Chocolate Sheet Cake

I'm a fanatic for brownies. There's something about the dense velvety flavors of rich chocolate making a sinful sweet treat. I have made my share of brownies that are quite appe-teasing - nutella cocoa brownies, chewy walnut brownies, and my latest addiction - s'mores brownies. All of these brownie recipes have brought me to a gleeful brownie heaven. A couple weeks ago when my husband brought me a Texas brownie from his beer themed potluck ever since then I haven't been able to get it out of my head. Yet again, I had fallen head over heels for another sweet Texas brownie concoction.

After my extensive Texas Brownie research, I had learned that it had numerous renditions. I also learned that the Texas sheet brownie had a couple other names - cowboy cake, Texas sheet cake, church lady cake, and Ree's version of chocolate sheet cake. From the recipes I had looked at, they were all very similar - some used a mixture of butter and shortening. (I tried that version, and hated it). Some recipes used dutch processed cocoa, or regular sweetened cocoa powder. Ree's recipe came up first and had received rave reviews so I chose this as my base, and I had her step by step tutorial from her cookbook. I combined Eric's coworkers recipe with Ree's recipe because I loved the addition of the brewed coffee and coffee liqueur. The end result: Chocolate sheet cake = happy chocolate heaven. Simply sinful.

Chocolate Sheet Cake
Adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks & Cooks.com
Ingredients:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 cup butter
1 cup coffee, strongly brewed
4 Tablespoons (heaping) Cocoa
¼ teaspoon salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon coffee liqueur (This is the one I've been using, but there are different ones available at the grocery store)
Frosting
½ cup finely chopped & toasted walnuts
1¾ stick Butter
4 Tablespoons (heaping) Cocoa
6 Tablespoons Heavy cream (or use milk)
2 cups Powdered Sugar
1 teaspoon coffee liqueur

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease an 11 X 17 inch baking pan. Toast 1/2 cup of walnuts in the oven for 5 to 7 minutes. Chop finely and set aside.

In the bowl of the KA mixer, add the flour and sugar. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine butter, and cocoa. Stir constantly until heated to a boil. Add the coffee and turn off the heat.

Add the boiling butter coffee mixture into the flour and mix on low until combined.

In a measuring cup, pour the buttermilk and add beaten eggs, baking soda, and coffee liqueur. Stir buttermilk mixture into butter/chocolate mixture. Pour into sheet cake pan and bake for 20 minutes.

While cake is baking, prepare the icing. Melt butter in a saucepan (you can use the same one you used before if you haven't washed it yet). Add cocoa, stir to combine, then turn off heat. Add the heavy cream, coffee liqueur, and powdered sugar. Stir together. Add the walnuts, stir together, and pour over warm cake.

Cool and cut into squares and enjoy. Grab a large glass of milk, too.

**Please note that you can substitute the 1 cup of coffee for 1 cup of hot water and 1 teaspoon of coffee liqueur for 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.**

Review: Mmmmmm, so ooey and gooey and velvety. The kids version got sprinkles, and the adults got the walnuts. It's a mixture of both worlds - a dense brownie combined with the moistness of a cake. I truly understand why it was nicknamed a Texas sheet cake/brownie - they go big in Texas just like this cake. This serves plenty, a jelly roll sheet pans' worth - say 24 hefty servings. Make this for your next party, and the adults and kids will love you!