My Great-great-grandmother Clara's Chocolate Cake

My family got together for Memorial Weekend at the lake, so I made this family cake recipe.

2 cups flour

1/3 cup cocoa

1 stick butter

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 13 by 9-inch cake pan. Dissolve baking soda in the buttermilk. Combine flour and cocoa in one bowl. In a separate bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time and mix well. Alternate mixing in dry ingredients and buttermilk. Add vanilla and boiling water and mix until just combined. Pour into prepared pan and bake at 350 for 30 to 40 minutes. I just used my favorite chocolate icing recipe (Hershey's), which is on the back of the cocoa jar and in my yellow cupcakes post.