Recipe: Ever-So-Moist Chocolate Cake

Ever-So-Moist Chocolate Cake
with Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting

Serves: 16
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Baking time: 28 to 32 minutes
Assembly time: 10 minutes

Solid vegetable shortening for greasing the pans
Flour for dusting the pans

1 package (18.25 ounces) devil's food cake mix with pudding
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting (see below)

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease two 9-inch round cake pans with solid vegetable shortening, then dust with flour. Shake out the excess flour. Set the pans aside.

2. Place the cake mix, sour cream, water, oil, eggs, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping down the sides again if needed. The batter should look well combined. Divide the batter between the prepared pans, smoothing it out with the rubber spatula. Place the pans in the oven side by side.

3. Bake the cakes until they spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, 28 to 32 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 10 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edge of each layer and invert each onto a rack, then invert again onto another rack so that the cakes are right side up. Allow to cool completely, 30 minutes more.

4. Meanwhile, prepare the Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting.

5. Place one cake layer, right side up, on a serving platter. Spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer, right side up, on top of the first layer and frost the top and sides of the cake with clean, smooth strokes.

* The Cake Mix Doctor says: If you are trying to cut calories and fat, substitute plain yogurt for the sour cream in the cake batter. But be forewarned that the sour cream produces a far moister cake than one with yogurt.

Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting

Makes 3 cups, enough to frost a 2- or 3-layer cake or 30 cupcakes
Preparation time: 10 minutes

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, cut into 8 pieces
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/3 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat or melt it in a large glass bowl in the microwave oven on high power for 45 seconds.

2. Place the melted butter in a large mixing bowl and add the cocoa powder. Whisk until smooth. Add the confectioners' sugar alternately with the sour cream, blending with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 to 1-1/2 minutes, or until incorporated. Stop the machine and add the vanilla. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, 1 minute more.

3. Use the frosting to frost the top and sides of the cake or cupcakes of your choice.

Store this cake in a cake saver or under a glass dome, in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Or freeze it, in a cake saver, for up to 6 months. Thaw the cake overnight in the refrigerator before serving.

Buy the Book!

from:
Chocolate from the Cake Mix Doctor
150 easy recipes for deep, dark, delicious cakes
by Anne Byrn
Workman
$14.95 (U.S.) paperback
7 x 8; two-color, 8-page four-color insert
Illustrations throughout
ISBN: 0761122710
Recipe reprinted by permission.