1. Heat oven to 350'F. Generously grease and flour three 9-inch round cake pans.

2. In a large bowl with electric beater or mixer, beat butter, 3/4 C sugar, salt, and vanilla together until fluffy.

3. Combine cocoa, flour, and soda in a sifter. Sift into bowl on top of butter mixture. Add water and beat at low speed just until smooth.

4. With clean beaters in a medium bowl, beat egg whites until fluffy. Gradually add remaining 3/4 C sugar. Continue beating until stiff peaks form. Fold, one-third at a time, into chocolate batter.

5. Divide batter evenly into prepared pans. Bake until centers spring back when touched-20 to 25 minutes.

6. Cool 5 minutes in pans. Turn out on cooling rack and cool completely.

7. Prepare cocoa frosting. Fill and assemble cake. Spread a thin smooth layer of frosting over cake. Refrigerate 1 hour.

8. Prepare chocolate glaze. Place chilled cake on a cooling rack with a tray underneath it. Spoon glaze onto top of cake. Spread evenly allowing glaze to flow down sides. Smooth sides.

9. Place cake, still on cooling rack with tray, in refrigerator until glaze is firm.

10. Decorate top with cocoa and confectioners' sugar checkerboard just before serving, if desired. Place 1-inch strips of thin cardboard gently onto frosting 1-inch apart. Sift unsweetened cocoa over top of cake to solidly fill spaces. Carefully remove and clean strips. Place gently in opposite direction. Sift confectioners' sugar over cake. Remove strips.

Cocoa Frosting: In a medium bowl, beat together 1/3 C softened butter or margarine, 1 1/2 lb confectioners' sugar, 1/3 C unsweetened cocoa, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 3/4 t vanilla and 1/3 to 1/2 C milk. Use to fill and frost cake.

Chocolate Glaze: In the top of a double boiler, over hot (not boiling) water, melt 6 1-oz squares semisweet chocolate and 4 T butter. Stir in 3 T cold water and 1/4 C confectioners' sugar until smooth. Use to glaze a 9-inch cake.

Country Living Holidays/92 Scanned & fixed by Di Pahl & <gg>