Let Them Eat Cake, Again - Revisiting My Favorite Chocolate Sheet Cake

Yes, I've been doing it again. Craving things that need to be baked, yet not wanting to bake because it's just too stinking hot. Actually, this dish, while it does require baking, doesn't keep the oven going for very long. So now that our highs have dipped into the mid-90s, perhaps I'll give it a go. That is, just as soon as I have guests/other people to help me eat it. Otherwise... Well, you get the picture.

* * * *

Over the years, I've seen this chocolate sheet cake called by many different names, with slight variations to the recipe. Usually the fat. All use some butter or margarine. From there, some add more butter, some shortening, others oil. I generally use oil, but the choice is up to you, because the amount does not differ.

Here's what you'll need:

1/2 C (or one stick) butter or margarine

3 T cocoa

1/2 C oil (or butter, or shortening--whatever floats your boat)

1 C water

2 eggs

2 C sugar

1/2 C buttermilk

2 C flour

1 t baking soda

1 t vanilla

First, read entire the recipe and directions before starting. Y'all have no idea how many times I've gotten myself into trouble because I've failed to adhere to this rule.

In a medium sauce pan, bring butter, cocoa, water, and oil to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently.

While mixture is cooking, add eggs to sugar and mix well.

Don't forget to give your cocoa mixture another stir.

To the eggs and sugar add buttermilk, flour, soda and vanilla and mix well. It will be thick and kind of stiff.

Once your cocoa mixture has come to a boil, add it to the buttermilk mixture and blend well, making sure to scrape sides and bottom of bowl.

Pour into greased and floured sheet cake pan, tilting pan until batter is evenly spread.

Bake in 400 degree oven for 15 minutes.

While cake is baking, prepare frosting.

For that, you will need:

1/2 C (or one stick) of butter

6 T buttermilk

2 T cocoa

1 box (or 4 1/2 C) powdered sugar

1 t vanilla

1 C chopped pecans or walnuts

In a large saucepan, bring butter, buttermilk, and cocoa to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently, if not constantly.

When mixture comes to a boil, add powdered sugar and vanilla, stirring until smooth.

Stir in nuts.

By now, your cake should be done.

Pour frosting over HOT cake, spreading to edges.

Voila! An entire cake ready in less than an hour.

However, once cooled, it may not last long.

 * * * *

You know, it really is the simple things in life that make us happy. And this, my friends, in simple.

So since simple makes us happy...

Happy Tuesday, y'all!

Of Mice and Men and Cakes

Hello all! The Fresh Pioneer is back and even though we're in the thick of produce heaven. I thought I'd share my recent cake adventure. (Also, I'm hugely competitive and saw Mindy's post on chocolate cake. I just can't let her get away with that kind of thing. So, watch and learn. Nominate your favorite. Winner gets.... cake at midnight with no guilt.)

  Now, I saw this recipe in a cookbook at the library and jotted it down. (Those last three words are important. I have notoriously bad handwriting. And am lazy. And take lots of shortcuts telling myself I'll remember what language I was writing in later, "for sure"!)

 

  It was for a green grasshopper cake. Not the bug, the flavor. It looks sort of like this.

 

But with chocolate inside, so maybe sort of like this. But also a bit like this...

(pictures removed so we don't get sued for copyright!)

You get the gist. I had some ingredients and some VAGUE idea of the order and an even vaguer idea of what it was going to look like, except that is was going to be stunning. And everyone would ooh over it and think I should take up professional cake decorating. All my friends would want one for their birthdays, I just knew it!

The recipe called for heavy cream. That should have been my first hint of impending disaster. Heavy cream and lemon juice mixed together in a bowl?? Probably wrote something down wrong but I told myself it would be FINE.

(Side note: the worst thing my husband has ever called me is 'stubborn woman'. Not too bad, eh? But in his conservative culture, being a stubborn woman ranks right down there with psychopathic axe murderer. Now, I've been raised to embrace that stubborn streak. It's got me where I am today! Which is... making this cake.)

Now, I added and mixed and melted chocolate and turned around three times with my arms in the air. It came out of the oven looking like this. SUCCESS!! Of course I celebrated because I KNEW this would be beautiful.

And my first clue was this sad little layer. But hey, it's on the bottom. No one will notice.

Um, you know, a little of that pretty green frosting with peppprmint extract and we still have a chance. I KNOW IT WILL BE AMAZING! So, I mix the frosting with (I think it said this, pretty sure... sort of) more heavy cream, cup of real butter, powdered sugar.

