CHOCOLATE SHEET CAKE - Pioneer Woman Cooks

I love a thin layer of chocolate cake with chocolate icing. So a cake baked in a jelly roll pan is perfect for that thin layer of sheet cake. My friend, Jill, gave me the book, The Pioneer Woman Cooks, for my birthday. I noticed this recipe right away and made it for a bridal shower I was hosting--it was a hit. And the icing is to die for (well, that's a bit dramatic but it is really, really good).

This recipe makes one 18 x 13 x 1 inch cake.

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE:

2 cups Flour
2 cups Sugar
¼ teaspoon Salt
4 Tablespoons (heaping) Cocoa
2 sticks Butter
1 cup Boiling Water
½ cup Buttermilk
2 whole Eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Vanilla
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FOR FROSTING:

½ cup Finely Chopped Pecans
1-¾ stick Butter
4 Tablespoons (heaping) Cocoa
6 Tablespoons Milk
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 pound (minus 1/2 Cup) Powdered Sugar

Preparation Instructions

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt.
In a saucepan, melt butter. Add cocoa. Stir together.
Add boiling water, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Pour over flour mixture, and stir lightly to cool.

In a measuring cup, pour the buttermilk and add beaten eggs, baking soda, and vanilla. Stir buttermilk mixture into butter/chocolate mixture. Pour into an 18 x 13 jelly roll pan (baking sheet with sides) and bake at 350-degrees for 20 minutes.

While cake is baking, make the icing. Chop pecans finely. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add cocoa, stir to combine, then turn off heat. Add the milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Stir together. Add the pecans, stir together, and pour over warm cake.