A Delicious Chocolaty Dessert - The Great Alaskan Chocolate Sheet Cake
Great Alaskan Chocolate Sheet Cake
A delicious chocolaty sheet cake as big and bold as the Last Frontier
Recipe by Lindsey VanTassel | Frontier Pantry
Great Alaskan Chocolate Sheet Cake
Do you ever have the desire to make a dessert as big and bold as the great state we live in? You may consider whipping together something like baked Alaska, but sometimes a chocolate and ice cream cake with meringue topping is more than anyone wants to tackle. So here it is, the great Alaskan chocolate sheet cake—a delicious make-it-from-scratch cake, because Alaska is full of independent people with a do-it-yourself attitude. And trust us, the rich flavor of this dessert can hold its own against the richness of the Last Frontier. Ingredients Cake 2 cups flour 2 cups sugar 2 sticks butter 6 tablespoons cocoa (unsweetened) 1 cup water ½ cup buttermilk 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 teaspoons cinnamon 2 eggs (slightly beaten) Frosting 1 stick butter 5 tablespoons cocoa (unsweetened) 6 tablespoons buttermilk 4 cups powdered sugar 1 tablespoon vanilla 1 cup chopped pecans (toasted) Mix together flour and sugar in a large bowl. In a saucepan over medium-high heat, bring butter, cocoa, and water to a boil. Once bubbling starts, pour over flour mixture and stir. Add in buttermilk, baking soda, vanilla, cinnamon, and eggs. Mix thoroughly and then pour into a greased sheet pan. You can use a variety of sizes 9”x13” or bigger. I like to use a cookie sheet to make it extra big and thin for more frosting coverage! Bake for 30 min at 350 degrees F. Make sure to keep an eye on the cake when baking in different size pans for that will change the cooking time. Now, while you are waiting on the cake, it is time to make the frosting. Add butter, cocoa, and buttermilk to a saucepan and bring to boil. When ready, pour mixture over 4 cups of powdered sugar in a medium sized bowl. Mix well then add vanilla and pecans. I like to toast the pecans before adding them. To toast pecans, put them on a pan in the oven at 350 degrees for about 5 to 7 minutes, and keep an eye on them; they burn quickly. Let cake cool for 5 to 10 minutes and then pour frosting over cake while it is still warm. Serve with ice cream and enjoy! Kitchen Trick: Buttermilk substitute - A quick substitute for buttermilk is to place 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice in a baking cup and fill the cup the rest of the way with milk. Let sit for 5 minutes and voila! You have a cup of buttermilk.
Originally appeared in the July 2013 issue of Last Frontier Magazine.
12 comments
Which type of butter should be used: sweetened or unsweetened?
You can use hot coffee for one cup of water but do not tell my husband. He does know there is coffee n the cake. Cinnamon great too.
Linda, How much more cocoa?
My recipe as well … and I’m in Omaha, Nebraska!
Love this cake which seems to be all American! My mother made it in Kansas and always a big hit with her seven kids and husband! Living in Texas, it is famous here, as well as the Alaska version!
I always follow my mothers recipe by adding much more of the Hershey’s powdered unsweetened chocolate! Try it! Making a richer chocolate flavor just makes it more wonderful for chocolate lovers! After all, it IS a Chocolate cake! ?
Yes, this one is much like the Texas version. However this Alaskan version is a little bit larger :) and changes a few ingredients up from the original TX recipe for more flavor. Hope you enjoy it!
I have made this..but my recipe calls it Texas Sheetcake. But whatever it is called, it is yummy!
We make this cake all the time but I only cook mine for 20 minutes and I use heavy cream in the icing I can’t wait to try it with buttermilk.
You are welcome! Thanks for viewing. We hope you enjoy it!
It’s a proven winner! Did you call it the Great Nebraskan chocolate sheet cake? :)
Thanks so much for sharing !!
My grandmother had this recipe in the 1920’s. It has gone through 5 generations of my family..we are from Nebraska.