Sometimes it only takes a beautiful spring day to bring out a celebration mood. Bake a cake just because the sun is shining. Bake a cake just because the garden’s up. Or because your kids came in from doing chores before you asked them to do them. This cake is old-fashioned but only takes a few minutes to mix up. It can be baked in layers, but is just as wonderful in a long pan with extra thick frosting on top.
Sour Cream Chocolate Cake
3 squares (3 ounces) chocolate, melted
1/4 cup boiling water
2 cups sifted cake flour
1-1/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup thick dairy sour cream
1/3 cup vegetable shortening
2 eggs, beaten
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two nine-inch cake pans or a 13x9x2 inch pan.
Mix chocolate and boiling water together, set aside to cool.
Sift into a large bowl the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Into the middle of the dry ingredients, put the sour cream and shortening. Using electric mixer, blend well for two minutes. Scrape bowl sides down and mix again for about a minute.
Add chocolate, eggs, vanilla. Beat well, about two more minutes, scraping sides of bowl to blend well.
Pour into prepared pans. Bake two layers about 30 minutes or until tested done with a toothpick. Large pan will take longer. Check after 40 minutes. Cool in pans and turn out or serve from bigger pan. Frost with your favorite frosting.
Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup dairy sour cream
3 cups powdered sugar (4x sugar)
Melt chocolate and butter in large saucepan. Set aside to cool.
When cooled to the touch, stir in sour cream.
Using an electric mixer, beat in sugar a small amount at a time. Beat until smooth and spreadable. Frost cake. Store cake leftovers in refrigerator.
