Last week I posted a recipe of my mom’s for a Cranberry Orange Granola Bar so this week I decided to post one of my mother-in-law’s recipes, Texas Sheet Cake! I know I got lucky because I loved my mother-in-law as much as my own mom. I am very aware not everyone gets to say that.
She was an amazing woman who raised an incredible family. Her adventurous (and wonderful) cooking fed an army every day. With Joe being the youngest of eight kids, who all lived in their hometown, there was always a crowd for Sunday afternoon dinner whenever we would visit. We always had dessert and this Texas Sheet Cake fed a crowd. I remember it so fondly.
The magic ingredient in Texas Sheet Cake is…
What I found so interesting about this recipe is she wrote down two sticks of Oleo which is margarine. Come to think of it, margarine was all we had in the house when I was growing up. I don’t remember butter really. However, now all I have in the house is butter. I don’t buy margarine at all. So I made this cake with butter. Twice. It just wasn’t right. I finally went to the store and bought margarine. Just like that the third times a charm. The margarine totally made the difference so if you are giving this one a try don’t skip it. Margarine is the magic ingredient!
Let’s get nuts…
It is common to top this cake with a nut as well. I remember walnuts being the “go to” here. I am not a huge fan of walnuts so I CANDIED THEM!! Okay I’m not going to lie this totally elevated this already amazing cake. I really think it’s worth this extra step.
I hope the next time you need to take something to a cookout, potluck or a party you raise your hand for dessert and take this cake. You won’t regret it and don’t forget to let me know how you made out. It’s just SO good!
We’ll start by candying your nuts…😉
Shall we make cake?
Now this is the “icing on the cake”
Texas Sheet Cake
Ingredients for Walnuts
- 1 cup walnuts chopped.
- 1 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter.
- 1/4 cup (50g) sugar.
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt.
Directions for Candied Walnuts
- Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat.
- Add nuts, salt and sugar to melted butter.
- Stir until nuts are evenly coated.
- Continue to stir occasionally until sugar melts and nuts start to get a candy coating. (approx 3-5min).
- Pour out on to a piece of parchment paper to cool.
Ingredients for Cake
- 2 sticks oleo (margarine).
- 1 cup water.
- 4 tablespoons cocoa.
- 2 cups (240g) cake flour (all-purpose flour is also fine, still 2 cups (300g).
- 2 cups (400g) sugar.
- 1/2 teaspoon salt.
- 2 eggs room temperature.
- 1/2 cup sour cream.
- 1 teaspoon baking soda.
Directions for Cake
- Preheat oven to 375°
- Combine flour, sugar, salt and set aside.
- Combine 2 eggs and sour cream and set aside.
- In a pot bring to a boil, 2 sticks of margarine, 1 cup of water and 4 tablespoons of cocoa.
- Pour over dry ingredients and blend well.
- Add eggs/sour cream and baking soda to batter and mix well.
- Pour in to a lightly greased sheet pan. Batter will be very thin. Make sure it has spread evenly.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
- Clean your pot and beaters, you are going to use again for your ganache.
- When the cake has about 5 minutes left to bake, start your ganache because you want to pour this over a HOT CAKE.
Ingredients for Ganache
- 1 stick oleo (margarine).
- 6 tablespoons whole milk.
- 4 tablespoons cocoa.
- 1 lb. confectioners sugar.
- 1 teaspoon vanilla.
Directions for Ganache
- Bring to a boil, 1 stick margarine, 6 tablespoons milk and 4 tablespoons of cocoa.
- Pour over powdered sugar and add vanilla.
- Beat until just blended. This should have the consistency of a hot fudge.
- Pour over HOT CAKE and spread evenly.
- Add candied walnuts and let set.
ENJOY!
