Wednesday, March 10, 2010

High Altitude Chocolate Sheet Cake

Cake16You’ve been waiting for a new recipe haven’t you?   Well, here you go.  It’s especially for high altitude areas.  After so many cakes and cupcakes exploded in my oven I have finally begun making the proper adjustments on my recipes. I have to say that this cake is a definite keeper.  It’s delicious on so many levels.Cake Begin by combining flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl.  Set that aside.Cake1 Then in another bowl, or I like to use this measuring cup for pouring purposes later, mix together buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, and baking soda.  I love watching baking soda fizz.  It makes me feel like something is working properly.  I know I’m weird.  Take it or leave it.  :)Cake2 A mini whisk does an excellent mixing job.Cake4

Now get out a saucepan and melt your butter.Cake3Then add your cocoa. That’s the good stuff, if you like chocolate.  Whisk that together, then add 1 cup of boiling water to the mix.   Cake5 Now take that awesome, smelling chocolate mixture and pour it into your flour mixture.Cake6 Mix that up.  It’s starting to look like a cake mix right?Cake7 After you have mixed that, pour in that egg mixture.Cake8 Stir it together until it’s smooth.Cake9Next take out your sheet pan and pour that cake mix into it.  You’ll want to lick the batter.  Try and contain yourself though, because the cake tastes much better once it has been cooked. Cake10 Although if you’re one to sample cookie dough when you make cookies then be my guest.  Maybe you’ll like cake batter.  I’m not one of those cookie dough eaters.  My loss, right?  Anyways, go ahead and stick that cake in the oven now.

Cake11While the cake is baking melt some more butter.  I just rinsed out the same pan and reused it. Cake12 Add more cocoa and some powdered sugar.

Cake13

Mix it really well.  You don’t want lumps.  This is the icing that will go over the cake.

 Cake14 Cake15

Now your cake should be just about ready.  Pull it out of the oven.  Take your icing and pour it over the warm cake.  Just let it ooze all over the cake.  You don’t want to try and spread this on a warm cake.  It could be messy.

Cake17  Sit back and admire the beautiful pool of chocolate icing over this delicious chocolate cake.Cake18 Then go ahead and devour it because you know you want to.   If you make this be sure to shoot me an email or leave a comment.  I’d love to hear how it turned out.

This Chocolate Sheet Cake recipe was adapted from The Pioneer Woman. It has been altered to prevent any cake overflow onto the bottom of my oven.  I love living at high altitude!

Ingredients:

Cake

  • 2 cups + 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1 3/4 cup sugar
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 pound butter
  • 4 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 1 cup boiling water

Icing

  • 1 3/4 sticks butter
  • 4 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 6 tablespoons milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 pound powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

  1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and salt.  Stir together and set aside.
  2. In another bowl, mix the buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, and baking soda.  Mix together and set aside.
  3. In a medium saucepan, melt butter.  Then add cocoa.  Whisk together.
  4. Meanwhile boil 1 cup of water.  Add to saucepan.
  5. Pour the chocolate mixture into the flour mixture. Stir it together.
  6. Then add it all to the egg mixture.  Stir it together until it’s smooth.
  7. Then pour it into an ungreased jelly roll pan.   Stick it in the oven for 20 minutes.
  8. While the cake is baking make the icing.  Melt the butter in a saucepan.
  9. Add the cocoa and stir until it’s smooth
  10. Add vanilla and milk. 
  11. Then add the powdered sugar and stir until it’s smooth.
  12. Immediately after you remove your cake from the oven, pour the warm icing over the top of the cake.  It should just flow freely all over and you shouldn’t need to spread it.  In fact you should try and avoid spreading.
  13. Lastly, eat it!  Eat lots of it because it’s so good.

5 comments:

Lauren said...

Anything that involves four sticks of butter is right up my alley. Looks delish.

DeAnn Hein said...

I'm so making that! Ditto on Lauren's butter comment.

Unknown said...

I absolutely agree. Butter makes everything great! I think that 's why I liked it so much. I love chocolate, but not so much in the form of cakes and brownies, but this recipe made me love chocolate cake!

Unknown said...

I have been making what we call a Texas Sheet cake for years and everyone loves it. My daughter now lives at a high altitude and when she made this cake it did not turn out well. I so happy that you came up with a high altitude recipe for this cake. Another thing is we add nuts to the frosting either pecans or walnuts... makes it even yummier...
Thank You

Unknown said...

I have made a cake like this for years only we call it Texas Sheet Cake. It is always a big hit wherever I take it. My daughter now lives at a high altitude and she baked this cake it did not turn out well. I am so happy to find this recipe that is for higher altitudes. One thing more we add nuts to the frosting around here, either pecans or walnuts it just adds more yummy to the cake. Thank You so much!!