Almond Sheet Cake

I better start off by saying that I think margarine is of the devil.  I am a true blue butter-lover.  I think my mom and her dad had a lot to do with that.  I remember my Grandpa, a dairy farmer, always telling me that margarine would kill me faster than butter would.  While that may not be entirely true, I’m normally not willing to risk it.  That is, until this cake came around.  I got the recipe from my MIL after she made if for us a few times.  When I read the recipe and it clearly stated to use margarine, NOT butter, I almost dismissed it.  But then I remember how tasty it was.  So, I sucked it up and bought some margarine just for this cake.  I would have just experimented with butter to see how it turned out, but I was taking it to a baby shower and didn’t want to botch it, so I stuck to the recipe.  It was just as good as I remembered.  Dangerously good.  

So if you are a margarine-hater as I am, don’t completely dismiss this.  Just give it one try.  This sheet cake is a fabulous crowd-pleaser and you won’t be disappointed.  I made it this week and ate way more than I should have.  Like 6 pieces.  At least.  I was planning to freeze the leftovers, but they kind of just disappeared...oops.

Texas Almond Sheet Cake
Printable Version
1 cup water            
1 cup margarine (has to be margarine – NOT butter)
2 cups flour                        
2 cups sugar
2 beaten eggs                     
½ cup sour cream
1 tsp almond extract
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 375.  Grease and flour a sheet pan--jelly roll or quarter sheet pan will work.  Bring margarine and water to a boil in a large saucepan.  In a mixing bowl, combine and whisk dry ingredients together--flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.  Combine wet ingredients in a separate mixing bowl.  Once margarine and water has reached a boil, add the wet ingredients, then the dry ingredients and stir until the batter is smooth and combined.  Pour into greased and floured pan.  Bake at 375 for 20-25 min.  Frost while warm.

Frosting
Bring to a boil:  

½ cup margarine             

¼ cup milk

Add:            

4 cups powdered sugar            

1 tsp almond extract

**If anyone decides to try it with butter, let me know how it turns out for you!

Recipe Source: My mother-in-law, Karen