Grapevine Pantry's chocolate cake with chocolate sour-cream frosting

Cake:

¾ cup butter, softened 3 eggs 2 cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup cocoa 1 teaspoon baking soda ¾ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt 2 cups sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla
1½ cups milk

Frosting:

12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
½ cup butter
8 ounces sour cream
4½ cups (about) powdered sugar

To make the cake: Allow butter and eggs to stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Lightly grease bottoms and sides of 3 8-inch round cake pans. Line bottoms with waxed or parchment paper, grease the tops of the paper rounds. Lightly flour the bottoms and sides of the pans.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Set aside

In a mixing bowl, beat butter with electric mixer on medium-high until light. Add sugar ¼ cup at a time, beating until well-combined (3 to 4 minutes after all sugar is added). Scrape sides of bowl. Continue to beat for another 2 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.

Add flour mixture and milk alternately to batter, beating at low speed just until combined. Beat on high for at least 20 seconds after all the milk and flour are beaten in. Spread batter evenly in prepared cake pans.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the cakes test clean and begin to pull away from the sides of the pans. Cool cakes for 10 minutes, then remove from pans and peel off paper liners. Cool thoroughly before frosting.

To make the frosting: In a large saucepan, melt chocolate chips and butter over low heat, stirring frequently. Cool for about 5 minutes. Stir in sour cream. Gradually beat in powdered sugar, ½ cup or so at a time, until smooth and of spreading consistency. You may not need all the sugar.

To assemble: Place one layer on a cake dish. Spread a light layer of frosting on the layer. Do not pile on frosting between layers; do not spread all the way to the edge, instead, leave at least a ½-inch rim without frosting. These two tips will help hold the layers together and prevent them from sliding as you frost the outside of the cake.

Place second layer atop the first; frost its top as described above. Add top layer, then frost the top and the sides of the cake with as much of the frosting as it will bear.

Serves 12.

Nutrition data: 778 calories, 31 grams fat, 8 grams protein, 117 grams carbohydrate, trace fiber, 260 milligrams sodium. Courier Journal 9 March 05