Place A Rack In The Center Of The Oven, And Preheat The Oven To 350°F.
Lightly Butter And Flour The Bottoms Of Two 8″ Square Baking Pans.
Shake Out The Excess Flour, And Set The Pans Aside.
2.
Place The Chocolate And Water In A Small Saucepan Over Low Heat.
Stir And Heat Until The Chocolate Nearly Melts, About 1 Minute.
Take The Pan Off The Heat, Stir In ½ Cup Of The Sugar Until Smooth, And Set The Chocolate Aside To Cool.
Meanwhile, Place The Flour, Baking Soda, And Salt In A Medium-Size Bowl, And Stir To Combine Well.
Set Aside.
Place The Butter And The Remaining 1½ Cups Sugar In A Large Bowl, And Beat With An Electric Mixer On Medium Speed Until The Mixture Is Light And Creamy, 1 To 2 Minutes.
Add The Eggs, One At A Time, Blending On Low Until Combined.
Turn The Chocolate Mixture Into The Batter, And Blend On Low For 15 To 20 Seconds.
Add The Flour Mixture Alternately With The Buttermilk, Beginning And Ending With The Flour Mixture, And Blending On Low Until Just Combined.
Scrape Down The Sides Of The Bowl With A Rubber Spatula, And Stir In The Vanilla.
Divide The Batter Between The 2 Pans, Smoothing The Top, And Place The Pans In The Oven.
Bake The Cakes Until The Tops Spring Back When Lightly Pressed With A Finger, 25 To 30 Minutes.
The Cakes Should Just Begin To Pull Away From The Sides Of The Pans.
Remove The Cakes From The Oven, And Place On A Wire Rack To Cool For 15 Minutes.
Run A Knife Around The Edges Of The Cakes, And Give Them A Gentle Shake.
Invert The Cakes Once And Then Again To Cool On The Racks, Right Side Up.
Let Cool Completely, 30 To 35 Minutes.
Meanwhile, Prepare The Frosting.
When The Cake Layers Are Cooled, And When The Frosting Is Smooth And Still A Little Warm, Place 1 Layer On A Cake Plate Or Platter And Spoon A Generous ¾ Cup Of Frosting Over The Top, Smoothing It To Let It Cover The Layer And Trickle Down The Sides.
Place The Second Layer On Top, And Ladle More Frosting Over The Top, Smoothing The Top.
For A Casual Look, Let The Frosting Drip Down The Sides Of The Cake.
Or, For A More Finished Look, Run The Frosting Around The Edges Of The Cake Using A Metal Spatula, Just To Seal In The Crumbs.
Repeat Spreading The Frosting Around The Edges Of The Cake, Using Long, Clean Strokes.
Let The Cake Rest For 1 Hour Before Slicing And Serving.
