Judith olney's chocolate buttermilk cake

Yield: 8 Servings

Ingredients:

3 c Flour
1 1/4 c Cocoa
1 1/2 ts Baking soda
1 1/2 ts Baking powder
1 1/2 ts Ground cinnamon
2 1/4 c Buttermilk
1 1/2 c Thick sour cream
1 1/2 tb Instant coffee crystals
2 c Sweet butter
2 1/4 c Sugar
2 1/4 c 10x powdered sugar
3 Eggs
2 1/4 c Heavy cream I. THE CAKE:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 3 round
9" cake pans.

Instructions:

Line bottoms with greased wax paper. 2. Sift together flour 3/4 c cocoa baking soda baking powder and cinnamon. Mix in buttermilk and coffee (dissolve coffee in an equal amount of hot water first.) 3. Cream 1 1/2 c butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time until thick. Beating on low speed slowly mix in buttermilk mixture. Beat 'til well blended. Bake about 35 minutes or until a straw comes out clean. 4. Remove to racks to cool. After they are cooled put in 'fridge'. After 1 hour in 'fridge' split each in half (see note at bottom.) Wrap each layer in wax paper or plastic wrap and freeze immediately. II. SOUR CREAM FILLING: 1. Beat 3/4 c heavy cream gradually adding 3/4 c 10 x sugar until stiff. 2. Gently fold in 3/4 c sour cream. Set aside in 'fridge' (covered.) III. CHOCOLATE SOUR CREAM FROSTING: 1. Melt remaining (1/2 c) butter. Add 1/2 c 10x sugar and remaining (1/2 c) cocoa. Stir with a wire whisk over low heat until smooth; cool. 2. Beat remaining (1 1/2 c) heavy cream; add remaining (1 1/2 c) 10x sugar until soft peaks form. Add cooled chocolate mixture; beat until stiff. Fold in remaining (3/4 c) sour cream. IV. CONSTRUCTION: 1. Build layers from the bottom up as follows: 2. Cake 1/3 the filling cake 2/3 c frosting. 3. Repeat above twice for total of six layers. 4. Put remaining frosting on sides. 5. Chill two hours before serving. Note: The cakes must be well-chilled before assembly or they will disintegrate under their own weight during assembly. If the cake tops rose during baking the layers will not stack well. You will need to slice the excess off *after* chilling but *before* splitting into layers.