okay,Texas Fudge Cake is one of my favorite "quick" cakes to make and this looks yummy! I remember when the "sheet" cake became a hit and I bet regionally you could find almost every state has their version! XOXO

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  2. Susan, I think Texas must've perservered more than most as the majority of sheet cake recipes I've found also list them as "Texas". I've yet to find a California or Massachusetts sheet cake recipe, lol.

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  3. Oh, I love a good Texas Sheet Cake. It's one of our family favorites. Yours looks delicous - the frosting looks like a dessert in itself. Would love it if you would post your recipe on A Well-Seasoned Life's Sweet Indulgences Sunday.

    http://www.wellseasonedlife.com/2011/06/sweet-indulgences-sunday-7.html

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  4. oh man this looks so good! I'm going to a potluck tonight and I might just make this! Hope you can swing by and link this up to my sweet treats party today!
    Ashton
    www.somethingswanky.com

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  5. Oh my gosh, that's chocolate insanity. It got the Top #1 spot for last week's Sweets for a Saturday. Congrats! Thanks for linking it up.

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  6. Hi!
    I would love for you to come and link up at A Themed Baker's Sunday, where this week is a sweet theme: Random! Yep, Whatever sweety deliciousness you made this week, you can post!
    http://cupcakeapothecary.blogspot.com/2011/06/themed-bakers-sunday-9.html
    Alyssa

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  7. Has anyone ever made this cake using self rising flour instead of the plain flour? Hardly ever have the plain flour. :(

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    1. Janette, 1 cup of self rising flour equals 1 cup of plain flour + 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder + 1/4 teaspoon salt. If you use self-rising flour for this recipe, omit the salt but you will still need at least 1/2 teaspoon of the baking soda to neutralize the acid in the buttermilk.

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  8. I make this under the name "Dream Cake" but you just must add pecans to the icing. OMG. Delish!

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  9. low key this kinda worked but the instructions were not very clear

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  10. The instructions were very clear. I don’t know what you’re talking about!

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  11. Been making this for years. Absolutely the BEST CHOCOLATE CAKE, bar none!!!!

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