Steven's Chocolate Cake

Cake
2 cups flour
2 t baking powder
2 t baking soda
1 t salt
2 cups sugar
4 oz. Unsweetened chocolate
6 T butter
1 t vanilla
2 Eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour 2 cake pans. Line bottom with waxed paper.
In a medium bowl, sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan, combine sugar with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil over high heat and stir until sugar dissolves. Add chocolate and butter and then let it sit, stirring occasionally, until melted and slightly cooled. Stir in vanilla. Temper the eggs by adding a small amount of the hot chocolate mixture into the eggs. Beat until blended. Add the tempered eggs to the rest of the chocolate mixture and beat at medium speed until combined. Add dry ingredients all at once and beat at medium speed until smooth. Divide batter evenly into pans and bake for 25 minutes. Invert onto a rack to cool.

Icing
1 1/3 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups sugar
6 oz unsweetened chocolate
6 Tab butter
1 1/2 tea vanilla
Pinch salt

In a medium saucepan, bring the cream and sugar to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally about 6 minutes or until liquid reduces.
Pour mixture into a medium bowl and add chocolate, butter, vanilla and salt. Let stand, stirring occasionally until chocolate and butter are melted.
Set bowl in a larger bowl of ice water.  Using a mixer. beat frosting on medium speed about 5 minutes or until the icing is thick and glossy. You may need to scrape down the sides occasionally. Use at once.