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Perfect Chocolate Cake Recipe

Here's a home made chocolate cake recipe, made from scratch, that is about as perfect as you can make. It has a lot of ingredients and is probably not for the inexperienced cook but it really is not difficult for the average cook.

Ingredients

Cake
* 1 cup unsifted unsweetened cocoa powder
* 2 cups boiling water
* 2 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
* 2 teaspoons baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup butter or margarine, softened
* 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
* 4 large eggs
* 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Frosting
* 1 pkg. (6 oz.) semisweet chocolate pieces
* 1/2 cup light cream
* 1 cup butter or margarine
* 2 1/2 cups unsifted confectioners sugar

Filling
* 1 cup heavy cream, chilled
* 1/4 cup unsifted confectioners sugar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cake Directions
1. In a medium bowl combine cocoa with boiling water. Mix until smooth. Cool completely.
2. In another bowl, sift flour with baking soda, baking powder and salt.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
4. Grease and lightly flour three 9" x 1 1/2" layer cake pans.
5. In another large bowl, with electric mixer at high speed, beat butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla until light (about 5 minutes), scraping bowl occasionally.
6. At low speed, beat in flour mixture (in fourths) alternately with cocoa mixture (in thirds), beginning and ending with flour mixture. Do not overbeat.
7. Divide batter evenly into prepared cake pans. Smooth top. Bake 25-30 minutes or until surface springs back when gently pressed with fingertip. Cool 10 minutes. Carefully loosen sides with spatula, remove from pans, cool completely on wire racks.

Frosting Directions
1. In medium saucepan, combine chocolate pieces, cream and butter; stir over medium heat until smooth. Remove from heat.
2. With whisk, blend in 2 1/2 cups confectioners sugar. Set mixture on top of another bowl filled with ice, beat until frosting holds its shape.

Filling
1. Whip cream with confectioners sugar and vanilla until smooth. Place in refrigerator 20 minutes.

Assemble Cake
1. On plate, place a layer, top side down; spread with half of cream filling. Place second layer, top side down, on top of first layer and spread with remainder of cream filling. Place third layer, top side down, on top of second layer.

Frost Cake
1. With spatula, frost sides first, covering with whipped cream filling. Frost top with remaining frosting, swirling decoratively.
2. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving. To cut, use a thin-edged sharp knife with a sawing motion.
Serves 12