Chocolate Cake with Cocoa Icing

Another Food and Drink 2005 recipe.  This one is simple and can be quite elegant with some strawberries or raspberries added at the end.

CAKE
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 1/3 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup strong coffee
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa, preferably Dutch processed
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

ICING
1/2 cup butter, softened
3 cups icing sugar, divided
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa, sifted
1/2 cup cold strong coffee
1 tsp pure vanilla essence

1.  To make cake, preheat oven to 350F.
2. Grease and line bottoms of two 9 inch cake pans with parchment or waxed paper.  Thoroughly cream butter with granulated sugar in a large bowl until lightened and fluffy.  Beat in eggs one at a time; continue beating until fluffy.  In a large measuring cup stir buttermilk with coffee and vanilla.  In a medium bowl, sift cocoa into flour; thoroughly stir in baking powder, soda and salt.
3. Alternately stir in a third of the flour mixture and half of the buttermilk combination into the butter mixture, repeating and ending with final third of flour mixture.  Stir until most lumps are gone.  Turn batter into prepared pans; smooth tops.  Bake in centre of preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into layer centre comes out clean.  Cool in pans on rack for 10 minutes; then turn cakes out onto rack to complete cooling.  Remove and discard paper lining.
4. To make icing, cream butter with 1 cup icing sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in cocoa, coffee and vanilla until well blended.  Beat in remaining icing sugar until icing is smooth.  Place one cake layer on serving piece rounded side down.  Spread flat surface with about a third of the icing.  Top with remaining layer, flat side down.  Frost top and sides with remaining icing.  Lightly covered, cake keeps well for 2 days in a cool spot (do not refrigerate).