Chocolate Cake With Orange Buttercream Frosting

Directions

1. Grease 4 (9-inch) round cakepans; line with wax paper. Grease and flour wax paper; set aside.
2. Stir together cocoa and 2 c. boiling water till smooth; set aside.
3. Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer till creamy; gradually add in sugar, beating well. Add in Large eggs, 1 at a time; beat till blended after each addition.
4. Combine flour and next 3 ingredients; add in to butter mix alternately with cocoa mix, beginning and ending with flour mix. Beat at low speed till blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Pour proportionately into prepared pans.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 min or possibly till a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cold in pans on wire racks 10 min; remove from pans, and cold on wire racks.
6. Brush cake layers with orange liqueur, if you like. Spread Orange Buttercream Frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake. Store in refrigerator. Garnish, if you like.
7. For Orange Buttercream Frosting: Beat butter and orange rind at medium speed with an electric mixer till creamy. Gradually add in confectioners' sugar alternately with orange juice, beating till spreading consistency. (Makes 4 c.)
8. For Almond Buttercream Frosting, substitute 3/4 c. lowfat milk for orange juice; omit orange rind, and stir in 1 tsp. almond extract.
9. This recipe yields 1 (4-layer) cake.
10. Comments: To give a browner appearance to these baked cake layers, dust greased pans with a Tbsp. of cocoa instead of flour.
11. Yield: 1 cake