Tired of cookies? Try this decadent Chocolate Cake!

This is absolutely the very best chocolate cake you will ever have. The cake is velvety and moist. I usually make it and dust it with a little confectioners' suger. To serve it, I spoon some of the warm vanilla sauce on each plate, with a little spooned on the cake and a fanned whole strawberry. It makes a beautiful presentation and is a fantastic dessert for company.

The picture attached is "just a photo" from Google, not the actual cake.

My daughter belongs to a supper club and this was a dessert a few years ago. She shared the recipe with me and it is always makes a great impression.

We have all been busy with cookies, that other things get forgotten. But I had a dinner party 2 years ago on New Year's Eve and served this...sprinkled the sauce with shiny iridescent sanding sugar and it was so festive. And make sure the sauce is served warm. You can make it ahead and just warm it before serving.

Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Cream

1-1/2 cups butter or margarine
3 cups sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
5 eggs
1-1/2 tsp instant coffee
1/4 cup hot water
2 cups unsifted flour
3/4 cup cocoa
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 cup buttermilk
Confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Beat butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. (About 5 minutes.) Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Dissolve coffee in hot water. Combine flour, cocoa, salt and baking powder; add alternatively with coffee liquid and buttermilk to creamed butter mixture, beating just until batter is blended. Pour into well grease and floured 12 cup tube pan or bundt pan. (I used powdered cocoa so no white marks would show when cake is removed from the pan.) Bake 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until cake tester is clean. Cool 20 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar.

Topping:
1 pint heavy cream
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 Tbsp. vanilla

Combine all ingredients in medium size pan on medium to high heat. Whisk constantly until mixture starts to boil. Serve warm over the chocolate cake. Dust each plate with cocoa powder.