Construction Cake

Ingredients:

2 Sticks of butter

4 T cocoa powder

1 c milk

1/2 c sour cream

1/4 t salt

2 eggs

1 c brown sugar

2 c cake flour

1 t baking soda

Preheat oven to 350. In a large microwave safe bowl, melt two sticks of butter and four tablespoons of cocoa powder. In a large measuring cup with one cup of milk, add a quarter teaspoon of salt (if using unsalted butter,) two eggs, and a teaspoon of vanilla extract. Pour the milk mixture into the slightly cooled butter mixture and whisk to combine. Scoop one cup of packed brown sugar into liquids. Sift two cups of flour with one teaspoon of baking soda into the same bowl as liquids, fold until combined.

Spread batter onto a lined half-sheet pan. Bake for 20 mins. When it is finished, check center with a toothpick, it should come out clean. Remove from oven and cool for 10 mins, then invert on to rack and cool to room temperature.

While cake is baking, melt an additional two sticks of butter with four tablespoons of cocoa. Sift 12oz of powdered sugar into butter, stir to combine into paste. Then beat in one softened brick of cream cheese. It will take some time to combine, don’t worry if it looks clotted at first. Leave in fridge until cake is finished cooling.

Remove lining from bottom of cooled cake, and flip onto serving platter if making a plain sheet cake. For the construction cake, flip onto a cutting board and skip to assembly instructions. Remove frosting from fridge and beat to soften.

Texas sheet cake: Frost entire cake and sprinkle with crushed pecans. Enjoy!

Assembly of construction cake: Cut sheet in half vertically, then cut each half horizontally to make two equal squares with two narrow rectangles on top. Place one of the bigger squares on a serving plate. Spread first square with frosting, sprinkle with mini chocolate chips, then place second square on top. Again, spread frosting over entire square, then sprinkle chocolate chips over the top portion that the next rectangle will cover. Place one of the narrow rectangles over chocolate chips. Again, frost the top of the cake. Cut the remaining rectangle in half vertically. Place half on top of the cake, then frost. Cut remaining portion in half again, stack the small square on the very top of the cake. Crumble final square and use to create rubble on top of the cake. Take a handful of mini or regular chocolate chips and crush with a mortar and pestle or inside a plastic bag. Use the chips to create addition piles of construction rubble. Finally, use crushed pecans to make other piles of rubble. Place small construction trucks on cake, use leftover chocolate chips or pecans to stage the vehicles.

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