A Little Slice of Home

Every once in a while, I just get those little cravings for home. Though I love being here at BYU and seeing the mountain scenery, something inside me longs for the long stretches of flat land and big sky that Texas holds. 

To curb those longings, I either listen to country music (this is only in an emergency. I seriously never listen to it otherwise), or I cook some Texas-y food. I've got a fabulous potato salad, blackberry cobbler, and a pulled pork recipe. I'll blog about that sometime, but today is not that day. Those ingredients are hard to come by in college. But I'm sure I will sometime! 

(By the way, if anyone gets the undying urge to buy me this shirt, I wouldn't have a problem with that....)

Anyway. Today's post is on a Texas dessert that is so mouthwateringly delicious, and yet so simple to make:

Texas sheet cake!

Seriously so good. I made an entire pan on Sunday, and my roommates and I consumed most of it in only a little over 24 hours. 

Here's how to make it!

Assemble your dry ingredients! Flour, sugar, salt, cocoa powder, and baking soda.

Mix 2 cups of sugar, 2 cups of flour, 4 tablespoons of cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon of baking soda and a 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a bowl. Mix well.

Meanwhile, heat up 1/2 cup of butter, 1 cup of water and 1/2 cup of oil. Once it's been brought to a boil, mix in with the dry ingredients.

Add two eggs and 1/2 of buttermilk. I didn't have buttermilk, so I, as the "innovative" college student I am, used sour cream (it worked just fine!).

Pour into greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, it is time to make the frosting! It settles best when it is spread on the cake fresh out of the oven, so make it while the cake is baking.

Holy yum.

So- the frosting is simple. 1/2 cup butter, 1/4 cup milk, 1/4 cup cocoa powder, melted, mixed with 1 teaspoon of vanilla and 4 cups of powdered sugar.

 Lick the spoon. Because duh. 

Once the cake comes out of the oven, spread the frosting on it. It will melt onto the warm cake in the most wonderful way possible. Serve the cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or cold milk.

And there you have it. A little slice of Texas... or heaven (same thing).

Texas Sheet Cake

Mix together:
2 C. sugar
2 C. flour
4 T. cocoa powder
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt

Bring to boil, and then add to dry ingredient:
1/2 C. butter
1/2 C. oil
1 C. water

Mix in:
1/2 C. buttermilk (or 1/2 C. milk and 2 t. of vinegar or lemon juice) (or 1/2 C. sour cream)

Pour batter into greased sheet pan. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Spread with icing while warm.

Icing:

Heat until butter melts:
1/2 C. butter
1/4 C. milk
1/4 C. cocoa powder 

Add:
1 t. vanilla
4 C. powdered sugar

Mix together well with whisk, or an electric mixer.