Silver Palate Chocolate Cake

By dhoffmanlatter

Ingredients

• for the cake:
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing pan
• 1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra for flouring the pan
• 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs, separated
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• For the frosting:
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 6 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 10-inch tube pan.
Cut the chocolate and butter into small pieces and place in a large bowl. Pour 1 cup boiling water over them; let stand until melted. Stir in the vanilla and sugar, then whisk in the egg yolks, one at a time.
In a small bowl, mix the baking soda and sour cream and whisk into the chocolate mixture. Sift the flour and baking powder and add to the batter, mixing thoroughly.
Beat the egg whites until stiff but not too dry. Stir a quarter of the egg whites thoroughly into the batter. Gently fold in the remaining whites.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Set on the center rack of the oven and bake until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, unmold and cool completely before frosting.
To make the frosting: Place all the ingredients in a heavy saucepan over low heat and whisk until smooth. Spread on the cake while the frosting is still warm.