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1. First prepare the cake in the following manner: Preheat the oven to 350. With a pastry brush spread 3 tablespoons of the softened butter evenly over the bottom and sides of three 9-inch layer-cake pans.
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2. Add 2 tablespoons of the all-purpose flour to each pan and tip the pans from side to side to distribute the flour evenly. Invert the pans and rap the bottoms sharply to remove the excess flour. Set them aside.
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3. Bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan and drop in the 6 ounces of chocolate bits. Stirring constantly, cook over low heat until the chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth.
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4. Remove the pan from the heat and let the chocolate mixture cool to room temperature. Combine the cake flour, baking soda and salt, sift them into a bowl, and set the bowl aside.
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5. In a deep bowl, creamthe remaining ½ pound of softened butter and 1¾ cups of sugar together by beating and mashing them against the sides of the bowl with the back of a spoon until the mixture is light and fluffy.
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6. Beat in 4 egg yolks one at a time, and add 1½ teaspoons of vanilla. Stirring the batter constantly, pour in the chocolate mixture in a slow, thin stream and continue to beat until the batter is smooth.
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7. Add about ½ cup of the cake-flour mixture and, when it is well incorporated, beat in ¼ cup of the buttermilk. Repeat three times, alternating about ½ cup of the flour mixture with ¼ cup of buttermilk and beating the batter well after each addition.
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8. With a wire whisk or a rotary or electric beater, beat the egg whites until they are stiff enough to stand in unwavering peaks on the beater when it is lifted from the bowl. With a rubber spatula, scoop the egg whites over the batter and fold them together gently but thoroughly.
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9. Pour the batter into the prepared pans, dividing it equally among them and smoothing the tops with the spatula. Bake in the middle of the oven for about 35 minutes, or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the centers comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pans for about 5 minutes, then turn them out on wire racks to cool completely to room temperature.
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10. Meanwhile, prepare the frosting. With a wire whisk, beat 4 egg yolks and 1 cup of sugar together in a heavy 2- to 3-quart saucepan for 1 or 2 minutes.
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11. When the mixture is smooth and light, whisk in the evaporated milk. Add 12 tablespoons of softened butter bits and 2 ounces of grated chocolate, and set the pan over low heat.
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12. Stirring constantly with a large metal spoon, cook the mixture for 5 to 10 minutes, or until it is smooth and thick enough to cling lightly to the spoon. Do not let the mixture come anywhere near a boil or the egg yolks will curdle. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in 1 teaspoon of vanilla, the coconut and pecans.
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13. Let the frosting cool to room temperature. Then refrigerate it for about 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes, until the frosting holds its shape almost solidly in the spoon.
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14. Place one layer of the cooled cake upside down on a serving plate and, with a metal spatula, spread the top with about one third of the frosting. Set the second layer in place, frost it, and add the third cake layer.
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15. Frost the top of the cake with all the remaining frosting (since the frosting is fragile, do not attempt to spread it on the sides of the cake). Serve at once or refrigerate the cake until you are ready to serve it.
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