Very Good Gets a Bit Better

Awhile back I posted this - the recipe for my all-time favorite chocolate sheet cake.  Because when I find a recipe I really like and when it's also chocolate I tend to make it again and again,  I made it yet again for a get together this weekend but decided to shake things up a little and add some toasted coconut to the frosting.   

Have you added toasted coconut to chocolate frosting before?  Ah well, then you haven't lived, my friend!  Make sure to understand this is toasted coconut (toasted in a little pan on the stove or on a cookie sheet in the oven) which is an entirely different animal that coconut out of the bag.  It. is. so. delicious.  Try it soon - you won't be disappointed!

Chocolate Sheet Cake

2 1/3 cups whole wheat flour

2 cups sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup butter

1 1/4 cup water

4 T cocoa

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 eggs, beaten

1 tsp vanilla

1. Mix dry ingredients in a bowl.

2. Bring butter, water and cocoa to a boil in saucepan. Pour over dry ingredients. Mix well

3. Add buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla. Beat well.

4. Pour into greased 9x13 pan and bake at 350 for 30 min. or until it tests done.

Frosting:

1/2 cup butter

4 T cocoa

6 T buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla 

1 pound powdered sugar

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (opt)

1. Heat butter, cocoa and buttermilk to boiling. 

2. Remove from heat and mix in vanilla, sugar and nuts.

3. Pour over cake soon after it comes out of the oven.

Optional: For Coconut Frosting, toast about 1 & 1/4 cups sweetened coconut in a pan on top of medium-low heat or in the oven on a cookie sheet (be careful to watch it as it can burn quickly!)  Add into the frosting after it's cooked - you won't regret it!

On an a non-dessert related note, here's picture I happily snapped this weekend of my most wonderful, beautiful sister and her impossibly adorable baby.  She has a very-good-for-my-heart-post at her sweet blog today.