Dark Chocolate Cake with Easy Chocolate Buttercream

I made this cake for a friend's birthday and it was a hit. It is a very dark, chocolaty cake. Dutch-processed cocoa and bittersweet chocolate give it an intense flavor and sour cream adds to the moistness. It has a great texture and stays nice for several days. I think it would be great with coffee or vanilla buttercream or a whipped filling and topping. It was almost too much chocolate for me--but still wonderful! I made two 6-inch layers and sliced each in half, yielding a four-layer cake. This recipe makes nice cupcakes also. Continue for recipe.


Dark Chocolate Cake
America's Test Kitchen: Test Kitchen Favorites, 2007

12 cupcakes or Two 6-inch cakes

8 T unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup (1.5 ounces) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
3/4 cup (3.75 ounces) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
3/4 cup (5.25 ounces) sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (4 ounces) sour cream

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12 muffin cups OR prepare two 6-inch cake pans.
Combine butter, chocolate, and cocoa in medium heatproof bowl. Set bowl over a saucepan of simmering water; heat mixture until melted and whisk until smooth and fully combined. (Alternatively, heat slowly in microwave on 50% power until melted.) Set aside to cool until just warm to the touch.
Whisk the flour, baking soda and powder in small bowl to combine.
Whisk eggs in another bowl; add sugar, vanilla, and salt and whisk until fully incorporated.
Add chocolate mixture and whisk until combined.
Sift about 1/3 of the flour mixture over the chocolate mixture and whisk until combined.
Whisk in the sour cream, then sift the remaining flour mixture over the batter and whisk until homogenous and thick.
Dived batter among the muffin tin cups.
Bake until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, 18-20 minutes for cupcakes and 25 minutes for cakes.

**This recipe doesn't double well--cupcakes don't rise as much with a doubled batch.

Easy Chocolate Buttercream

2 sticks butter, room temperature, soft
3 cups powdered sugar
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup milk
3/4 cup cocoa (I like Hershey's Special Dark for deeper flavor)
1 oz. melted semisweet chocolate

Beat butter; Add sugar and mix until moistened.
Add salt, vanilla, milk, and chocolates.
Beat until fluffy and desired consistency, several minutes.