Cocoa and Cream Cake

This is a cake that has been made for birthdays for over 50 years in my family. It is 3 layers of dense chocolate cake with a smooth velvety truffle like filling and whipped cream frosting. Sure to please and impress any chocolate lover!

• Ready In: 1 hr
• Serves: 16

Ingredients

• Cake

• 1  cup  unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2  cups water, boiling hot
• 3  cups all-purpose flour
• 2  teaspoons baking soda
• 3⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1  cup butter, softened
• 2 1⁄2 cups granulated sugar
• 4  eggs
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• Filling

• 1  cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1  cup powdered sugar
• 1⁄2 cup  unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2  eggs

• Frosting

• 2  cups heavy cream
• 3⁄4 cup powdered sugar
• 1  teaspoon vanilla extract (clear if possible)
•  chocolate shavings, and curls to sprinkle over top (optional)

Directions

1. Cake:
2. Preheat oven to 350°F.
3. In a medium bowl, sift cocoa into boiling hot water, mix well. Let cool completely. Can put in refrigerator to speed cooling.
4. Meanwhile, grease and flour or line with parchment paper, three 9x1 1/2" layer cake pans.
5. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder. Set aside.
6. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat together butter and sugar at high speed until well mixed. Add eggs and vanilla and beat at high speed, scraping the sides of the bowl until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
7. At lowest speed on mixer beat in alternately starting and ending with the flour mixture in fourths and cooled cocoa mixture in thirds. Scrape sides of bowl after each addition. Do not overbeat.
8. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake for 30 minutes or until surface springs back when gently pressed with fingertips.
9. Cool in pans 10 minutes. Gently remove from pans and cool completely on wire racks.
10. Chocolate Filling:
11. In a small bowl with an electric mixer, cream butter until smooth.
12. Sift in powdered sugar and cocoa, add eggs, and beat until filling is fluffy and smooth.
13. Refrigerate until needed and until firmer.
14. Frosting:
15. In a medium bowl, combine cream, sifted powdered sugar and vanilla; beat with mixer on high speed until stiff and of spreading consistency.
16. Refrigerate until needed.
17. To assemble cake:
18. On a cake platter, place one layer of cake, top side up, spread with half of the filling.
19. Invert second cake layer on top of first layer and filling, spread with remaining filling.
20. Place the third cake layer top side up over the second layer and filling.
21. Frost the top and sides of cake with frosting.
22. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.