AUNT DOAD'S CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Don't try to make this cake without the pans I have at home!
• Remove bottoms from 3 9" cake pans with removable bottoms. Trace 3 9" rounds of waxed paper and cut out.
• Grease inside of pans and bottoms, and stick wax paper rounds into bottoms. Flour pans and tap out excess.
• For cake: cream sugar and shortening until like soft butter, at least 5 minutes.
• Add egg yolks one at a time, beating each one in thoroughly. Add and mix in melted chocolate.
• Sift baking powder, sifted cake flour, and salt together and set aside.
• Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk, mixing each in. When both are all added, add sour cream. Beat at 3 or 4 speed for 1 1/2 minutes.
• Add vanilla and mix.
• In a separate, clean, dry bowl, with clean, dry beaters, beat egg whites until stiff.
• Gently fold stiffley beaten egg whites into cake batter.
• Divide between prepared pans. Bake at 350 for 30-35 min. Until tester inserted in the middle of each cake comes out clean.
• Cool in pans on wire racks until you can touch pans. Remove pans from rack, and one at a time, place a rack on top of a cake in it's pan. Invert cake onto rack so pan is on top. Remove pan sides, slide a knife under pan bottom to remove if needed, and remove wax paper round. Do this for all three cakes, and let them cool completely, not stacked, on wire racks.
• While cakes cool, melt 1 oz (1 square) of bakers unsweetened chocolate with 1/3 cup of water, 4 Tbsp of butter, 2 Tbsp of unsweeened cocoa, and 1 tsp instant coffee over low heat.
• Put 6 cups sifted powdered sugar in a bowl and add the above mixture to it while it's hot. Mix well on low speed until sugar is incorporated.
• Add two egg yolks and 1 tsp vanilla to the frosting and mix again. Add hot water as necessary to make a spreadable consistency.
• When cakes are fully cool, put one on a plate. If the top is domed, level it. Top with enough frosting to evenly cover the top, but don't make it too thick. Top with another cake, and repeat the process.Top with the final cake and repeat the process again, using enough frosting that it starts to fall down the sides of the cake. Spread any frosting that has squeezed out from between the layers onto the sides of the cake. Fill in openings in the side frosting with excess from the top edges. Use extra frosting to smooth the top and sides. This cake is prone to having chunks come out of it while you're frosting it. Grit your teeth, swear, and keep going. It'll all hold together eventually. I've been making this cake for 40 years, and am just now getting to where I can make it without too much trouble, if I'm lucky! Cut yourself some slack, remember how much you love the person you're making it for, and keep going. It may not look great, but it'll taste spectacular!!