No April fool jokes here today. Just cake.
I would never fool about cake.Are you familiar with Texas Sheet Cake? This is a vanilla spin on that.
I was not introduced to Texas Sheet Cake until I was an adult. It was not a dessert that my family ever had and I wasn’t involved in enough potluck dinners I guess. It’s a brilliant cake if you are looking for something simple that will feed many people. Sheet cakes tend to be thin because they are baked in a jelly roll style sheet pan. In other words, a big pan. 10″x15″.
Chocolate cake is delicious and traditionally Texas sheet cake is chocolate. Once in a while you just want vanilla, though. And lemon. So bright and springy.
Tim thinks this cake tastes like a big soft sugar cookie. He’s right actually. You could skip the lemon in the icing and use vanilla or almond extract instead. That would make this taste even more like sugar cookies.
March has been a cakey month for me and April will continue to be cake-tastic. I have several more cakes to make for special events this month. I’ll be sharing a couple with you. And by May I’ll need bigger pants.
By the way, this cake would make an “egg”-cellent Easter dessert. (Get it?? “Egg”-cellent. . Easter eggs. . .har har!)
Vanilla Sheet Cake
1 cup butter
1 cup water
2 cups flour
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 cup buttermilk
Grease a 10″x15″ jelly roll pan and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a sauce pan bring butter and water to a boil. While that comes to a boil, in a mixing bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking soda & salt. Set bowl aside until the butter mixture comes to a boil. Remove boiling mixture from heat and whisk into the flour mixture. Mix until combined.
In a separate bowl whisk together the eggs, vanilla & almond extracts & buttermilk. Stir into the flour mixture. Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and prepare the frosting while the cake cools slightly. You want to ice the cake while it and the icing are still warm.
Lemon Frosting
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1/4 cup milk
zest of 2 lemons
4 cups powdered sugar
juice of 1 lemon
In a sauce pan bring the butter and milk to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in the zest. Using a hand mixer beat in the powdered sugar a cup at a time until combined. Add the lemon juice. Spread the frosting on the cake while both are still warm. It will help it spread better.
Top with sprinkles if desired. Allow to cool completely and serve.
Sugar Coated Sarah 