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cake:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (two sticks) butter
5 Tbl unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup water
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
frosting:
1/4 cup (one stick) butter
3-5 Tbl unsweetened cocoa
6 Tbl whole milk
1 lb (one box, about 2 1/4 cups) powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat oven to 400F. Butter a 15X10X1-inch or jelly roll pan or a 13X9X2-inch baking pan; set aside.
In a large bowl, combine flour and sugar, set aside.
In a microwavable bowl or large measuring cup, combine 1 cup of water, 5 Tbl cocoa, and 1 cup butter. Nuke until butter is melted. Mix chocolate mixture into the dry mixture until thoroughly blended. In the microwaveable bowl, lightly whip the eggs and add the buttermilk, soda, and vanilla. Add buttermilk mixture to the flour/chocolate mixture. Beat for 1 minute (batter will be thin). Pour batter into the prepared pan.
Bake in a 400F oven about 15 minutes for the 15X10-inch pan or 25 minutes for the 13X9-inch pan, or until a wooden pick or cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. While cake is baking, prepare frosting.
Cut the butter into pieces and place in a clean microwave-safe bowl. Add 3-5 Tbl unsweetened cocoa and 6 Tbl whole milk. Nuke until butter is melted. While warm, mix in all the powdered sugar, if the frosting seems stiff, warm by nuking 10 seconds or place bowl on stove top near oven vent. Add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. If you are done making frosting before the cake is done baking, place the bowl in a warm spot.
When cake is done, remove from oven. Turn oven off. Place cake, in pan, on a stable cooling rack. Pour hot frosting over the still hot cake, covering all parts. Don't worry, there's lots of frosting and it will melt over the hot cake beautifully.
Allow cake to cool in pan. Eat. Serves one. Or more than 20 if you share.
