Chocolate Sheet Cake

This is a family favorite and has been around for a long time.  I can remember eating this when I was a little girl.  Brant remembers it for birthdays when he was younger. There are different variations from family to family. And The Pioneer Woman has her own version  that is very similar to my Mom's.
I have taken my Mom's recipe and The Pioneer Woman's recipe and adapted it to what we like best.
Any cake with almost 4 sticks of butter has to be good!!! So as promised here is the Chocolate Sheet Cake recipe.

Chocolate Sheet Cake

Ingredients for cake:
2 cups of sugar                2 eggs(slightly beaten)
2 cups of flour                 1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt             1 teaspoon vanilla
2 sticks of butter             4 heaping tablespoons cocoa powder
1 cup of water                
1/2 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350. Mix together sugar, flour and salt in a large bowl and set aside.  In a saucepan combine butter, water and cocoa powder.  Bring to a rapid boil and then pour over flour and sugar mixture.  Mix well.  Add buttermilk, eggs, soda and vanilla.  Mix well and pour into an ungreased 18x12 inch jelly roll pan(rimmed baking sheet)and bake for 20 minutes.
**The jelly roll pan makes a thin cake.  My Mom's recipe calls for making it in a 9x13 inch greased pan....much thicker cake.**

Photo courtesy of Pioneer Woman

                                   
Ingredients for icing:
1 3/4 sticks butter
4 heaping tablespoons of cocoa powder
6 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 pound of powdered sugar
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans(optional)

**I start the icing about 5-10 minutes before the cake is done**
In a saucepan(I use the same one as above)mix together butter, cocoa and milk.  Melt together and bring to a boil.  Remove from and add powdered sugar, vanilla and pecans.  Mix well and spread over the HOT cake.
Serve with vanilla ice cream if you dare!