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Tennessee Sheet Cake

Source of Recipe

From "The Southern Sympathy Cookbook" by Perre Coleman Magness


Recipe Introduction

"This is a classic worth repeating, easy to make, easy to carry, easy to keep—and easy to eat. The cake is marzipan-y with a sweet, sweet icing and it feeds a crowd. It may be known to some as White Texas Sheet Cake, but hey, I'm from Tennessee."

List of Ingredients

For the cake:
â—¦ 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter
â—¦ 1 cup water
â—¦ 2 eggs
â—¦ ½ cup sour cream
â—¦ 2 cups all-purpose flour
â—¦ 2 cups granulated sugar
â—¦ 1 teaspoon almond extract
â—¦ 1 teaspoon salt
â—¦ 1 teaspoon baking soda

For the frosting:
â—¦ 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
â—¦ ½ cup milk
â—¦ 4 ½ cups confectioners' sugar
â—¦ ½ teaspoon almond extract
â—¦ ½ cup pecan pieces


Recipe

For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350° F. Spray a 12-by-18-inch half sheet pan with a baking spray.

In a large saucepan, heat the butter and water to boiling. While it is heating, stir together the eggs and sour cream in a bowl. Add the flour, sugar, almond extract, salt, and baking soda. Stir together as well as you can—it is stiff and won't completely mix. When the butter and water are boiling, remove from the heat and stir in the flour mixture, stirring until smooth. There may be a few lumps. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until golden on the edges and a tester inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 20 minutes.

For the frosting: When the cake has almost finished its 20-minute cooldown, prepare the frosting. Melt the butter in the milk in the cleaned saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the confectioners' sugar and almond extract, until smooth. Stir in the pecan pieces. Spread the frosting over the top of the cake and leave to cool completely. When completely cool, cover the top of the cake tightly with plastic wrap. The cake will keep for 2 days tightly covered on the counter.

Serves at least 24