Eagle chocolate cake

4 oz Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet
           -chocolate
    1/2 c  Water
      1 c  butter
      2 c  Sugar
      4 lg Eggs, separated
      1 ts vanilla
      2 c  Unsifted flour
      1 ts Baking soda
      1 c  buttermilk or strong cold
           -coffee
    1/2 ts Salt
 
  DIRECTIONS: In heavy saucepan on low heat, melt broken chocolate with
  water; set aside. Cream butter with sugar until light and fluffy. Add
  egg yolks, one at a time beating after each addition. Mix in melted
  chocolate and vanilla. Sift flour with soda. Add dry ingredients
  alternately with buttermilk or coffee to chocolate mixture; mix until
  smooth. Beat egg whites with salt until very stiff peaks form; fold
  into batter. Spread into three 8 or 9" round cake pans lined with wax
  paper. Bake at 350-F about 30 minutes. Cool on rack 10 minutes;
  remove cake.
  
  Source: Recipes from Ghirardelli chocolate Company of San Francisco
  
  From: Sallie Austin