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Chocolate Cake adapted from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman
Chocolate Frosting from Recipes:  The Cooking of Italy by Time Life Books
Praline and Whipped Cream adapted from The Ultimate Chocolate by Patricia Lousada
   

Chocolate Layer Cake
8 Tbs (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened, plus some for greasing the pans and the paper
2 cups cake flour, plus some extra for dusting the pans
3 ounces Callebaut Semisweet Chocolate Pastilles
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs separated
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350ºF.  Butter the bottom and sides of two 9” cake pans.  We used a heart-shaped cake pan, but you can use round.  Cover the bottom of each pan with a circle of parchment paper.  Butter the paper and sift flour over the pans; invert the pans to remove excess flour. 

Melt chocolate in a double boiler, stirring occasionally.  When chocolate is just about melted remove from heat and continue to stir until mixture is smooth. 

Use an electric mixer to cream the butter until smooth, then gradually add the sugar.  Beat until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes.  Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time, then vanilla, and finally the chocolate.

Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl and add them to the chocolate mixture by hand, a little at a time, alternating with the milk.  Stir until smooth, but no longer.

Beat the egg whites until they hold soft peaks.  Use a rubber spatula to fold them gently but thoroughly into the batter.  Distribute the batter equally between the two cake pans.  Bake for about 30 minutes, or until a Cake Tester inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean, and the top is springy to the touch.  Cool on a rack for 5 minutes.  Then carefully run a knife around the edge of each pan and invert the cake onto a rack; tap gently to release the cake. Complete cooling on the rack.  Store, covered with waxed paper at room temperature for no more than a day. 

Praline
1 cup almonds, chopped into very small pieces and lightly toasted
1 cup sugar

Oil a baking sheet.  Put the sugar in a small heavy bottomed saucepan.  Set pan over a low heat until sugar melts and turns a deep golden color.  Stir in the chopped, toasted almonds.  Pour praline quickly onto the oiled baking sheet.  Spread out and leave until cold and hard.  Break into pieces and grind in a food processor.  The praline should be ground until in small pieces.  More than likely grinding this in a food processor will not give an even grind, which is okay.  Some pieces will be larger than others and some pieces may be very small, almost crumb-like.  You just want to grind it enough so that it will be good mixed with whipped cream and used in the layers of the cake.  This can be made a few days in advance and stored in an airtight container.

Whipped Cream Filling
2 Tbs milk
2 cups heavy cream
2 Tbs superfine sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Add milk to cream and whip until it forms soft peaks.  Fold in the sugar and vanilla.  Fold in all but 1/4 cup of the prepared praline.  (The additional praline will be used for decorating the top of the cake.)

Chocolate Frosting
12 ounces Callebaut Semisweet Chocolate Pastilles
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 lb salted butter, cut into 1/2” pieces and thoroughly chilled.

Melt the chocolate with the cream in a small heavy bottomed saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly until the chocolate has completely melted.  Remove the pan from the heat and beat in the chilled butter, 1-2 pieces at a time.  Continue beating until the mixture is smooth. Chill frosting until it thickens to spreading consistency.

Assembling the Cake: Cut each cake into two equal layers.  Using a serrated bread knife, keep one part of the knife stationary while you cut through with other part.  For instance, hold the handle of the knife and start cutting through the cake, once you have made your first small cut, keep the handle of the knife in one place and carefully swing the top portion of the blade through the cake.  Then keep the top portion of the blade in one place and carefully swing the handle and bottom portion of the knife through the cake.  This method gives you more control and helps to ensure even cake layers.

Place one layer of cake onto a cake stand.  Generously frost the top portion of the cake with praline and whipped cream frosting.  Place the second cake layer on top and frost with chocolate frosting.  Place the third layer of cake on top of the second layer and generously frost with praline and whipped cream frosting.  Place the final layer of the cake on and frost the top and sides of the cake with chocolate frosting.  Sprinkle with reserved praline. 

This cake can sit at room temperature for about an hour but otherwise it should be refrigerated.  Just make sure you remove it from the refrigerator for about 30 minutes before serving.