I have to admit, I’ve always loved my birthday. It sounds terrible, but I love that there’s one night a year where I can invite all my friends out and they generally feel obligated to say yes. Hahaha. Make no mistake, I have great friends and I promise I’m not so pathetic that I have to obligate them to hang out with me on a regular basis; but life is so busy anymore that it’s a very rare occasion that everyone is able to get together all at once. And I truly love having everyone I love together at the same time.
- 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pans
- 3/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder, sifted, plus more for pans
- 3/4 cup hot water
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 3 cups cake flour, (not self-rising), sifted
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/4 cups sugar
- 4 large eggs
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 9-by-2-inch round cake pans; line bottoms with parchment paper. Butter parchment; dust with cocoa powder, tapping out excess.
-
In a medium bowl, whisk cocoa with hot water until smooth. Whisk in sour cream; let cool. Into a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
-
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating to combine after each; scrape down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture in two parts, alternating with the cocoa mixture and beginning and ending with the flour; beat until combined.
-
Divide batter between prepared pans (or cupcake tins); smooth with an offset spatula. Bake until a cake tester inserted in center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes (or 18 to 20 minutes for cupcakes
). -
Transfer pans to a wire rack to cool 15 minutes. Invert cakes
onto rack; peel off parchment. Re-invert cakes; let cool completely, top sides up.
Filling:
- I usually use a large jar of some sort of Raspberry Jam.
***It depends on my mood as to whether I’ll use seeded or seedless. If you’re against seeds and eating it all at once with few leftovers, get the seedless. However, if it’s going to be around for a while, I’ve found the seedless seeps into the cake and disappears after a day or two. A crumb layer will help this, but it will not fix it altogether.
For the Frosting (also from Martha Stewart):
- 24 ounces best-quality semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon boiling water
- 3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
- Pinch of salt
- Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over (but not touching) simmering water. Turn off heat; stir occasionally until chocolate has melted completely, about 15 minutes. Set bowl on countertop, and let chocolate cool to room temperature, 25 to 30 minutes. Meanwhile, combine cocoa powder and boiling water in a small bowl; stir until cocoa is dissolved.
-
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, confectioners’ sugar, and salt on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add melted chocolate; beat on low speed until combined, 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down the sides
of the bowl as needed. Beat in cocoa mixture.
Leave a Reply