Rich and delicious chocolate cake popular in New Orleans. The recipe below is for an eight-layer cake, and is a lot of work, but well worth it:
Ingredients
For the batter:
4 cups cake flour, sifted
2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups butter
3 cups sugar
6 eggs, separated, whites beaten until stiff
2 cup buttermilk
3 (1-ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate, melted
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoon almond extract
For the filling:
5 cups evaporated milk
4 (1-ounce) squares semi-sweet chocolate
2 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 Tablespoons flour
8 egg yolks
4 tablespoons butter
2 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
For the frosting:
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 cup evaporated milk
3 (1-ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate
6 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
Batter:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Grease and flour 4 nine-inch round cake pans. Sift the flour, soda, and salt 3 times into a large bowl. Cream the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl, and add egg yolks, one at a time. Gradually alternate adding the flour mixture and buttermilk, then add chocolate and mix well by beating about 3 minutes. Fold in the 3 beaten egg whites, vanilla, and almond extracts. Bake each for 45 minutes or until done (do not put any more than two cake pans in the oven at one time). After the cake cools, split each layer in half to make 8 thin layers.
Filling:
To make the filling, put milk and chocolate in a saucepan and heat until chocolate is melted. In a bowl, combine sugar and flour. Make a paste by adding hot milk chocolate by Tablespoons to the sugar and flour, then return to saucepan. Stir over medium heat until thick. Add 8 egg yolks all at once and stir rapidly to completely blend. Cook 3 or 4 minutes more. Remove from heat, and add butter, vanilla, and almond extract. Cool and spread on cake, layering as you go. Do not spread on top layer.
Frosting:
For frosting, combine sugar and milk in a heavy saucepan, and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer for 6 minutes without stirring. Remove from heat and blend in chocolate. Add butter and vanilla and return to medium-low heat, cooking 1 or 2 minutes. Place in refrigerator to cool. Beat well, then spread on top and the sides of the cake.