It’s time to speak the truth about the Pioneer Woman:
She is out to make us all overdose on chocolate.
And I love her for it.
The Yankee bought me her cookbook for Christmas and it’s fantastic. This chocolate sheet cake (also on her site here) was the first recipe I tried out of the book and it certainly didn’t disappoint! Try it yourself.
Pioneer Woman chocolate sheet cake
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 2 cups flour
- 2 cups sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 heaping Tbsp cocoa
- 2 sticks butter
- 1 cup boiling water
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 2 whole eggs, beaten
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
For the icing:
- ½ cups finely chopped pecans (I omitted; Yankee is not a fan)
- 1 ¾ sticks butter
- 4 heaping Tbsp. cocoa
- 6 Tbsp milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 pound (minus 1/2 Cup) powdered sugar
Instructions
Make the cake:
- Combine flour, sugar and salt in a bowl
- Melt the butter in a saucepan, then add cocoa and stir
- Add boiling water to saucepan and boil mixture for 30 seconds, then remove from heat. Pour this mixture over the flour mixture and gently stir to cool it off.
- In a separate boil, mix together buttermilk, beaten eggs, baking soda and vanilla; stir this mixture into the chocolate mixture
- Pour batter into a jelly roll pan (I used a 9×13 Pyrex for thicker layers) and bake at 350F; a jelly roll pan will take about 20 minutes; add about ten minutes onto that for a 9×13
While the cake is in the oven, make the icing:
- Finely chop pecans, if using
- Melt butter in a saucepan (same pan from earlier is fine) and add cocoa, stirring to combine
- Turn off heat, then add milk, vanilla and powdered sugar. Stir, and then stir in pecans if using
- Pour over just-out-of-the-oven cake, working quickly because the icing will quickly develop this wonderful glaze-y crust on top that is phenomenal
Nutritional information: one bazillion calories (roughly) per serving. And worth it.
One Particular Kitchen 
Isn’t it divine? It’s my go-to whenever I need to make a cake!
Amazing stuff!!
Looks like a fudgy brownie!
Oh wow, that looks like my kind of chocolate cake (i.e., dense and fudgy). I had thought her chocolate sheet cake was just a basic Texas sheet cake, and the varieties of those I’ve had have been much lighter (almost like a cocoa color). I think I’ll have to give Pioneer Woman’s version a try.
Very much so. Definitely give it a try!
I’ve been dying to try that since I saw it at Ree’s site, it looks so good. I couldn’t make it at my old place because the oven was too crappy, thanks for reminding me about it!
MAKE IT. It’s so freaking rich. It’s fabulous.
Love the picture! As soon as I finally have an event to bake a cake for I will be making this! Mmmm
I think I’m going to make this today with Pippa. Did you use regular or Dutch-processed cocoa?
I used plain ol’ Hershey’s powder. 🙂
This cake is just the best! I leave out the pecans too…nothing between me and my chocolate!