TEXAS WHITE SHEET CAKE

OH MY GOSH!!  This cake is divine!!!  It is probably the easiest cake I have ever made!  It is extremely moist and the flavor is off the charts!  My daughter, Holly, just ate a piece and said, "this is the best cake I have ever had...it is a little piece of heaven!"  Haha!!

There was so much "hoopla" about this cake before I got to try it.  A friend of mine, Julie Stamey, had made this for a bible study and several of my friends had been there and ate it.  Their eyes literally teared up when they talked about it..haha!!  My curiosity was up....I had to try it!!!  So, I called Julie one day and begged and begged and begged for the recipe!  And finally....she gave it to me.   Oh I'm just kiddin'....she very graciously shared the recipe with me....she is not only a sweet person but an amazing baker as well!

Kelly Roebuck(in middle), Julie Stamey (right) and myself a couple of years ago.

Just a little side-note....my friend Nita made this recipe into cupcakes and they were just as spectacular as the cake.  I also think you could probably play around with the extracts and use lemon, vanilla,  or coconut instead of the almond.  But it is real hard to change up something that tastes as great as this recipe does!

I made this cake today to share with some family who are going through a very difficult time.  I originally thought that I would just bring it over as a 9 X 13 sheet cake.   I changed my mind though, and  decided to bake it as a sheet cake but cut it into bars.

Whether you decide to make it as a cake, cupcake, leave it whole, cut it into bars, share it, eat it all yourself...you have to make this cake at least one time...I promise it won't be your last!!

TEXAS WHITE SHEET CAKE

CAKE
1 cup butter, unsalted (I only had salted butter so I just left out the teaspoon of salt)
1 cup water
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
1/2 cup sour cream (I used light sour cream...not that it matters when you are using 2 sticks of butter)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon almond extract

ICING 
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup milk
1 box powdered sugar (4-1/2 cups)
1 cup pecan or walnut pieces
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

In a large sauce pot, bring water and butter to boil.  Remove from heat.

Whisk in 2 cups of sugar to the butter/water mixture.

Whisk in the flour.

Continue with the eggs and sour cream.

Sprinkle in the baking soda and whisk to make sure it is thoroughly blended in.  

Just a little note...I never want to go to the trouble to bake something only to find out that my baking soda or baking powder was not fresh enough and ruins the whole thing.  So, when I am not sure when I used my baking soda/powder last...I just buy a new one.  It is cheap and I frequently use left-over baking soda to clean my fruits and vegetables before I use them anyway.

Add the almond extract and grease and flour a 9X13 pan or use Baker's Joy.  Baker's Joy is easy (I sure use this word alot) and is all I use anymore!

Pour batter into pan and bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Bake until golden brown and until a toothpick stuck in the middle comes out clean.

Set the cake aside while you make the icing.

Boil 1 stick of butter and 1/4 cup of milk.

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Whisk in 1 box or 4-1/2 cups of powdered sugar.

Add 1 cup of pecan pieces and 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract.

Spread on the warm cake

Eat a piece now but pace yourself...this baby has 3 sticks of butter total!

ENJOY!