J. Alexander's Very Best Chocolate Cake

By Mary-10

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons softened butter
• 12 ounces Hershey's chocolate bars coarsely chopped
• 2 sticks unsalted butter
• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/4 cup of sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 16 oz. can Hershey's chocolate syrup (about 1 1/2 cup)
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• Hot fudge sauce (Your favorite brand)
• Vanilla ice cream

Preparation

Step 1

Generously grease inside and top edges of a 15 cup capacity bundt pan with softened butter
Melt chopped chocolate bars and cook around body temperature
Melt butter and cool about 15 minutes
While chocolate and butter are cooling sift together flour, baking soda and salt
Preheat oven to 325 degrees
In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix cooled butter an sugar with the paddle attachment on medium speed, 1 minute
Add eggs one at a time beating 10 seconds after each addition
Add chocolate syrup mixing well
Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture along with the buttermilk
Mix well about 30 seconds
Do not overbeat
Add vanilla and melted chocolate bars, mixing well
Turn off the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Finish combining the batter by hand by folding with a large spatula
Pour into the prepared pan and transfer to a sheet pan to catch any drips
Bake for one hour and 20 minutes or untiol cake reaches an internal temperature of 195 degrees on an instant read thermometer
Remove from oben
When cool enough to touch gently push down toward the cake any edges of cake that remain at the top of the pan
Cool completely preferably overnight
Cake will fall in slightly on itself
To release the cake place the pan in a 250 degree oven for several minutes
Remove from the oven and place a large plate or cutting board over the cake and flip the cake over releasing from the pan
Cut desired number of slices
Serve warm cake topped with warm hot fudge sauce and a scoop of vanilla ice cream