Chocolate Sheet Cake

WARNING. If you make this cake, you could end up standing at your kitchen island at 8:00 pm, shoveling it in your mouth, unsure where your life took this particular turn. I am not big on baking, but this is the second cake I've made this month. I don't know what's gotten into me. Besides cake. Lots of cake has gotten into me. I have a couple of theories:

1. Earlier this year I had to throw out ALL of my baking supplies because they were long expired. That's how infrequently I bake. To avoid being wasteful like that again, I feel I should try harder to use up my baking soda, cocoa, etc. That's just being responsible, people.

2. I've been trying to motivate myself to get back on my treadmill. I am going to shock and horrify myself into action.

NOW.

I'm not going to post the recipe. There's no need, since this is the Pioneer Woman's Best Chocolate Sheet Cake Ever that she brags about all the time. If you read her site at all, you have heard of this cake. So check out her recipe, that's all I did here. I'll just tell you a few things I found on my ride...

1. I buttered and floured my pan. It just didn't feel right not to. It came out fine.

2. I made my buttermilk with the milk + vinegar technique. I guess it worked? Hell, I don't know, honestly. I have never bought buttermilk in my life, what's it even look like? I can tell you this - my buttermilk/egg mixture did not look NEARLY as nice and thick and fluffy as hers. Mine was runny and awkward to stir into the batter. Tasted fine, though. I imagine you can even use regular milk here and the world will keep spinning.

3. Hershey's cocoa. That's the stuff. Last trip to the store, I bought Nestle Toll House cocoa, because it was a little bit cheaper. So that's what I've had on hand, and I'll keep using it until it's gone, but...it's no Hershey's. There is definitely a taste difference. Maybe not a quality difference - but if you grew up on Hershey's, there's no need to stray. Next time I make this cake, I will make it with Hershey's and I guarantee it'll be even better.

4. There WILL be a next time I make this cake.

5. I really like numbered lists.

6. This cake has almost FOUR STICKS of butter in it. Think about that for a minute.