Recipe #4: Chocolate Sheet Cake and...New Purchase!!

For Recipe #4, I made the Chocolate Sheet Cake.  It was so easy and so good.  I couldn't believe how moist and woderful it tasted. 

I will give you the list of ingredients and then lead you through the process:

Cake:

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter

4 heaping tablespoons or 1/4 cup cocoa powder

Icing:

1 3/4 sticks butter

4 heaping tablespoons or 1/4 cup cocoa powder

6 tablespoons milk

1 tsp vanilla

1 pound powdered sugar

1/2 cup finely chopped pecans but I used a nut mixture

specifically for baking and it turned out great.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, and salt and then set aside.  In another bowl, mix the buttermilk, eggs, vanilla and baking soda with a fork and set aside. 

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and add the cocoa.  Whisk together to combine.  Bring 1 cup of water to boil and when the butter is melted, pour the boiling water in the pan.  Allow this to bubble for a moment and then remove from heat.

Pour the chocolate mixture into the flour mixture and stir together for a moment to cool the chocolate.  Then pour in the egg mixture.  Stir this all together until smooth.

Pour into an ungreased rimmed baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.

While the cake is baking, make the icing.  Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat.  Add the cocoa powder and stir until smooth.  Then add the milk and vanilla.  Add powdered sugar and stir together. 

Add the nut mixture or chopped pecans and stir until combined.

Immediately after removing the cake from the oven, pour the warm icing over the cake.  Try to pour evenly because you do not want to do very much spreading.  The icing just kind of falls into place on it's own but go slowly.  Enjoy because it is amazing!! 

Now for the exciting news....I bought a car!!  I know it was kind of fast but I found an awesome deal and my dad bought my corolla from me so that will cover the first 6 payments until I am full time in August.  So here it is:

It is a 2009 Dodge Journey.  I found it on Craigslist and called the guy and it ended up being a car dealership: Superstition Nissan and Chrysler.  It was $17,999 the day before they listed it and I bought it for $14,229.  I was so happy because I have been looking around for a long time and I was just going to wait until Spencer got home but oh well.  The other cars I was looking at were $4-6,000 more.  There was one 2006 Mazda I was looking at for only $300 less with 62,000 miles on it when this one has 35,000 miles on it.  It belonged to a rental car company before. But there is lots of space and a car I can see myself having for a long time.

And there is plenty of room in the back for all my stuff!!

  I felt very grown up driving it off the lot.  Don't you love it??  I do!