Categories: Chocolate, Cakes/choc. 
      Yield: 6 servings 
  
      1 c  Cocoa                                    Whipped Cream Filling: 
      2 c  Boiling water                       1 c  Whipping cream, 
      1 c  Butter, softened                    1 ts Vanilla, and 
  2 1/2 c  Sugar                             1/4 c  Sifted powdered sugar 
      4    Eggs                                     Perfect Chocolate Frosting: 
  2 3/4 c  Flour (I used cake flour and        1    (6 oz) package seme-sweet 
           -suggest others do so also)              -chocolate morsels, 
      2 ts Baking soda                       1/2 c  Half and half, 
    1/2 ts Baking powder                     3/4 c  Butter 
    1/2 ts Salt                            2 1/2 c  Sifted powdered sugar 
  1 1/2 ts Vanilla                         
  
  This cake is from the December 1990 "Southern Living" article on the best 
  recipes of the past 25 years.  We've tried it, and it is a stunner! First 
  printed in December 1977, a recipe submitted by Dondee Gage Steves of San 
  Antonio, Texas. 
   
  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour 3 9" round cake pans. 
   
  Combine cocoa and boiling water, stir until smooth, then set aside. 
   
  Cream butter, gradually add sugar, beating well at mdm speed of an electric 
  mixer.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. 
   
  Combine flour, soda, baking powder, and salt; add to creamed mixture 
  alternating with cocoa mixture, beating at low speed of an electric mixer, 
  beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Stir in the vanilla. Do not 
  overbeat. 
   
  Pour pans and ake 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into the 
  center comes out clean. Cool pans 10 minutes. Remove the cake from pans; 
  cool completely. 
   
  Spread filling between layers; spread frosting on top and sides. Chill 
  until serving time. 
   
  Filling: Beat whipping cream and vanilla until foamy.  Gradually add 
  powdered sugar, beating until soft peaks form.  Chill. 
   
  Yield: 2 c 
   
  Frosting: Combine chocolate, half and half, and butter in a heavy saucepan; 
  cook over mdm heat, stirring until chocolate melts (I used a glass 
  measuring c and the microwave). Remove from heat; add powdered sugar, 
  mixing well. 
   
  Set saucepan in ice, and beat at low speed of an electric mixer until the 
  frosting holds its shape and loses its gloss.  Add a few more drops of 
  half-and-half if needed to make spreading consistency. 
   
  Yield: 2 1/2 c