Chocolate Buttermilk Cake

I made both my favorite chocolate cake recipes recently and Ezra liked this one better, deeming it moist, soft, and delicious.

I make it in two 9" round pans, and it produces layers about 1" high. Even though I use non-stick pans, I still start by buttering the pan, putting a circle of waxpaper on the bottom of the pan (it glues itself to the butter nicely), then I butter the wax paper and shake a bit of flour over the bottom of the buttered wax paper. Preheat oven to 350°.

• 1 cup of salted butter
  
• 2 cups sugar (you could use light brown sugar for half)
  
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  
• 1 ts baking soda
  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
  
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  
• 2 large eggs, separated
  
• 2-1/3 cup buttermilk
  
• 2 cups unbleached flour
  
• A few tablespoons of seedless raspberry jam (unless you like seeds)

Cream butter, salt, and sugar thoroughly till light and fluffy. Beat in cocoa powder and baking soda.

Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each. Beat in the vanilla.

Fold in the buttermilk and flour. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes, turn it onto a cake rack to cool. Coat it with jam while it's still hot, but let it cool before icing with your favorite cream cheese icing. I used:

• 8 ounces neufchatel cheese (a low-fat cream cheese substitute)
  
• 4 tablespoons of softened salted butter
  
• ~3 cups powered (confectioners) sugar