It's been said that chocolate is void of calories on Valentine's Day, so by all means feel free to indulge. This luscious little cake ,moist and rich in chocolate, makes a lovely Valentine's Day dessert for your special someone.
SOUR CREAM CHOCOLATE LAYER CAKE
Serves 6-10
CAKE:
- 3 oz. (squares) unsweetened chocolate
- 1/2 cup boiling water
- 2 cups sifted cake flour
- 1-1/2 t. baking powder
- 1 t. baking soda
- 1/4 t. salt
- 6 oz. (3/4 cup) unsalted butter
- 2 t. vanilla
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
Adjust rack to center of oven and preheat to 375F. Butter 3 - 6 inch round cake pans OR 2- 9 inch round cake pans. Line the bottoms with parchment paper. Butter the paper and set aside.
In a small saucepan, melt the chocolate with the boiling water. Stir over low heat until smooth. Set aside to cool.
Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter. Add vanilla and both sugars and beat well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Stir sour cream into the cooled chocolate mixture and add to mixer, beating only until mixed.
On lowest speed, add the dry sifted ingredients. Beat only until smooth.
Add batter to pans and smooth the tops.
Bake 35 minutes, or until the tops spring back when lightly touched and layers pull slightly away from the sides of the pans.
Cool in pans for 5 minutes before turning out onto racks to cool.
FILLING AND ICING:
- 3 oz. (3 squares) unsweetened chocolate
- 2 T. unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 1 t. vanilla extract
- 1/4 t. salt
- 3 cups confectioners sugar
Melt chocolate and butter in a small bowl set over simmering water. Stir until smooth and remove from heat to cool completely.
Beat sour cream, vanilla, and salt in the small bowl of an electric mixer just to combine. Gradually beat in the sugar, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula. When smooth, add the cooled melted chocolate and beat at high speed for 30 seconds until very smooth.
Place one cake layer on a serving plate upside down. Spread with filling. Cover with second layer right side up. Cover the top and sides with icing. If you've baked in 6" cake pans and have 3 layers, spread the second layer with filing. Cover with the third layer upside down. Spread the icing over the top and sides of cake. Serve at room temperature.
Recipe slightly adapted from Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts
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