Texas (White) Sheet Cake

By MarieR

Taste of the South Magazine, Southern Cakes, April 2014, Page 46

SLICE OF HISTORY: TEXAS SHEET CAKE
Have you ever thought the taste of a Texas Sheet Cake was familiar? That's because it's nearly identical to German Chocolate Cake. And it was this layered chocolate cake, originally made with German's Sweet Chocolate Bars and a coconut-pecan frosting that inspired the sheet cake version in the 1950s. We decided this classic deserved an update, so we traded the chocolate for a rich vanilla version.

Ingredients

• Frosting:
• WHITE TEXAS SHEET CAKE
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 72 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup butter, melted
• 1/2 cup whole buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 3 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 6 to 8 tablespoons sour cream
• 1 cup toasted pecans, chopped

Preparation

Step 1

1. Preheat ouento 350°, Spray a 15x10-inch jelly-roll pan with nonstick baking spray uuith flour. Set aside.
2. For cake: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar,
salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Add 1 cup water, melted butter, buttermilk, vanilla, and eggs; stir until smooth. Spread evenly in prepared pan.
3. Bake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 15 to 17 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

4. For frosting: In a large bouul, beat butter at medium speed uuith. an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add confectioners' sugar and 6 tablespoons sour cream, beating until smooth. Add remaining sour cream, one tablespoon at a time,if needed. Spread over cake; sprinkle with
pecans.