Um. Um, um, um. I'm sweating now. Where is the pretty cake?? Don't panic. THINK. Kids are in the next room, excited to see the work of art. Husband is... I think he gave up and went outside somwhere around the time I couldn't read the instructions, about an hour and a half ago.

So, I have these leftover pieces of the cake when it fell apart. Maybe this? Maybe not. Looks like a gangrenous zombie bear gone bad.

Okay, zombies, scary... Hey, it's close to Hallowe'en! We usually straddle the line somewhere between All Saint's Day (dress as your favorite martyr, the bloodier the better) and avoid those crazy costumes that scare small children. We always have candy for the trick or treaters, carve pumpkins, celebrate the fun holiday, and go to church the next day. So, hey, I'm all over a Hallowe'en cake... in September.

Um, after some hair and eyes and blue pimples...

He needed a mouth! A scary red mouth...

Now, this is why everyone should be surrounded by young children at least once a day. Because whatever you do is AWESOME. He thinks this is wayyyyy better than that other green one with the chocolate shavings. This one has a MOUTH.
  Don't know what I'll do when they're teenagers and can't be distracted by candy eyeballs.
 My oldest daughter looked at it and said, "Hey this reminds me of that poem with the mouse. You know, the one who loses his nest?"

 Ohhhhh, right. Here's the famous part that Steinbeck made more famous.

"But little Mouse, you are not alone,

In proving foresight may be vain:

The best laid schemes of mice and men

Go often awry,

And leave us nothing but grief and pain,

For promised joy!"

 
  If he were here, I'd offer Mr. Burns a bit of this cake. I think he might appreciate the tragedy of it all. He could have a slice with some hair AND some eyeballs. Because we disappointed types have to stick together.


So, go ahead and vote for the one you'd want to see on your table. (Sorry, Mindy, I already know what they're going to say. Who'd want to see that sky-high tower of chocolatey goodness when they could have a cake with HAIR??)

Easy (and Yummy) Chocolate Sheet Cake

The Texan here. This weekend was a special occasion in our house. It's rare that I have all of my kids and grand kids home at the same time, so this was really a treat. Of course, I made sure they were well fed. Naturally, our big meal was Sunday. We had smoked brisket and chicken, corn on the cob, fried potatoes, cabbage, homemade guacamole, and the list goes on. So when I realized I'd forgotten about dessert, I went for an old stand-by. One sure to please every palate. You can never go wrong with this easy chocolate sheet cake.

Over the years, I've seen this recipe called by many different names, with slight variations to the recipe. Usually the fat. All use some butter or margarine. From there, some add more butter, some shortening, others oil. I generally use oil, but the choice is up to you, because the amount does not differ.

Here's what you'll need:

• 1/2 C (or one stick) butter or margarine
• 3 T cocoa
• 1/2 C oil (or butter, or shortening--whatever floats your boat)
• 1 C water
• 2 eggs
• 2 C sugar
• 1/2 C buttermilk
• 2 C flour
• 1 t baking soda
• 1 t vanilla

First, read entire the recipe and directions before starting. Y'all have no idea how many times I've gotten myself into trouble because I've failed to adhere to this rule.

In a medium sauce pan, bring butter, cocoa, water, and oil to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently.

While mixture is cooking, add eggs to sugar and mix well.

Be sure to give your cocoa mixture a stir.

Now add buttermilk, flour, soda, and vanilla, to eggs and sugar mixture and beat well. This will be thick and kinda stiff.

Once your cocoa mixture has come to a boil, add to above and blend well, making sure to scrape sides and bottom of bowl.

Pour into greased and floured sheet cake pan, tilting pan until batter is evenly spread.

Bake in 400 degree oven for 15 minutes.

While cake is baking, prepare frosting. For that, you will need:

• 1/2 C (or one stick) of butter or margarine
• 6 T buttermilk
• 2 T cocoa
• 1 box (or 4 1/2 C) powdered sugar
• 1 t vanilla
• 1 C chopped pecans or walnuts

In a large saucepan, bring butter, buttermilk, and cocoa to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently, if not constantly. 

When mixture comes to a boil, add powdered sugar and vanilla, stirring until smooth.

Stir in nuts.

By now, your cake should be done.

Pour frosting over HOT cake, spreading to edges.

Voila! An entire cake ready in less than an hour.

However, once cooled, it may not last long.

What a fun time we all had together. That is, until Grammy started taking WAY too many pictures. Oh, but what treasured memories for all. None of which had to do with cake.





Is food a big part of your family gatherings? Is there one person that usually does all the cooking, or does everyone have their part?

Happy Tuesday, y'all.