Follow this recipe carefully! Accurate measurements! No substitutions! The correct pan size! And then you'll have a great dessert you can be proud of, and should be. Oh yeah, you might want a parent to help to make it easier, make more sense and maybe even make it less boring. Cooking is very boring when your alone (most of the time).

Ingredients
Cake
1 cup unsifted unsweetened cocoa
2 cups boiling water
2 and 3/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup butter
2 and 1/2 cups granulated sugar (mmm, sugar... *drools*)
4 eggs
1 and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Frosting
1 pkg (or 6 oz) semisweet chocolate pieces
1/2 cup light cream
1 cup butter or regular margarine (I don't like margarine very much...)
2 and 1/2 cups unsifted confectioners' sugar
Filling
1 cup heavy cream, chilled
1/4 cup unsifted confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Step #1. In medium bowl, combine cocoa with boiling water, mixing with wire whisk until smooth. Cool completely. Sift flour with soda, salt, and baking powder. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease well and lightly flour three 9-by-1 and 1/2-inch layer-cake pans.

Step #2. In large bowl of electric mixer, at high speed, beat butter, sugar, eggs (remember to crack them open first! ;), and vanilla, scraping bowl occasionally, until light -- about 5 minutes. At low speed, beat in flour mixture (in fourths), alternately with cocoa mixture (in thirds), beginning... (continued in #3)

Step #3. ...and ending with flour mixture. Do not overbeat. Divide evenly into pans; smooth top. Bake 25 to 30 min, or until surface spring back when gently pushed with fingertip. Cool in pans 10 minutes. Carefully loosen sides with a spatula.

Step #4. Remove from pans; cool on racks. Frosting: In medium saucepan, combine chocolate pieces, cream, butter; stir over medium heat until smooth. Remove from heat. With whisk, blend in 2 and 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar. In bowl set over ice, beat until it holds shape.

Step #5. Filling: Whip cream with sugar and vanilla; refrigerate. To assemble cake: On plate, place a layer, top side down, spread with half of cream. Place second layer, top side down; spread other half of cream. Place third layer, top side up.

Step #6. Almost done, yay! To frost: With spatula, frost sides first, covering whipped cream. Use rest of frosting on top, swirling decoratively. Refrigerate at least one hour before serving. To cut: Use a thin-edged sharp knife; slice with a sawing motion. Serves 10-12.

All done. Whew! That took a while to write. If you made it, tried it, liked it, Y-mail me! I got this recipe from my mom, who got it from some cookbook of hers. If I knew which one, I'd tell you, to acknowledge the great people who created this recipe.

Anyway this is LilCas, heading off to eat her cake!