CHOCOLATE CAKE:

3/4 c. soft butter
3 eggs
2 1/4 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
3/4 tsp. salt
8 tbsp. cocoa
1/2 c. hot water
3 c. all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 c. ice water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2 (9") cake pans. Cream butter and sugar together with electric mixer until fluffy. Add vanilla. Beat in eggs one at a time. Combine cocoa and hot water until smooth in separate bowl, add to butter mixture. Sift together flour, salt, baking soda. Alternately add dry ingredients and ice water. Be sure to end with flour mixture. Pour into prepared pans. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until center comes out clean. Cool on rack for 15 minutes, then remove from pans. Allow to cool completely.

CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM ICING:

2 c. soft butter
2 egg yolks
12 oz. semi sweet chocolate, melted & cooled
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/2 c. sifted confectioners' sugar

Cream butter until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolks one at a time. Add melted and cooled chocolate in steady stream. Beat well. Then add vanilla. Gradually add confectioners' sugar. Beat until spreading consistency. Scraping bowl when needed. Slice the cake into four even layers. Spread a thin layer of icing on each. Stack the layers. Cover top and sides evenly with icing. Serve at room temperature.

CHOCOLATE CHOCOLATE CHIP ICE CREAM:

2 c. milk
2 c. heavy cream
8 egg yolks
3/4 c. sugar
1 c. bittersweet chocolate, cut into sm. pieces
1/2 c. semi sweet chocolate chips

Heat milk and heavy cream in saucepan. Bring to a boil. In bowl whisk together egg yolks and sugar. Add 1/2 milk mixture to egg mixture. Then pour back into saucepan. Cook over low heat until coats back of spoon. Do not boil. Place bittersweet chocolate pieces in bowl, pour hot mixture over chocolate, whisk until smooth. Refrigerate until chilled. Freeze accordingly to ice cream maker manufacturer's instructions. Fold in chocolate chips when ice cream is completely.