Sour Cream-Fudge Layer Cake with Chocolate Butter Icing
By America's Test KitchenPublished on August 29, 2012
Time
2 hours, plus 2 hours 20 minutes cooling
Yield
Serves 12
Ingredients
Sour Cream Fudge Layer Cake
1 cup natural cocoa powder 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder, or instant coffee1 cup boiling water 2 teaspoons vanilla extract ½ cup sour cream 16 tablespoons unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened1 ¾ cups granulated sugar 2 large eggs, at room temperature1 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour ¾ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon table saltChocolate Butter Icing
9 ounces (255 grams) bittersweet chocolate, or semisweet8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick)⅓ cup light corn syrupBefore You Begin
Sour cream gives this cake its smooth, rich chocolate taste with a dense yet melting texture, almost like fudge. An equally intense chocolate icing stands up to the rich cake. Since this batter rises higher, make sure to use 9-by-1 1/2-inch round cake pans. It is best not to refrigerate this cake, but if you do, cut it while cold, then let slices come to room temperataure before serving.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to center position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9-by-1 1/2-inch round baking pans with shortening. Line pan bottoms with waxed or parchment paper; grease paper as well. Dust pans with flour; tap out excess.
- Mix cocoa and instant coffee in small bowl; add boiling water and mix until smooth. Cool to room temperature, then stir in vanilla and sour cream.
- Beat butter in bowl of electric mixer set at medium-high speed until smooth and shiny, about 30 seconds. Gradually sprinkle in sugar; beat until mixture is fluffy and almost white, 3 to 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating 1 full minute after each addition.
- Whisk flour, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. With mixer on lowest speed, add about 1/3 of dry ingredients to batter, followed immediately by about 1/3 of cocoa mixture; mix until ingredients are almost incorporated into batter. Repeat process twice more. When batter appears blended, stop mixer and scrape bowl sides with rubber spatula. Return mixer to low speed; beat until batter looks satiny, about 15 seconds longer.
- Divide batter evenly between pans. With rubber spatula, run batter to pan sides and smooth top. Bake cakes until they feel firm in center when lightly presesd anad skewer comes out clean or with just a crumb or two adhering, 23 to 30 minutes. Tranfer pans to wire racks; cool for 20 minutes. Run knife around perimeter of each pan, invert cakes onto racks, and peel off paper liners. Reinvert cakes onto additional racks; cool completely before frosting.
- Melt the chocolate and butter in a medium bowl set over pan of almost-simmering water. Stir in corn syrup. Set bowl of chocolate mixture over a larger bowl of ice water, stirring occasionally, until the frosting is just thick enough to spread. Apply icing onto first cake layer and spread with a long metal spatula, top with second cake layer, top second layer with icing, spread and then ice sides. Serve.
for the cake
for the icing
Time
2 hours, plus 2 hours 20 minutes coolingYield
Serves 12Ingredients
Sour Cream Fudge Layer Cake
1 cup natural cocoa powder
2 teaspoons instant espresso powder, or instant coffee
1 cup boiling water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup sour cream
16 tablespoons unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened
1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon table salt
Chocolate Butter Icing
9 ounces (255 grams) bittersweet chocolate, or semisweet
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick)
⅓ cup light corn syrup
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Sour Cream Fudge Layer Cake
1 cup natural cocoa powder
2 teaspoons instant espresso powder, or instant coffee
1 cup boiling water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup sour cream
16 tablespoons unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened
1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon table salt
Chocolate Butter Icing
9 ounces (255 grams) bittersweet chocolate, or semisweet
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick)
⅓ cup light corn syrup
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Sour Cream Fudge Layer Cake
1 cup natural cocoa powder
2 teaspoons instant espresso powder, or instant coffee
1 cup boiling water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup sour cream
16 tablespoons unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened
1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon table salt
Chocolate Butter Icing
9 ounces (255 grams) bittersweet chocolate, or semisweet
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick)
⅓ cup light corn syrup
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
While developing our fudge layer cake recipe we found very little difference between cakes baked with standard American cocoa and “Dutched” cocoa. We chose water over milk or buttermilk to moisten our cake batter, since the buttermilk cake had a more muted chocolate flavor.
Before You Begin
Sour cream gives this cake its smooth, rich chocolate taste with a dense yet melting texture, almost like fudge. An equally intense chocolate icing stands up to the rich cake. Since this batter rises higher, make sure to use 9-by-1 1/2-inch round cake pans. It is best not to refrigerate this cake, but if you do, cut it while cold, then let slices come to room temperataure before serving.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to center position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9-by-1 1/2-inch round baking pans with shortening. Line pan bottoms with waxed or parchment paper; grease paper as well. Dust pans with flour; tap out excess.
- Mix cocoa and instant coffee in small bowl; add boiling water and mix until smooth. Cool to room temperature, then stir in vanilla and sour cream.
- Beat butter in bowl of electric mixer set at medium-high speed until smooth and shiny, about 30 seconds. Gradually sprinkle in sugar; beat until mixture is fluffy and almost white, 3 to 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating 1 full minute after each addition.
- Whisk flour, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. With mixer on lowest speed, add about 1/3 of dry ingredients to batter, followed immediately by about 1/3 of cocoa mixture; mix until ingredients are almost incorporated into batter. Repeat process twice more. When batter appears blended, stop mixer and scrape bowl sides with rubber spatula. Return mixer to low speed; beat until batter looks satiny, about 15 seconds longer.
- Divide batter evenly between pans. With rubber spatula, run batter to pan sides and smooth top. Bake cakes until they feel firm in center when lightly presesd anad skewer comes out clean or with just a crumb or two adhering, 23 to 30 minutes. Tranfer pans to wire racks; cool for 20 minutes. Run knife around perimeter of each pan, invert cakes onto racks, and peel off paper liners. Reinvert cakes onto additional racks; cool completely before frosting.
- Melt the chocolate and butter in a medium bowl set over pan of almost-simmering water. Stir in corn syrup. Set bowl of chocolate mixture over a larger bowl of ice water, stirring occasionally, until the frosting is just thick enough to spread. Apply icing onto first cake layer and spread with a long metal spatula, top with second cake layer, top second layer with icing, spread and then ice sides. Serve.
for the cake
for the icing
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