Best Ever Chocolate Cake Recipe

Directions:

1. Cake: Combine cocoa and boiling water until smooth. Cool
2. Combine butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Beat on high for 5 minutes until light and fluffy. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Starting and ending with flour, alternately add flour mixture and cocoa water mixture to butter & sugar mixture, beating at low speed. Do not overbeat. Pour batter into 3 9 greased and floured cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Cool 10 minutes in pan, remove from pans and cool completely. FILLING Beat cream and vanilla until foamy; gradually add the powdered sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Chill until ready to assemble the cake. FROSTING Combine chocolate chips, half & half, and butter in saucepan and heat until chips are melted. Remove from heat and add powdered sugar. Mix well. Set pan over ice water and beat until set and loses gloss. Add few drops of half & half if needed to thing. Use whipped cream between layers. Frost top and sides with frosting. Can add raspberries or sliced strawberries on top of cream.