Thursday, June 11, 2015

Bon Appetit Desserts: Texas Sheet Cake

If you can believe it, I started my Bon Appetit Desserts Journey just over a year ago. I set out to make one recipe per week. That was quite the goal. Even though I love baking, it was just too large of a task while working full time and trying to have a life (I work more than an hour away from my home, so a lot of free time is spent traveling to and from work). Baking a Bon Appetit dessert once a week is also quite expensive. To date, I have made 23 of the 52 recipes that I had hoped to make this year. I will be posting a list of all of the recipes that I have made, in the next few days.

The recipe for the 23rd cake is below, Texas Sheet Cake!




Texas Sheet Cake

Cake

1-2/3      cups unbleached all purpose flour

2/3         cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder

3/4         teaspoon baking soda

3/4         teaspoon salt

1-1/2      cups sugar

3/4         cup (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

2            large eggs

1            teaspoon vanilla extract

1            cup hot water


Glaze

2/3         cup heavy whipping cream

2            tablespoons sugar

6            ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate (do not exceed        
              61% cacao), chopped

2            tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1-1/4      cups coarsely chopped pecans, toasted


CAKE: Preheat oven to 350ºF. Butter and flour 13x9x2-inch metal cake pan. Whisk flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla. beat in half of dry ingredients, then 1 cup hot water, then remaining dry ingredients. Transfer batter to prepared pan; smooth top. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. (Mine took 30, adjust time if needed.) Cool cake in pan on rack.

GLAZE: Bring cream and sugar to boil in heavy medium saucepan. Remove from heat and add chocolate and butter. Let stand 5 minutes; whisk until smooth. Drizzle half of glaze over cake; sprinkle with pecans. Drizzle with remaining glaze. Cool until glaze is set.

DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

Cut cake into squares and serve.

Bon Appetit says: There are lots of ways to change up the topping, such as adding coarsely crushed toffee bars, chocolate-coated espresso beans, or toasted coconut; or add mini marshmallows and toasted walnuts for a rocky road rendition.

I did not have enough pecans, so I added toasted coconut to my topping.

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