A Lovely Layer Cake

Cake:
½ cup cocoa
½ cup boiling water
1 ¾ cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. soda
1/8 tsp. salt
½ cup butter, softened
1 1/3 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/3 cups sour milk
½ cup finely chopped pistachio nuts
1 cup cream

Chocolate Frosting:
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup butter
2/3 cup cocoa
2 2/3 cups icing sugar
1 tsp. corn syrup
1 tsp. vanilla
¼ cup coarsely chopped
pistachio nuts

Cake: In small bowl, mix cocoa with boiling water. Cool completely. Preheat oven to 350º F. Grease and flour 3 – 8″ round pans. Mix flour, baking powder, soda and salt. In large mixing bowl, combine butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Beat at high speed until fluffy-about 5 minutes, occasionally scraping side of bowl. At low speed, blend in flour mixture alternately with milk. Begin and end with flour; beat just until smooth.
Measure 1 2/3 cups batter into a small bowl. Stir in ½ cup chopped nuts; pour into a prepared pan. Add cocoa mixture to remaining batter; mix until smooth; divide evenly between other pans. Bake 30-35 minutes, until toothpick inserted in centre of cake comes out clean.
Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans; cool completely. Whip cream until stiff; refrigerate.

Frosting: In saucepan, heat cream until bubbles form; remove from heat. Add hot cream to butter, cocoa, 1 ½ cups icing sugar, corn syrup and vanilla.
Beat frosting until smooth. Add remaining icing sugar until thick enough to spread. Place one chocolate layer on plate. Spread with half of whipped cream. Place nut cake layer on next; spread with the rest of whipped cream. Top with remaining chocolate layer. Spread chocolate frosting on the sides and top; garnish top edge of cake with the coarsely chopped pistachio nuts. Makes 12 servings.