Fudgy Vanilla Brownie

At first glance, this fudgy vanilla brownie doesn’t look so appetizing in the large pan it’s baked in. It’s actually called a white texas sheet cake, but I decided “cake” just doesn’t do this treat justice. Maybe it’s because I’m more of a brownie girl, but it tastes more like a brownie to me–a fudgy brownie.   There are 3 reasons I would normally pass on this dessert at first site:

1. I’m not a big fan of cake in general
2. I don’t care for plain vanilla stuff
3. There are no nuts or chips or chunks in this–boring!

So. Not. Boring.

In case you might have thought like me that it was a boring dessert, let me stop you there–this treat is far from ordinary. It makes such a giant pan, I had to instantly plate several slices, and rush them to my neighbors. Within minutes of my “runner” delivering them, I got texts from all 3 neighbors exclaiming the amazement they had experienced with their first bite.

So instead of “cake” I’m renaming my recipe because it’s more like a vanilla brownie. Fudgy and chewy and amazing.

Story time!  I was first introduced to this heavenly concoction when I helped at a  youth conference a month ago with food preparation. At the end of the evening we pulled out both chocolate and vanilla Texas sheet cakes (Texas because it’s so big?) and I didn’t give much thought into trying the dessert (because of the aforementioned 3 points above) but I looked again. Upon closer examination, I saw the fudgy moist-ness, and I thought I’d give it a try. 5 slices later (I am not kidding) I had to banish myself to another room. I’ve been day dreaming of making it ever since.

My friend Michelle has had the recipe for several years, and it calls for water to mix with the butter on the stove top, but my fabulous culinary friend, Juliet decided to use heavy whipping cream instead of water to give it an extra boost of yumminess!  (If you want the light version, go for the water, but it might not be as tasty). It also has almond extract in the cake and frosting, which I ADORE, but can be substituted for vanilla if there are allergies.

Never had I made a cake or brownie over stove top. Am I missing something that others already knew about? As I added ingredients, it thickened, and my heart started palpitating.

I could tell it was going to be fudgy, like I love. It baked a quick 20 minutes–super easy to make! It’s great for big groups, too, you just can’t go wrong!  Here is the recipe:

4.9 from 11 reviews

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Fudgy Vanilla Brownie

Author: Kristen Duke

Recipe type: Dessert

 

This fudgy vanilla brownie is also called White Texas Sheet Cake, but I didn't think "cake" did it justice. It's amazing!

Ingredients

• Cake/Brownie:
• 2 C flour
• 2 C sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 C butter
• ½ C sour cream
• 1 C heavy whipping cream
• 2 large eggs (lightly beaten)
• 1 tsp almond extract
• Frosting:
• ½ C butter
• ¼ C milk
• ½ tsp almond extract (or more to taste)
• 3 C powdered sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat oven 350
2. Grease and flour jelly roll pan (15x10)
3. In large bowl combine flour, sugar, salt and baking powder; set aside
4. In small sauce pan combine butter and heavy whipping cream
5. Bring to boil, stirring occasionally
6. Add flour mixture, stirring to combine.
7. Stir in sour cream, eggs and almond extract, pour into pan
8. Bake 22-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
9. Let Cool
10. Make frosting
11. Spread warm cake with butter frosting

Just a fun pic of the pan and my photo set up.

Are you like me and generally steer clear of the plain? Give it a chance the next time you are feeding a crowd! If you can’t wait til then, make the neighbor plates ahead of time so you aren’t tempted to eat the whole thing!