Chocolate Sheet Cake - flour

Method

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt.
• Stir together and set aside.
• In another bowl, mix the buttermilk, baking soda, vanilla and eggs.
• Mix with a fork and set aside.
• In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and add the cocoa.
• Whisk together to combine.
• Meanwhile, bring 1 cup water to a boil.
• When the butter is melted, pour the boiling water in the pan.
• Allow to bubble for a moment, then turn off the heat.
• Pour the chocolate mixture into the flour mixture.
• Stir together for a moment to cool the chocolate, then pour in the egg mixture.
• Stir together until smooth, then pour into an ungreased jelly roll pan (or rimmed baking sheet) and bake for 20 minutes.
• While the cake is baking, make the icing: Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat.
• Add the cocoa powder and stir until smooth.
• Add the milk, vanilla and powdered sugar.
• Stir together.
• Dump in the pecans and stir until well combined.
• Immediately after removing the cake from the oven, pour the warm icing over the top.
• You'll want to avoid doing much spreading, so try to distribute it evenly as you pour.
• Cook's Notes:
• For a child's birthday, omit pecans in the icing.
• Serve the cake with a large bowl of M and M's and allow the kids to decorate it themselves.
• This cake can also be made into cupcakes: Just fill muffin tins a little less full with the batter than you normally would so the baked cupcakes remain below the upper rim.
• That way, the thin icing can be poured into each tin.