Texas Sheetcake With Brownie Batter Glaze

I’ve had this idea in my head for a while now to make a brownie batter frosting. I am a huge fan of brownie batter and knew if I could figure out a way to make a frosting taste like it, that it would be a winner no matter what the frosting went on. My first thought was to use it on a layered cake, but then I thought that was a little too complicated for a beginner baker, so I decided it would be perfect in a glaze form on top of a moist Texas Sheet Cake.

I am not normally a fan of cake and frosting with no other elements to it. I am a huge believer in having multiple textures in my desserts so I typically always make sure and add some sort of crunch element to my cakes. With this cake however, I really wanted to brownie batter flavor to come through and didn’t want to distract from it by adding too many elements.

I did however, want to elevate this cake from your average sheet cake, to “Oh my gosh, what is in this? It’s so good!” type of sheet cake. That’s where the addition of just a little bit of cinnamon comes in. It’s just enough that it leaves people questioning what makes this cake taste better than all the rest, without them being able to quite put their finger on it. It’s the perfect “secret” ingredient.

Tips & Tricks

• I like to boil a little more than 1 cup of water because water evaporates and if you let your water boil too long, you won’t be left with an exact 1 cup of water. I’ll boil a small pan of water and then pour it into a measuring cup, making sure I have enough and then discard any extra.
• I prefer to use Betty Crocker Fudge Brownie Mix for the glaze, but you can use whatever brand you’d like. It just happens to be my favorite!
• Your glaze will seem really lumpy at first but just keep stirring it over low heat and everything will melt and come together after a little bit.
• Be careful and slow when pouring your hot glaze over the cake. If you pour it too fast, it’ll ooze over the sides of the pan and make a huge mess. Pour a little at a time and spread it out with a rubber spatula and then pour some more until you’ve used all the glaze.

Texas Sheetcake with Brownie Batter Glaze

Ingredients:

For the cake:

• 2 sticks salted butter
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 cup boiling water
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

For the glaze:

• 1 stick salted butter
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp milk
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup boxed brownie mix

1. For the cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small sauce pan over medium heat, add butter and cocoa powder. Stir cocoa powder in as the butter melts. Meanwhile, boil your 1 cup of water (see tips and tricks above).
2. Once butter is fully melted and cocoa powder is fully incorporated, pour your boiling water into the butter mixture and boil everything together for 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
3. In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt. Then add your melted cocoa/butter/water mixture and stir until no flour streaks remain.
4. In a separate small bowl combine eggs, sour cream, baking soda and vanilla. Stir until smooth.
5. Add egg mixture to the batter and stir until fully mixed in.
6. Spray a half sheet pan liberally with cooking spray and pour cake batter evenly into the pan. Bake for 16-20 minutes or until a toothpick entered in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs on it.
7. Meanwhile make the glaze. In the same medium sized sauce pan you melted your butter/cocoa mixture in, add your stick of butter, cocoa powder and milk to the pan. Heat over medium heat and stir often as the butter melts.
8. Once the butter is melted add your powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time and stir until combined. Turn heat to low and add your dry brownie mix. Keeping the heat on low and stirring every few minutes, let this mixture become smooth and homogeneous with no lumps, mine usually takes about 7-10 minutes to become completely smooth.
9. Once your cake is done, remove it from the oven and immediately pour your hot glaze all over the top of your hot cake (see tips and tricks above).
10. Allow the cake to cool completely so the glaze can set up. Cut into squares and serve. Cake can be stored covered at room temperature.