Texas Sheet Cake

Submitted by: D'Lyn Biggs
Note: The frosting for this cake makes a great hot fudge sauce for ice cream!

Cake:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
1 cup butter
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 eggs
½ cup buttermilk or sour milk
1 ½ tsp. vanilla

Frosting:
¼ cup butter
3 Tbs. unsweetened cocoa
3 Tbs. buttermilk
2 ¼ cups sifted powdered sugar
½ tsp. vanilla
½ cup chopped pecans

Cake:
Grease a 15x10x1-inch or jelly roll pan or 13x9x2-inch baking pan; set aside. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda and salt; set aside.

In a medium saucepan combine 1 cup butter, 1/3 cup cocoa, and 1 cup of water. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. With an electric hand-held mixer on medium speed, beat chocolate mixture into the dry mixture until thoroughly blended. Add eggs, buttermilk and vanilla. Beat for one minute. Pour batter into the prepared pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes for the 15x10-inch pan or 35 minutes for the 13x9-inch pan, or until a wooden pick or cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Pour warm chocolate frosting over the warm cake, spreading evenly. Place cake in pan on a wire rack; cool completely before cutting.

Frosting:
In a medium saucepan combine ¼ cup butter or margarine, 3 Tbs. unsweetened cocoa powder, and 3 Tbs. buttermilk. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat; add 2 ¼ cups sifted powdered sugar and ½ tsp. vanilla. Beat until smooth. If desired, stir in ½ cup coarsely chopped pecans.