Marble Sheet Cake with Frosting

Why clean the kitchen, even if you did mess it up?  Why not just make a deal with your 12-year-old son that if he'll clean it all up, you'll make a treat?  Then, while he's cleaning, go rummage through your stash of clipped recipes in search of a new chocolate adventure.  Not that I'm saying that's what I did, but, yeah....that's what I did.  The result?  This yummy cake.

Ingredients:
Cake
2 sticks butter, softened
1 3/4 cups sugar (DIVIDED)
2 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup half-and-half
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
3 Tbsp. hot water

Frosting
1 stick butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
2/3 cups unsweetened cocoa
3 Tbsp. hot water
2 tsp. vanilla
3 to 4 Tbsp. half-and-half

1.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Beat butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar at medium speed for 4 to 5 minutes or until creamy.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating just until combined after each addition.  Beat in vanilla extract.
2.  Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.  Add to butter mixture alternately with half-and-half, beginning and ending with flour mixture.  Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition, stopping to scrape bowl as needed.
3.  Spoon 1 1/4 cups batter into a 2-qt. bowl, and stir in cocoa, 3 Tbsp. hot water, and remaining 1/4 cup sugar until well blended.
4.  Spread remaining vanilla batter into a greased and floured 15x10 inch jelly roll pan.  Spoon chocolate batter onto vanilla batter in pan; gently swirl with a knife or small spatula.

5.  Bake at 325 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean (be careful NOT to overbake!).  Cool completely in pan on a wire rack (about an hour).
For Frosting:
1.  Cream butter in a mixer.
2.  Whisk together sugar and cocoa in a medium bowl.  Combine hot water and vanilla.
3.  With mixer going, add sugar mixture alternately with water mixture until well combined.
4.  Add half-and-half a tablespoon at a time until frosting reaches desired consistency.  Frost cake and enjoy!
NOTE:  If you see cake as a delivery system for frosting, you may want to double the frosting.

Source:  Southern Living magazine