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Chocolate Buttermilk Sheet Cake

Servings: Makes 24 servings
Comments:
Whether you know this cake as a "Texas Sheet Cake" or just a good old-fashioned chocolate cake, you're going to love it. This is a great cake to serve at a children's birthday party, or for adults and children alike anytime. This cake is so easy to make, and is just the thing when you need a delicious dessert in a hurry. Try it, you won't be sorry.


Ingredients:
For the Cake:
1/2 cup (1 stick/4 oz./113g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

For the Frosting:
1/2 cup (1 stick/4 oz./113g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
3 tablespoons buttermilk
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)


Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F/200 degrees C. Butter and flour a 9 x 13-inch baking pan.

For the Cake:
In a medium saucepan on medium heat, melt the butter and cocoa with the 1 cup water.

With an electric mixer, beat together the melted butter mixture, vegetable oil, vanilla and baking soda. Beat in sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, then the buttermilk and lightly beaten eggs. Spread batter in prepared baking pan. Bake cake in preheated oven until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean, 20-25 minutes. Transfer cake (in pan) to cooling rack.

For the Frosting:
Melt butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat. Whisk in confectioners' sugar, buttermilk, cocoa powder and vanilla.

Pour warm frosting over warm cake, spreading evenly. Sprinkle cake with chopped nuts, if using. Let cake cool completely in pan on wire rack before slicing (cake can be prepared 1 day ahead; cover and let stand at room temperature.) When ready to serve, cut cake into 24 squares.

Makes 1 (9 x 13-inch) sheet cake, 24 servings.


Date: November 10, 2007