Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake and Icing

When my kids were little this way their favorite cake.  I one point in my life I could make it from scratch I had made it so many times.  The babies will be 30 in 20 more days and I have to admit that I can’t make it from memory any longer.

Since it’s made in a jelly roll pan it makes a fairly large cake.  It’s thin and almost brownie like but not as heavy or dense.  Once the icing is set, it almost tastes like chocolate fudge…yum yum!

Cake:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 cup water
4 tablespoons cocoa
1 stick oleo (do not use tub spread as it contains too much water)
1/2 cup shortening
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease and flour jelly roll pan  (approx. 17″ X 13″) thoroughly.
In a sauce pan, combine water, oleo and shortening.  Place on very low heat to melt.  When melted, add cocoa and vanilla and stir with whisk or fork to blend well.
In a medium bowl combine flour, sugar, baking soda, & cinnamon and blend with dry whisk.  Pour chocolate liquid mixture and buttermilk into dry ingredients; mix on medium speed with electric mixer just until blended.
Pour into prepared jelly roll pan and bake for 20 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool for 15-20 minutes then ice with following icing recipe.

Icing:
1 stick oleo
4 tablespoons milk
4 tablespoons cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 box powdered sugar
Melt oleo and cocoa together; add milk.  Remove from heat and add vanilla.  Add sugar and mix on high speed until well blended.  Ice cake while still warm but not hot.