-CAKE-
1 3/4 c  Sifted cake flour
1/2 c  Cocoa powder (not a mix)
1 ts Baking soda
1/2 ts Salt
1/2 c  Unsalted butter
1 1/4 c  Granulated sugar
1 1/2 ts Vanilla
2 lg Eggs
1 c  Boiling water

-FROSTING –
1/4 c Unsalted butter
2 c Confectioners sugar
2 oz Unsweetened chocolate
– melted
1 1/2 ts Vanilla
2 tb Half-and-half OR milk OR
– evaporated milk

PREHEAT THE OVEN TO 350F. Grease 2 8-inch layer cake pans well, then dust
them generously with cocoa. (This gives the cake layers a rich brown
finish). Sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt onto a piece of waxed
paper and set it aside. Cream the butter until it is fluffy, add the sugar
and vanilla, and continue beating until the batter is silvery and light.
Beat the eggs in onee, then add the sifted dry ingredients,
alternately with the boiling water, beginning and ending with the dry
ingredients and beating well after each addition. Divide the batter equally
between the two pans, smoothing the tops. Bake the layers uncovered for 30
to 35 minutes, or until the layers feel spongy to the touch and begin to
pull away from the sides of the pans. Cool the layers upright in their pans
on wire racks for 10 minutes, then carefully loosen them around the edges
with a spatula and turn them onto wire racks. Cool them completely. FOR THE
FROSTING: Cream the butter until it is light, then add the confectioners
sugar gradually, beating all the while. Beat in the melted chocolate and
vanilla, then add just enough cream to make the frosting a good consistency
for spreading. Sandwich the two cake layers together with frosting, then
frost the top and sides of the cake. Swirl the frosting into peaks and
valleys.