Texas Sheet Cake

"[Photograph: Carrie Vasios Mullins] Texas Sheet Cake is a classic American dessert that's designed to feed a crowd. While subtle variations exist, most people agree on a thin chocolate buttermilk cake that's baked in a jelly roll pan and topped with chocolate icing and toasted pecans. (Interested parties may want to check out the Library of Congress blog for more on its history.) All recipes I encountered forwent any creaming of butter and sugar, instead using a melted butter/boiling water combination to make the batter. The icing is also made with melted butter, typically in a saucepan. Variations typically concern: the size of the jelly roll pan, whether or not to include cinnamon in the cake crumb, and the exact type of icing. I decided to use the biggest jelly roll pan I owned (18- by 13-inches) because, well, this thing isn't named after Texas for nothing. I also settled on using cinnamon in the crumb because I found it helped round out the otherwise sweet cake. Similarly, I chose to use buttermilk (as opposed to regular milk or just water) in my icing to provide a subtle tang to offset the sweetness. Not that this cake isn't sweet—it most certainly is, but intentionally so. Why this recipe works: * Buttermilk does double duty here: it keeps the thin cake layer moist and it adds a subtle tang to the icing. * Making the the icing in the saucepan means it comes together quickly—no beaters involved. It also gives it a pleasing smooth yet fudgy texture. * Baking the cake in a jelly roll pan means there's a great cake to icing ratio (well, for those of us who like icing.) * Lots of crunchy pecans keep things texturally interesting...."