Texas Sheet Cake with Rocky Road Fudge Frosting

Say hello to my big messy pile of chocolatey bliss. It's a family tradition, you see. This is Beanie's recipe, but something similar can be found in just about any church cookbook across the country. The reason Beanie's is so fabulous is because that shiny, fudgy frosting is loaded with mini marshmallows. Um... HELLO.



And if you don't like "raw" marshmallows, but you're an ooey gooey s'more type of girl, like me, don't worry. The marshmallows do puff up a bit in the warm frosting, so it's all good. 

One of the greatest things about this cake (other than the obvious symphony of texture of and flavor) is that it's really good for taking to a potluck or serving a crowd. You can just bring it right in your dirty old pan and let everyone cut their own piece.

Look! Here it is freshly baked, pre-frosting...

I don't know what I should be the most embarrassed about right now... the sorry state of the stovetop, the fact that we display our bananas and pencils in the same Tupperware container, the Christmas trinkets still cluttering the counter a week after New Year's, or the fact the every word I type I'm singing in my head to various tunes from Les Misérable.

Seriously though, you need to make this cake. If you don't, at least make the frosting. You can just let it harden in a big lump and call it "The Best Rocky Road Fudge of our Lives". Not that I would know of such things.

Texas Sheet Cake with Rocky Road Fudge Frosting 

For the cake:

2 cups white sugar

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 sticks (1 cup) butter

4 tablespoons cocoa powder

1 cup water

1/2 cup buttermilk (or 1/2 cup milk mixed with 1/2 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice, mixed together and left to set for 5 minutes)

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Mix together the sugar, flour, soda, and cinnamon. Meanwhile, melt the butter, cocoa, and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour over the flour mixture and mix well. Beat together the buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla and add to the rest, mixing well. Pour into a well buttered 18"x24" pan. Bake for about 12 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean (it might take a little longer). Cool completely before frosting.

For the fudge frosting:

1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) butter

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon instant coffee granules (optional)

1 teaspoon vanilla

5 cups powdered sugar

3 cups mini marshmallows

1 cup lightly toasted walnuts (optional)

Combine the butter, cocoa, milk, and instant coffee in a small saucepan. bring to a boil. Add vanilla. Beat in powdered sugar. It should be thin and smooth. Working quickly, mix in the marshmallows and nuts and pour over cake. It it's too thick it will be hard to spread. Add more milk if you need to. 

P.S. How do you like the new blog design??? You better not complain cause I spent a whole entire day working on it. I even designed the follow buttons myself. So now you HAVE to follow me. Good day.