One of my favorite desserts as a child was a Texas Sheet Cake made by a close family friend. She would make it for every church pot luck, and it was my go to dessert. I really regret not getting her recipe, because I’ve tried dozens of version trying to figure out a recipe close to the one she made. It’s a really great recipe for
pot luck dinners or family gatherings because a typical Texas Sheet Cake will feed a crowd. I created this Skillet Texas Sheet Cake recipe to feed a family, because a whole sheet cake is too much for us. I also put a layer of pecans between the cake and frosting, because I firmly believe most desserts can be made better with pecans and ice cream.
I know that making a sheet cake in a cast iron skillet, means that technically it’s no longer a sheet cake. I thought that calling it a Skillet Texas Cake wouldn’t quite make sense.
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 cup white sugar
- 4 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 stick butter (melted)
- Icing:
- ½ stick butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup milk
- 2½ tablespoons cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups powdered sugar
- Optional: chopped pecans
- Preheat oven to 350F
- Lightly grease a cast iron skillet
- Mix flour, sugars, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a large bowl
- Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat
- Whisk cocoa powder and water into the melted butter
- In a separate bowl whisk together buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla
- Temper egg milk mixture with cocoa butter mixture
- Add mixed egg, milk, cocoa, and butter mixture to the dry ingredients
- Mix well
- Pour into cast iron skillet
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean
- While the cake is baking, prepare the icing
- Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat
- Whisk in cocoa powder until smooth
- Add in milk, vanilla, and salt
- Mix well and bring to a low boil
- Remove from heat and add powdered sugar
- Sprinkle pecan over the top of the cake
- Pour chocolate icing mixture over the warm cake
- Allow cake and icing to cool before serving.
The directions state to allow the icing to set before serving, and that takes patience and self-control. I like the texture of the icing when it’s sets, so I try my best to wait it out. The icing should have a slight crunch when you slice through it.
The icing is similar to fudge, so I usually help curb the sweetness by serving it with ice cream. You could also use whipped cream.
What’s your favorite pot luck dessert? Did you a favorite dish during childhood that wasn’t made by a relative? Please let me know if you make this Skillet Texas Sheet Cake Recipe, and to add a little more spice to the cake mix you can try adding a pinch of cloves.
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