My Most Favorite Chocolate Cake

I absolutely love this cake.  It is so quick and easy to make.  Not to mention that it so heavenly.  I love the chocolate, the hint of cinnamon, and the pecans in the chocolate frosting.  It is amazing.  There is only one problem that I encounter when I do make it...I eat it.  I eat all of it.  I eat it with every meal...for breakfast with my coffee, for my mid-morning snack with a glass of milk, with my lunch, afternoon snack, with my supper...you can see how this is a problem for me.  Let's make a sheet cake!!

First, dump some flour and sugar in a large mixing bowl.

Melt some butter in a medium-sized saucepan.

Dump some oil into the saucepan.

Pour some water into the saucepan.

And some cocoa.

Doesn't that mixture look amazing?!?!?!

Pour that mixture into the flour and sugar.

Dissolve some baking soda in buttermilk.

A really cool chemical reaction happens after you have let the buttermilk and baking soda sit.

Lightly beat a couple of eggs.

Throw the eggs and the buttermilk mixture into the mixing bowl.

Add some cinnamon, vanilla, and salt.

Mix it up.  (Sorry if I made you dizzy, don't let that prevent you from making this cake!)

Pour the cake batter into a jellyroll pan and bake.

While the cake is baking, start making the icing. 

Melt some more butter in a medium-size saucepan.

Add some cocoa.

  

And some milk.

Remove from heat and add powdered sugar.

Add some chopped pecans.

And some vanilla.
Remove cake from oven and pour icing over hot cake, smoothing the icing to the edges of the pan.

And voila, a piping hot cake ready to be eaten!! I, um, was going to take a picture of just a piece of the cake, but I, um, ate it before I got the camera ready.  I told you...I can't be trusted with this cake.


Cake
2 cup sugar
2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup water
1/4 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix sugar and flour together in a large bowl; set aside.  In a medium saucepan, combine butter, oil, water and cocoa; bring to a boil; add to dry ingredients.  Dissolve baking soda in buttermilk; add with eggs, salt, cinnamon and vanilla to cocoa mixture and stir well.  Pour batter into 15x10x1" jellyroll pan.  Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

Frosting
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup cocoa
1/4 cup milk
1 (16 oz) package powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans

Five minutes before cake is done, combine butter, cocoa and milk in saucepan; bring to boil.  Remove from heat and stir in powdered sugar, vanilla and nuts.  Pour frosting on hot cake.

Enjoy!!