Bon Appétit (April 2014)
"CHOCOLATE!!"
That's what Zach's sister Cassidy texted us last week, after we'd asked what sort of dessert she'd like us to make for her birthday. We were heading out to Annapolis to spend the day with her and her husband; she planned to cook dinner, but we wanted to bring a dessert to help celebrate her special day.
But here's the thing: Food magazines don't really write much about chocolate in their summer issues. July and August -- the issues we're cooking from right now -- are all about summer fruits and popsicles and ice cream.
We were with Cassidy on this one. Sometimes, you just want a big ol' piece of chocolate cake for your birthday.
So we dove into the Bon Appétit archive and found this Salted Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake.
This is a pretty straightforward Texas sheet cake, with one major substitution, swapping in pistachios for the traditional pecans.
There's actually another tweak, too: The sea salt.
We're big fans of both of those changes. We both have a real weak spot for pistachios anyway, and we've basically never met anything we didn't want to add more salt to.
Added bonus: This cake travels really well, much better than a layer cake. That was great for us, because we had to drive out to Annapolis with it.
For dinner, Cassidy and her husband Dean made a delicious meal of scallops with mango chutney, Sriracha-ginger green beans, and coconut rice.
And we capped it all off with this sheet cake. It's sweet and chocolately and decadent, with just the right ooey-gooeyness in the frosting. The pistachios give it great flavor and crunch, and the salt is a marvelous twist. We all really enjoyed it, and maaaybe each had a second piece (okay, a third piece).
Happy birthday, Cassidy!
Salted Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake
Bon Appétit (April 2014), recipe by Kimberly Smith
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(This photo: Danielle Walsh//Bon Appétit)
INGREDIENTS
Cake
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for baking dish
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for baking dish
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Frosting
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons whole milk
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup chopped unsalted, roasted pistachios
- 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt (such as Maldon)
DIRECTIONS
Cake
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Preheat oven to 350°. Butter and flour a 13x9" baking dish. Bring cocoa powder, 1 cup butter, and 1 cup water to a boil in a small saucepan; remove from heat.
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Meanwhile, whisk sugar, baking soda, salt, and 2 cups flour in a medium bowl. Make a well in the center. Add eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla to well. Blend with a fork, then gradually incorporate dry ingredients. Add butter mixture and whisk until smooth. Scrape batter into prepared baking dish and smooth top.
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Bake until cake starts to pull away from edges of dish and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 35–40 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack.
Frosting
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Just before cake has finished baking, heat butter, milk, and cocoa powder in a medium saucepan over low heat, whisking occasionally, until butter is melted and mixture is smooth (do not let boil). Remove from heat and whisk in powdered sugar and vanilla.
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Pour warm frosting over warm cake and spread out and smooth with an offset spatula. Top with pistachios and sea salt.
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Serve slightly warm or room temperature.
