Sheath Cake

I can't remember where I got this recipe. I have had it in my recipe box for years, written on an index card by my own hand. I haven't made it in ages and decided to pull it out yesterday for my daughter's 15th birthday. It was a hit! So I thought I would kick off this new home and hearth blog by posting it here.

I don't know why it's called a "Sheath" cake. I remember wondering about it years ago and thinking that maybe it had to do with the definition of "sheath" as a covering. The icing on this cake is more like a poured on blanket than a frosting. But I did a little research and discovered that the phrase "sheath cake" may be simply a mispronunciation of "sheet cake" as in "Texas Sheet Cake." Okay, that works. I'm from Texas so it makes sense that I would have a traditional Texas recipe in my possession. I still wish I could remember where I got it.

Anyway, without further ado, here's my recipe for "Sheath Cake."

Cake

2 c. flour
2 c. sugar
1 tsp. soda
1 stick butter
3-4 tbsp. cocoa
1 c. water
1/2 c. shortening
1/2 c. buttermilk
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix sugar and flour and set aside. Do the same with buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla. Heat butter, cocoa, water & shortening to a boil. Pour over dry mixture. Add buttermilk mixture and soda and stir well. Bake 20-25 minutes in a greased & floured 13x9x2 pan. Let cool.

Icing

1 stick butter
3-4 tbsp. cocoa
6 tbsp. milk
1 box (1 pound) powdered sugar
1 tbsp. vanilla
1/2 c. nuts
1/4 c. coconut

Heat butter, cocoa, and milk to a boil. Add sugar, vanilla, nuts & coconut. Mix well and spread on top of cake.

Some of the people in my house like their chocolate smooth and unadulterated. So I covered half of the cake with plain icing and the other half with chunky icing (I like the latter). I love coconut, so I used 1/2 cup and I also used the full amount of nuts even though I was only covering half a cake. I would follow your own preference on this one.

Here's the finished product!




My husband pronounced it one of the most delicious cakes he had ever tasted. The cake itself is not terribly sweet, but the icing is quite rich, so together they amount to a perfect level of sweetness. Add some vanilla ice cream on the side or a tall glass of milk to round out your eating enjoyment. Whatever you decide to call it, it still tastes the same!