Sour Cream Chocolate Cake

I found this recipe on "GiGi's Cakes"; I believe she got the recipe from The Cake Book, by Tish Boyles.

I seldom follow a recipe exactly, so the following contains a few changes I made to fit my personal pallet.

This cake is:
Decadent

Music: I listened to The Dixie Chicks, because of this cake "Earl" has survived another day, however, he is chained in the basement!

Sour Cream Chocolate Cake

• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  
• 1/2 cup natural cocoa (not dutch process)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (I prefer sea salt)
• 3 large eggs at room temperature
• 2/3 cup of sour cream at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon of vanilla
• 1 1/4 stick (10 tablespoons) of unsalted butter melted and cooled
• 2/3 cup of safflower oil
• 1 1/4 cups of cold water

Preheat the oven to 350 F degrees. Butter and line two 9 inch cake pans with parchment paper. (In my picture I used three pans and had thin layers of cake) Dust the pans and paper with flour. Set aside.

Sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl. Whisk in the sour cream and vanilla extract until blended. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixture fitted with paddle attachment, mix the melted butter and oil together on low speed. Add the cold water and mix to combine. Add the dry ingredients all at once and mix on med-low for one minute; scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the egg mixture and mix for another minute. Scrape down the sides of bowl.Divide the batter evenly into the cake pans.

Bake the cakes for 35-40 minutes (less if 3 pans are used), until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cakes in the pans for 15 minutes. Invert the cake layers, peel the paper and cool completely.

Silky Chocolate Butter-Cream Frosting

• 10 oz high quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped for easier melting
  
• 2/3 cup of water divided
• 3/4 cup of granulated sugar
• 3 large egg yolks
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened
• 1 1/2 cups powered sugar
  

Place the chocolate and 1/3 cup water in a stainless steel bowl and place the bowl over simmering water. Heat stirring frequently until all the chocolate is melted. Remove the bowl and set aside to cool until tepid.

In a small saucepan, combine sugar and 1/3 cup water and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Stop stirring and increase the heat to high. Meanwhile, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, start beating the egg yolks at medium speed. When the sugar reaches 225 F degrees on a candy thermometer, increase the speed on the mixer to high. Continue to cook the sugar until it reaches 238 degrees.

Remove the pan of syrup and pour 1/4 cup of hot syrup over the beaten eggs. Being careful not to cook the egg, beat on high speed until blended (e.g. about 10 seconds). Turn the mixer off, add 1/4 cup of syrup and beat on high again. Repeat this process until all the syrup in incorporated. With a rubber spatula scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue beating until the mixture cools (e.g. about 5 minutes).

On medium speed add butter 1-2 tablespoons at a time; then increase the speed to med-high and beat the butter-cream until it is smooth and shiny. Reduce the speed to low and add the cooled chocolate beating until well blended. Add powered sugar to reach the consistency you want to ice cake.