Texas Sheet Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 recipe Chocolate-buttermilk Frosting (below)


Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 15x10x1 inch or a
9x13 baking pan; set aside. In a medium bowl stir
together flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt; set aside.


In a medium saucepan combine butter, cocoa powder,
and 1 cup water. Bring mixture just to boiling, stirring
constantly. Remove from heat. Add the cocoa mixture
to flour mixture and beat with an electric mixture on
medium to high speed until thoroughly combined. Add
eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla. Beat for 1 minute (batter
will be thin). Pour batter into the prepared pan.


Bake about 25 minutes for the 15x10x1-inch pan,
35 minutes for the 9x13 pan, or until a wooden toothpick
inserted in the middle comes out clean.


Pour warm Chocolate-Buttermilk Frosting over cake,
spreading evenly. Cool in pan on wire rack for 1 hour.
Cut into 2 inch squares.

Chocolate-Buttermilk Frosting:
In a saucepan combine 1/4 cup butter, 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, and 3 tablespoons buttermilk. Bring to boiling. Remove from heat. Add 2 1/4 cups powdered sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until smooth. If desired, stir in 3/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans.

*Variation: Add 1 teaspon ground cinnamon to flour mixture for some added spice!