Chocolate Sheet Cake with Fudge Icing.

This is a staple of most Southern cookbooks, and for good reason. It is hard to find a better chocolate cake anywhere. I can have this cake made in 45 minutes, start to finish.

INGREDIENT LIST (for Isabelle, who likes to see a list of everything needed from the very beginning!

2 cups sugar

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup water

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 sticks butter

7 TBSP baking cocoa

1/2 cup whole milk buttermilk

1 tsp baking soda

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 pound powdered sugar (1 box)

6 TBSP evaporated milk or half & half

1 cup ground pecans or walnuts 

Chocolate Sheet Cake with Fudge Icing

STEP 1:
Combine the following ingredients in a large mixing bowl:
2 cups sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt

STEP 2:
Bring the following three ingredients to a boil:
1 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 stick butter

When above boils, add 3 TBSP baking cocoa, whisking well after each. 

STEP 3:
While waiting on the above to boil, mix together:

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon baking soda

Beat two eggs, then add to buttermilk mixture & beat together well. 

STEP 4:

Add cocoa mixture to dry ingredients and stir well, then stir in buttermilk mixture. 

Stir in 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract. 

STEP 5:

Pour mixture into ungreased 11”X15” (jelly roll) pan. Bake in preheated 350° oven for 20 minutes. Check every two minutes after 18 minutes. When a toothpick comes out clean in several spots on the cake, remove and cover with icing WHILE STILL HOT.

ICING:
While cake is baking, in a large bowl whisk together:

1 pound (1 box) of powdered sugar

3-4 tablespoons of cocoa

Whisk until fully incorporated with no big lumps of cocoa.

Heat over very low heat:

1 stick of butter

6 tablespoons of evaporated milk (or half & half)

until butter melts. Stir butter mixture into sugar mixture. 

Add 1 cup of chopped pecans (or walnuts) and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Stir together well and keep warm until cake comes out of oven.