MELT-IN-YOUR-MOUTH TEXAS SHEET CAKE
Every single birthday, my husband requests this cake. He can’t be convinced to choose anything else, and I really can’t blame him. It’s also my go-to whenever we have company over, because it’s so quick and easy. This cake is tender and fluffy but also insanely moist. It’s everything you want in a cake! It boasts a light, not-too-rich chocolatey flavor and a soft, chewy marshmallow topping. Have I sold you yet? Make it tonight! Be careful if you’re home alone, because you’ll be tempted to eat it all.
yields 1 sheet cake, adapted from The Pioneer Woman
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 2 c flour
- 2 c sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 4 heaping T cocoa powder
- 2 sticks butter
- 1 c boiling water
- 1/2 c buttermilk*
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp vanilla
For the Frosting:
- 1 3/4 sticks butter
- 4 heaping T cocoa powder
- 6 tbsp milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 lb (minus 1/2 c) powdered sugar
- 1 10 oz bag mini marshmallows (for adding on top of the cake after frosting)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350ยบ. Grease an 18×13 jelly roll pan.
- In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt.
- In a saucepan, melt butter. Add cocoa powder and whisk together. Add boiling water, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then remove from heat. Pour over flour mixture and stir just to combine.
- In a large measuring cup, combine buttermilk, eggs, baking soda, and vanilla. Pour buttermilk mixture into chocolate mixture, and stir to combine. Pour batter into prepared jelly roll pan, and bake 17 minutes, or until just done.
- While cake is baking, prepare frosting. Melt butter in a saucepan, stir in cocoa powder, and remove from heat. Whisk in milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar.
- When cake is just set, remove from oven, and pour 3/4 of the frosting over the top. Very carefully spread the frosting so that it covers the cake. Sprinkle the marshmallows over the entire surface of the cake, then return it to the oven. *try to do this step as quickly as you can so that the cake doesn’t cool too much*
- Bake 2-4 more minutes, or until the marshmallows expand and begin to melt. You can allow them to brown, but they will get a bit hard and chewy when the cake cools.
- Remove cake from the oven and drizzle the remaining frosting over the top.
- Allow the cake to cool completely before serving.
*NOTE: I rarely have real buttermilk, because it all ends up going to waste. If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, simply pour a splash of distilled vinegar (or lemon juice) into the bottom of the measuring cup, then add regular milk on top of it until you’ve reached the 1/2 cup mark. Allow the milk to “sour” for a minute or two before adding the rest of the ingredients.
