Summer tiiiiime...and the livin's easy :)

Phew!  This summer is flying by!  I cannot believe that school starts in two weeks.  The girls are super excited this year because they both will have new teachers, and new classmates.  They were the youngest kiddos in the class so while the rest of the class is going to Kindergarten, they have one more year of Pre-K.  They miss the kindergarten age cut off by 3 weeks...  I let them choose their own backpacks this year, Cassie picked a Justin Beiber backpack and Scarlett picked Disney Princess.

Sheesh, speaking of flying by, my babes will be 5 soon... 5!?  They are growing so fast.. And way too smart for their own good :) 



So far its been a relatively quiet summer.  Lots of stayin out of the heat and swimming.  Thank God we have a pool this year! We also had family come hang out for a few weeks!  The girls had so much fun playing with Uncle Adrian.

Adrian came out from Tennessee and was probably glad to get home, the girls ran him ragged.  The night before he left I made a Texas Sheet Cake and he has now requested one for his birthday... However, according to FedEx it would cost about $130 to send one, can you believe that? So I figured I'd put my recipe on here and someone there could make it for him. :)


Ash's Famous Texas Sheet Cake ;)


What you'll need:
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
frosting (recipe provided below) 

❦ Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease your pan ahead of time, I always forgot and end up  pouring it in if I don't do it at this time, lol (there's a lot going on you might forget ;) ) I use a 13X9 pan but you can do a bit bigger, or I've done cupcakes before and those were a hit as well!! 
❦ Mix flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside. 
❦ In a saucepan, melt butter and add cocoa powder, and one cup of water.  Bring to a boil STIRRING CONSTANTLY... Once at a boil, add to dry mix and mix with an electric mixer for 2 minutes. (I like to go between 2-3 to get more air into the batter)  Add buttermilk, and mix.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Be sure to add the buttermilk and mix first or else the eggs will scramble because of the hot mixture that was added. The buttermilk brings the temp down a bit :).  Batter will be pretty thin.  Pour into the pan you've already greased!! (aren't you happy you greased it ahead of time....yeah I know... great idea ;)  ) 
❦ Bake for about 25 minutes, depending on your oven, and which way you decided to make the cake.  For cupcakes obviously it won't take as long. I always stick a butter knife in the middle and when it comes out clean, you're good as gold! The last ten minutes, start making the frosting.  When your cake is done, pour the frosting over your cake and ENJOY! Seriously, there are few desserts that beat a Texas Sheet Cake... unless you dislike chocolate... Which in that case.... I have no words. ;) 


Chocolate-Buttermilk Frosting
❦ In a medium saucepan mix 1/4 cup butter (4 tablespoons) melt it a bit, and add 3 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder and 3 tablespoons of buttermilk.  Bring to a boil.. stirring constantly! Once bubbling, remove from heat and add 2 1/4 cups sifted powdered sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla. Beat until smooth and velvety. (mmm I'm drooling already)  I like to add chopped pecans to the icing and than pour on top of the cake.  I also stab a few holes in the cake for the icing to slowly seep inside of the cake.  Those options are purely up to you, although, they make it so much better ;) 


Hope you guys like it!! If you do make it, let me know how it turns out!! <3