What Makes A Texas Sheet Cake Oh-So Good?
If you're in charge of making dessert for a group of chocolate lovers, the Texas sheet cake may just be the way to go. The base of the dessert is a fudgy chocolate cake, baked with buttermilk and cocoa powder. But while the chocolate cake base might be delicious, but the real magic comes in the form of the cake's topping.
After the cake has baked, a layer of hot fudge or chocolate icing is poured over the top, along with some chopped pecans, often mixed in along with the chocolatey sauce. This sweet topping is typically added shortly after the cake comes out of the oven, allowing it to seep into the cake a little.
The components of the cake are pretty similar to that of a German chocolate cake — though the coconut is noticeably absent, and the Texas sheet cake's shape plays a big part in the baking and serving of it.
The shape of the cake matters, too
One of the defining features of the cake is its thickness — or lack thereof. The cake is most commonly baked in a large pan, allowing for thinner slices, and more to go around. While some may choose to bake the cake in a 13-by-8 inch pan, others spread the batter out in a baking sheet, or a jelly roll pan. This gives each slice the appearance and convenience of a brownie, while still allowing people to enjoy every bite of gooey, chocolate cake.
The sweet treat is also called a "Texas Funeral Cake," since it frequently shows up at somber events in the South. Southern Living reports that it often functions as a comfort food for those in mourning, and since the cake is so large, there's plenty to go around for everyone. Along with funerals, the treat can also often be found at church potlucks or communion parties.
No one really knows where the cake came from
As with many popular foods, the cake's origins are contested. One theory states that the name has to do with its size, rather than its place of origin, suggesting that the name is a hyperbolic reference to the cake being as large as the lone star state. Still, others insist that the dessert is named for the state it was invented in.
The pecans for the topping and buttermilk used to bake the cake are commonly used in Texan recipes, and may be an indicator that the first baker to make it was from Texas. Some rumors even suggest that former first lady Lady Bird Johnson, who was born and raised in Texas, had some hand in the cake's creation. However, historians haven't been able to find evidence of this.
Regardless of where the cake came from, it can now be enjoyed all over the country, baked up by anyone with a recipe.