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Brabham Family Chocolate Sheet Cake

Source of Recipe


From "Consuming Passions" by Michael Lee West






List of Ingredients



• 2 cups all-purpose flour
  
• 2 cups sugar
  
• 1 cup water
  
• 2 sticks unsalted butter
  
• 4 Tbsp cocoa
  
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
  
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
  
• 1/2 tsp salt
  
• 1 scant teaspoon ground cinnamon
  
• 1 tsp baking soda
  
• 1 tsp vanilla
  






Instructions



1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
   
   
2. In a big bowl, mix the flour with the sugar. Boil the 1 cup of water in a large saucepan. Add the butter and the cocoa. Mix until the butter melts and the sauce is thick. Pour over the flour-and-sugar mixture. Using a large spoon, blend well. Add the buttermilk, eggs, salt, cinnamon, baking soda and vanilla. Mix. Pour into a buttered 9- x 13-inch pan.
   
   
3. Bake 35 minutes. Cool 5 minutes, and ice the cake in the pan.
   
   Makes one 9 x 13-inch sheet cake.
   
   ............
   
   CHOCOLATE ICING
   
   • 1 stick unsalted butter
   • 4 Tbsp cocoa
   • 6 Tbsp milk
   • 3-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
   • 1 Tbsp vanilla
   • 1 cup chopped pecans
   
   In a saucepan, melt the butter. Add the cocoa and blend. Slowly add the milk, whisking. Remove from the heat, then add the confectioners' sugar. Beat. The icing will be grainy, almost lumpy. Beat in the vanilla and the chopped pecans. Spread over the cake. Work fast -- the icing dries quickly. It's traditional to have a young assistant lick the pan.