90’s Childhood Texas Sheet Cake
Growing up my mom didn’t bake much; it was the 90's and butter was feared above all else. I, on the other hand, was very familiar with Betty Crocker boxed mixes and knew my way around a bottle of vegetable oil. Every so often we had a potluck or bake sale to contribute to and my mom took matters into her own hands. Every single time, she made Texas Sheet Cake. She gathered ingredients, I licked the bowls and prayed for leftovers to bring home. That cake was so good, there never were leftovers for me to dive into afterwards. This isn’t the exact recipe, but the smell of it cooking brought me right back to my childhood, nose presses against the glass of the oven watching the cake rise like magic. After serving a texas-sized slice to my son he stated in all sericousness, “this is probably my favorite slice of cake I’ve ever eaten.” High praise, indeed.
Ingredients:
Makes 4-6 servings.
1 cup butter, melted and slightly cooled
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
¼ cup milk
¼ cup yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup hot water (not boiling!)
¼ cup cacao or cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
2 cups flour
Frosting:
½ cup (1 stick) of butter
¼ cup cacao or cocoa powder
⅓ cup milk
2 cups of powdered sugar
splash of vanilla extract
pinch of flaky salt for topping
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and grab a large baking sheet like this one. It should measure around 13x18 inches. If you want a smaller cake you can use a half sheet pan like this one. I like to line mine with parchment paper because it’s a little grungy but if yours is cleaner than mine you can just butter it!
In a large bowl, whisk the melted butter with the sugar. Add the eggs and whisk again. Add the milk, yogurt, and vanilla and whisk again. Add the hot water and cacao/cocoa powder and whisk once again until smooth. Now, just add your flour, baking soda, and salt right on top and use a rubber spatula to fold together. It will be quite a wet batter. Pour it into sheet tray and pop in the oven for 15-20 minutes. It’s a very thin cake so it doesn’t take long!
While the cake is cooling, melt the ½ cup of butter from the frosting in a saucepan and add the cacao/cocoa powder. Use a whisk to mix well. Take it from the heat and add the milk, powdered sugar and vanilla. Whisk, whisk, whisk. There may be some lumps from the powdered sugar, but that’s totally 90's nostalgic! Pour the frosting over the baked cake and use a spatula to quickly smooth it. It’s SO GOOD with a bit of flaky salt sprinkled over top.
It will harden quickly so move quickly! Let it cool for 15 minutes or so and enjoy! It’s also delicious at room temperature or even cold!
