Texas Sheet Cake: Recipe from the Strait Vaults 1

A Recipe from the Strait Family Vaults

Texas Sheet Cake

My mother was born in Texas.  This is the only thing about Texas I know about my mother.  She left when she was three.  Her father was a welder on the Eastern Panhandle pipeline, and they moved farther north every few years as the pipeline was built.

We have prepared this a few times for church luncheons.  It does not last long.  The most recent time it was made was by Benjamin, who made it for Mother’s Day.

I guess I better start with the recipe.

Bring to boil:

2  sticks butter or margarine

1 cup water

4 tbls cocoa

Add to the above the following:

2 cups sugar

½ tsp salt

2 cups flour

Mix well  -  then add:

2 eggs

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tsp soda

Beat well and pour into well-greased pan (9x13) and bake at 375 degrees.

While cake is baking  (oh, joy! Multitasking), make frosting.

Frosting:

½ cup butter or margarine

4 tbls cocoa

6 tbls milk

4 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Optional – 1 cup chopped nuts

Heat on stove until butter is melted – bring to a hard boil -  remove from heat and add powdered sugar and vanilla.

Pour onto warm cake and sprinkle with chopped nuts (we use pecans).

Benjamin is allergic to nuts, so we do not put pecans on about half the cake or more.  Honestly. I prefer it without the pecans.  But what do I know?  Feel free to add your own toppings.  Heck, try it with sprinkles if you want.