I changed the recipe from the Pioneer woman’s chocolate sheet cake slightly. The reason I made changes were to decrease the butter and sugar amounts slightly. It is still darn good this way and it bakes perfectly! The lower sugar makes the cake taste much more like a dark chocolate cake. It is more of a mildly sweet cake than a very sugary cake. In total, I removed from her recipe almost 1 stick of butter, 1/2 cup white sugar, and 2 cups of powdered sugar. I also added cinnamon!
This recipe makes a cake that fits in a large baking sheet. It could easily be cut in half if needed. If I did decrease the recipe size, I would recommend baking it in a 9×13 pan because the cake is better thinner.
Cake:
2 sticks of butter
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 cups flour
4 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup water
Icing:
1 stick butter
1 cup chopped/ground pecans
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 tablespoons milk
4 heaping tablespoons cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
For the cake, melt the butter in a sauce pan with the water, cinnamon, and cocoa on medium heat. Stir constantly. Remove from the heat when just melted.
In a mixing bowl, mix the eggs and buttermilk until combined. Add the sugar, vanilla, and baking soda. Slowly add the melted butter and chocolate. Temper this by adding 1/8 cup at a time and stirring after each addition until fully combined. Add in the flour. Stir until combined. Pour into a prepared large baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes.
While baking, add the icing amount of 1 stick of butter, cocoa powder, milk, and vanilla into the same saucepan. Melt the butter stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add in the powdered sugar and pecans.
Pour the icing over the hot cake immediately when removed.
Allow the cake to cool fully before eating.
The Funky Oven 