Ingredients
- Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting:
- 3/4 cup butter
- 3 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk or sour milk
- Dutch process or unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup Dutch process or unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 4 ounces bittersweet or unsweetened chocolate, chopped, melted and cooled
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 (12 oz pkg) semisweet chocolate
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 (8 oz carton) sour cream
- 4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Preparation
Step 1
1. Let butter, eggs and buttermilk stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Grease three 8x1 1/2-inch or 9x1 1/2-inch round baking pans; line bottoms with waxed paper. Grease waxed paper. Lightly dust pans with cocoa powder. Or, grease a 10-inch fluted tube pan; coat lightly with cocoa powder. Set pan(s) aside. In a medium bowl, mix flour, 3/4 cup cocoa powder, soda, baking powder and salt.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer for 30 seconds. Gradually add granulated and brown sugars, about 1/4 cup at a time, beating on medium speed for 3 to 4 minutes, or until well combined. Scrape sides of bowl. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating after each addition (about 1 minute total). Beat in the cooled chocolate and vanilla.
3. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk to butter mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined. Beat on medium to high speed for 20 seconds more. (Batter will be thick.) Evenly divide batter among prepared pan(s), spreading evenly.
4. Bake in a 350° oven for 30 to 35 minutes for 8-inch pans, 25 to 30 minutes for the 9-inch pans and 55 minutes for fluted tube pan, or until a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool cake layers in pans for 10 minutes or fluted tube pan for 15 minutes on wire rack(s). Using a narrow metal spatula, loosen sides of layers from pans, then invert cakes onto the racks. Remove waxed paper. Or, loosen cake from fluted tube pan and invert onto cooling rack. Cool cake(s) completely. Layer cakes may dip slightly in center.
5. Meanwhile, prepare Chocolate SourCream Frosting. (Make a half recipe of the frosting if using tube pan.) For the cake filling, in a medium bowl, combine 1 1/2
cups of frosting and milk-chocolate pieces or peanut butter-flavored pieces. Set the frosting aside.
6. To assemble cake, place 1 cake:: upside down, on a serving plate. Usicing spatula or a wide knife, evenly s: half of the cake filling on the top of t- layer. Top with second layer, upside de Evenly spread remaining cake filling on top. Top with third layer, right side up. Frost sides and top with Chocolate SourCream Frosting. Or for tube pan, spread frosting over the outside of the cake. Serve or store, covered, in the refrigerator. To serve, garnish with edible flowers, if you like.
Chocolate Sour-Cream Frosting: In a large saucepan, combine one 12-ounce package semisweet chocolate pieces (2 cups) and 1/2 cup butter. Heat over low
heat until melted, stirring frequently. Cool. for 5 minutes. Stir in one 8-ounce carton dairy sour cream. Gradually add 4 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar (about 1 pound), beating with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. This frosts tops and sides of three 8-inch cake layers. (Halve the recipe to frost a 10-inch fluted tube cake.) Cover and store frosted cake in the refrigerator.