Dessert Cake: Mom's Chocolate Cake

By SharonE

I'm not a buttercream frosting person so I just love the frosting to this cake. It's creamy, chocolaty but not overly sweet.

Ingredients

• chocolate frosting:
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 oz. unsweetened chocolate
• 6 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• chocolate frosting
• 1 1/3 cups heavy cream
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 6 oz. unsweetened chocolate
• 1 stick (4 oz.) plus 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• pinch of salt

Details

Servings 10

Preparation

Step 1

Cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour two 8x1 1/2" round cake pans. Line the bottoms with wax paper. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil over high heat and stir until the sugar dissolves; then pour into a large bowl. Add the chocolate and butter and let sit, stirring occasionally, until melted and slightly cooled. Stir in the vanilla. Beat the eggs into the chocolate mixture at medium speed until combined. Add the dry ingredients all at once and beat at medium speed until smooth. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans and bake for about 25 minutes, or until the top springs back when pressed lightly and a cake tester comes out clean. Cool the cakes in their pans for about 25 minutes, then invert onto a rack to cool completely.

Frosting:
In a medium saucepan, bring the cream and sugar to a boil over moderately high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the liquid reduces slightly, about 6 minutes. Pour the mixture into a medium bowl and add the chocolate, butter, vanilla and salt. Let stand, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate and butter are melted. Set the bowl in a larger bowl of ice water. Using a hand-held electric mixer, beat the frosting on medium speed, scraping the sides occasionally with a rubber spatula, until thick and glossy, about 5 minutes. Spread on cake.