*Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake*
serves 8 to 10

Moist, delicious and chocolaty.  Great with tall glasses of ice cold milk!

3/4 ounce dutch process cocoa (1/4 cup)
8 3/4 ounces plain flour (1 1/4 cup)
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
250ml buttermilk (1 cup) at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
125ml hot water (1/2 cup)
12 1/4 ounces sugar (1 3/4 cup)
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
12 TBS unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces and softened

Grease and lightly dust with some extra cocoa powder, two 8 or 9 inch round baking tins, or one 9 by 15 inch pan.  Line the bottoms with parchment paper. Set aside.  Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.

Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, soda and salt in a medium sized bowl.  Set aside.  Stir the buttermilk and vanilla together.  Set aside.

Combine the chocolate, 1/4 cup of cocoa powder and hot water.  Set in a pan over simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water.  Heat, stirring often, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.  Stir in  1/3 of the sugar and continue to heat until thick and glossy, some 2 minutes or so.  Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

Whip the eggs and egg yolks with an electric whisk on high speed, gradually beating in the remaining sugar, about one minute.  Continue to beat until the mixture is very thick and voluminous, 4 to 8 minutes.  Beat the cooled chocolate mixture into the egg mixture until thoroughly incorporated.  Beat in the butter, one piece at a time.  Reduce the speed to low and beat in the flour in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pans, smoothing the top over and gently tapping the pans down on the counter to settle the batter.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking, until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.  Let cool in the pans for 10 minutes, before turning out onto wire racks to cool completely, peeling off the paper as you do.  Let cool completely before frosting.