My Grandma was a cool lady and her Texas Chocolate Cake recipe is one of my all time favorites . She was born in October of 1921. She served in the Army in World War II. She was an elementary school teacher for many years. She had three daughters, six grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. She died at 90 years old on the day before
Thanksgiving, 2011.
She moved into a retirement home when I was in middle school and never cooked again. Her oven still had the instructions in it, and she sometimes used it to store bags of potato chips.
Unfortunately, she had been suffering from dementia for quite some time before she passed away. When my mom and I realized that her mind wasn’t as sharp as it had previously been, I thought it was time to ask her for a few of her recipes.
Now, I have to tell you that my grandma made some strange things. She very seldom cooked what we would consider a cohesive meal, with a meat, starch, and vegetable. One of my favorite things that she made for me was a pile of mashed potatoes topped with taco-seasoned ground beef, cheese, and sour cream. She made a killer rice and beef gravy, but the pot roast that went with it was often a little chewy. However, she made the BEST desserts! The two that stick out the most in my head are her peach poundcake (usually cooked in a coffee can) and this Texas Chocolate Cake recipe.
Texas Chocolate Cake has become something of a legend within my immediate family. It is honestly the best chocolate cake recipe I’ve ever made, and it’s pretty hard to mess it up. The cake is so moist that you absolutely cannot take it out of the pan (I’ve tried, it didn’t end well). The cake itself has a mild chocolate flavor, but the frosting is a little more intense and fudgy.
So why is it called Texas Chocolate Cake? I have no idea. Neither does my mom, and neither did my grandma. The recipe bears a lot of similarity to the Pioneer Woman’s Chocolate Sheet Cake, but personally, I like the Texas Chocolate Cake recipe better.
The recipe is written in my Grandma’s handwriting on a 4×6 note card that my mom has. I have it in e-mail version. I’m going to paste the e-mail body here, then I’ll break it down a little more –
Bring to a boil 2 sticks butter, 1 cup water, 4 tablespoons cocoa. Cook, cool, add dry ingredients. 2 eggs beaten, 2 cups four, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 cups sugar, 1 teaspoon soda. Last of all add 1/2 cup sour cream. Mix well. Bake 375 for 20 mins. Use 12 x 15 jelly roll pan or 2 9 x 13 pans. Grease pans. Batter will be thin. Icing: Bring to boil 1 stick butter, 4 tablespoons cocoa, 6 tablespoons milk. Remove from heat, add chocolate and milk and 1 box powdered sugar and 1 tsp vanilla. Mix well. Spread on cake as soon as it comes from the oven.— Courtesy of Eleanor Payne and Mary Cavender
Texas Chocolate Cake Recipe Ingredients
- 2 sticks butter
- 1 cup water
- 4 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups white sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup sour cream
In a saucepan, add the butter, water, and cocoa. Bring to a gentle boil and whisk until the mixture is relatively smooth (a few lumps are fine). Take the mixture off the heat and let it cool while you complete the next steps.
In a stand mixer, add the dry ingredients and blend gently for just a few seconds. Add the beaten eggs to the mixer. Slowly pour in the cocoa mixture.
With your mixer going on low, add the sour cream. The batter will be thin and have a slightly sour taste. Grease 1 9×13 cake pan (I use Baker’s Joy cooking spray that has flour in it). Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes, or until the middle is set and not jiggly.
Texas Chocolate Cake Recipe: Frosting
- 1 stick butter
- 4 tablespoons cocoa
- 6 tablespoons of milk
- 1 pound ( 1 whole box or bag) of powdered sugar
Bring the butter, cocoa,and milk to a gentle boil. Add in the powdered sugar. Whisk until mixture is smooth. Pour over still-warm cake.
This cake is best eaten at room temperature. It’s great with a small dollop of fresh whipped cream on top! Hope you enjoy this Texas Chocolate Cake recipe!
Note: This blog was originally posted on my personal blog, Maddie’s Messy Life. I’ve opted to focus on Mumbling Mommy for now, so it may be a while before MML sees new content.
Let’s connect on social media too:
Mumbling Mommy on Facebook
Mumbling Mommy on Twitter
Mumbling Mommy on Pinterest
Category: RecipesTags: cake
