Texas Sheet Cake Brownies

Texas Sheet Cake Brownies - made February 17, 2019 from The Brownie Lover's Cookbook by Daniel Humphreys

I think the "brownies" part of the title is a misnomer. Brownies to me are more dense and fudgy than cake and normally don't have much, if any, leavening. This was made as a normal Texas Sheet Cake, including baking powder for the leavening, and had the lighter texture of a cake, not a brownie.

And like all the other previous Texas Sheet Cakes I've made, it's delicious. Like cut-yourself-another-piece delicious.

I'm in experimenting mode for my niece's wedding this fall. I think I mentioned my wedding gift to the bride and groom was to make their wedding dessert bar for the reception. My niece likes Texas Sheet Cakes and wanted to have that as one of the dessert offerings. I'm trying to fancy it up so rather than baking it as a sheet cake and serving it as cut squares (pssh, anyone can do that), I toyed with fancying it up and baking in silicone dome molds. Turn it over dome side up and blanket with the frosting for a smooth(ish) glazed look. I may also drizzle the glazed domes with white chocolate or caramel or milk chocolate

These turned out delicious as most of the Texas Sheet Cake recipes I've made have. But, as aforementioned, these were too cakey to be brownies. They weren't even cakey brownies. They were....cakes. Which I'm fine with. I just don't think I can call them "brownies". They're little cakes. Delicious little cakes but cakes nonetheless. Next time I need to thin the glaze a little so it pours more evenly and doesn't set so fast. But I think I'm getting close for this section of the wedding dessert table.

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 cup butter
1 cup water
5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

Icing
6 tablespoons milk
5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup butter
4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with foil and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Beat in the sour cream and eggs; set aside.
3. In a medium-sized pan over low heat, melt the butter. Add water and whisk in the cocoa powder until combined. Bring to boil before removing from heat.
4. Cool mixture slightly then temper into the egg mixture, before adding all of the wet ingredients and beat until smooth and combined.
5. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, about 20-25 minutes.
6. Icing: in a medium saucepan, combine milk with cocoa powder and butter. Whisk until melted and smooth. Bring to boil before removing from the heat. Stir in the powdered sugar and vanilla extract, mixing until well blended and no lumps remain. Spread frosting over warm cake.