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Ama's Texas Sheet Cake


Ama’s Texas Sheet Cake
*******

How many times did Ama Shirley serve THIS cake at her backyard 
summer picnics on Millcreek Road? 
At least a million. What a great cook Ama is. She’s so good at making everyone feel welcome. She takes after her mother, Gwen Swinyard. This recipe is great for cupcakes too. For a deeper cake use a small rectangular pan.

2 C flour2 C sugar½ tsp soda1 C butter1 C water3½-4 TBL cocoa powder2 eggs½ C buttermilk

  1. Preheat oven to 375°.  Grease and flour jelly roll pan.
  2. Stir flour, sugar and soda to combine, then sift.
  3. Bring butter, water and cocoa to a boil.  Add to dry ingredients. Stir.
  4. Beat eggs and buttermilk and gently stir into to batter.  Do not overmix.
  5. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes. 
ICING:
½ C butter
3½ TBL cocoa powder, unsweetened
1/3 C milk
3½ C—4 C powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 C chopped walnuts

  1. Bring all ingredients except vanilla and nuts to a boil.  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and nuts.
  2. Spread over cooled cake.
Note:  This is similar to the chocolate cake at Magleby’s restaurant in Provo.   For a recipe of this size they bake theirs in a deeper pan (about 8.5  x 11)  at around 325º for 50-60 minutes.  It is said they also use sour cream instead of buttermilk.

Magleby’s uses similar ingredients for their frosting (“perhaps” 1 C butter and ½ cup milk though). Instead of boiling, however, they stir all room temperature ingredients by hand, and frost the cakes after they have been frozen.

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