Chocolate Pan Cake

This is the classic Southern chocolate cake that Texans call Texas sheet cake and everybody else just calls crazy good. The method that sets it apart is the boiled liquid: butter, oil, cocoa, and water come to a boil in a pot, then get poured hot into the sugar-flour-egg-buttermilk mixture. The heat blooms the cocoa, which deepens the chocolate flavor, and the resulting batter bakes into a thin, tender cake with a texture halfway between brownie and snack cake.

The glaze is where the name pan cake really earns its keep. While the cake is still warm from the oven, another pot of butter, cocoa, and buttermilk boils, then takes powdered sugar and vanilla off the heat. Pour that hot glaze directly onto the warm cake, and it soaks partly into the top while the rest sets into a fudgy layer as both cool.

Cuts into 24 squares for a crowd, keeps for days under foil, and travels beautifully to potlucks. Serve with cold milk or a cup of strong coffee.

Chef Tips

• Use Dutch-processed cocoa for deeper, richer color. Natural cocoa tastes sharper but looks paler.
• Sift the powdered sugar into the glaze off the heat. Unsifted sugar leaves lumps no amount of stirring fixes.
• Pour glaze on warm (not hot) cake. Too hot and the glaze soaks in entirely; too cool and it sits on top without absorbing.
• Bake at 300°F (150°C) for the full hour as the recipe states. Higher heat dries out the thin cake.
• Let the glaze fully set at room temperature before cutting, at least 20 minutes.

Variations

• Add 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts to the glaze for the classic Texas addition.
• Finish with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt for a modern contrast to the sweet glaze.
• Swap buttermilk for sour cream thinned with milk for an even more tender cake.