Recipes from the TBI Team
Texas Sheet Cake
There are certain sweet scents that take you back to childhood, sparking memories of family gatherings, warm holidays and hearty laughter. For me, that scent is my grandmother’s famous Texas Sheet Cake, freshly baked each season in her cozy Indiana kitchen.
Now, it’s not famous in the traditional sense — it never appeared in glossy print or made its way into a bestselling cookbook. But in my family, nothing has greater presence or garners more attention than that sweet dessert. In fact, it’s no small feat to actually find the chocolate cake after dinner, given that two of my older cousins hide it each year to ensure the biggest pieces for themselves.
When I moved to Florida four years ago, along with my parents and younger brother, I no longer had the luxury of sampling the baked-from-scratch creation each holiday. But our family tradition is still alive and well in the Sunshine State. I managed to smuggle the coveted recipe from my grandmother and I try my best to recreate it in my new home. I have had some success — except for our first Thanksgiving in Florida, when my father re-baked it thinking the covered dish was one of my mother’s casseroles. The bubbling mess didn’t go over well with guests, but since then I have mastered the science of this well-known treat and encourage each of you to do the same. Enjoy!
— Melinda Tam
Melinda Tam is managing editor of Tampa Bay Illustrated.
Texas Sheet Cake
1 stick butter
½ cup vegetable oil
1 cup water
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 eggs
½ cup buttermilk
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
Icing
1 stick butter
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 box powered sugar
1/4 cups unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla
walnuts (if desired)
In a large pot, bring butter, oil and water to a boil. Remove from heat.
In a separate mixing bowl, combine sugar, flour and unsweetened cocoa. Add dry ingredients from the bowl to the pot and mix thoroughly.
Beat eggs and stir into the mixture.
In a separate bowl, mix together buttermilk and baking soda. Let stand for one minute and then add to pot along with vanilla. Beat together and pour entire mixture into an ungreased pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.
While the cake is baking, start on the frosting by melting one stick of butter in a pot. Add buttermilk, powered sugar, cocoa and vanilla. Beat until creamy and pour over slightly warm cake. Sprinkle with walnuts if desired.
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