Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. CAKES
3. Whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl
4. Combine the water, oil, vinegar, instant coffee, and vanilla in another mixing bowl.
5. Add this wet mixture to the dry mixture--whisk until just combined, smooth--but don't over mix, and a lump or two is just fine. Over-mixing may make the cake a tad tough.
6. Spray two cake pans (8 or 9 inch) with nonstick spray.
7. Divide the cake batter between the two pans.
8. Bake about 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
9. Take the cakes out of the cake pans and let cool--dome side down so as to flatten them out a tad.
10. While those aromatic lovely cakes are cooling;
11. ICING
12. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.
13. Stir in sugar, cocoa, & salt--the texture will be thick and grainy.
14. In a mixing bowl, combine the heavy cream, sour cream, and instant coffe and mix until smooth. (you might want to turn down the heat on the saucepan while you do this)
15. Gradually add the cream mixture to the chocolate until blended and smooth.
16. Cook until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is smooth and hot to the touch--about 6 to 8 minutes. Do not boil !
17. Take the saucepan off the heat and stir in the vanilla.
18. Let the icing cool at room temperature for about 2-3 hours.
19. Now go on an ice and assemble those cakes!