Texas

I'm not a big TV watcher, but there are a few shows that I absolutely love. "Friday Night Lights" is one of them, and tonight it returned to NBC. Annemarie made a Texas sheet cake to celebrate, and though I didn't know quite what one was, because I loved the name, I made one too (or technically I made the cake and Jaclyn -- the hero/babysitter -- made the frosting). I later learned that Texas Sheet Cake = a thin layer of soft chocolate cake topped with fudge-y frosting -- perfect with a glass of milk. I probably would love this cake even more if I doubled the cake recipe to shift the cake-to-frosting ratio (but, lord help us, that would be 4 sticks of butter in the cake!!), but considering I ate three pieces today, it must be all right as is.
(note: my mom and sister -- lovers of rich chocolate -- you should run, not walk, to make this)

The FNL Texas Sheet Cake

for the cake:
8 oz (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup water
4 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp baking soda

for the frosting:
1 stick butter
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/3 low fat or nonfat milk
1 pound confectioners' sugar
1 tsp vanilla

For the cake: preheat to 375
lightly grease a jellyroll pan or 1 inch deep rimmed baking sheet
in a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine butter, water, cocoa, bring to a boil
remove from heat and add flour, baking soda, sugar, vanilla, stirring as you go
add eggs and sour cream, mix well
pour batter in pan and bake 22 minutes (cake will spring back when touched, DO NOT OVER BAKE)
transfer pan to wire rack

For frosting-
*WHEN CAKE IS ALMOST DONE BAKNG* combine butter, cocoa, milk in med saucepan over med heat
and bring just to a boil. Remove from heat and add confectioners' sugar and vanilla, stirrng to combine-
frosting will be pourable at this point, it will thicken as it cools.

*Pour warm frosting over the hot cake!*

Let cool completely and cut into bars