Chocolate Cake That's Got It All
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa, preferably Dutch-process, such as Droste, but Hershey's is fine, too
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 large egg whites, at room temperature (you may want to save yolks to use in the frosting)
- 14 tablespoons (13/4 sticks) unsalted butter, melted, but not hot
Instructions
Since the cake is firm on the bottom and soft on top, it's important to invert it onto a plate, then invert it back onto the wire rack to cool. Otherwise, the soft top may end up sticking to the rack and tearing as it is removed. (Makes one 8-inch cake, serving 12.)
Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease two 8-inch cake pans and dust with flour. Whisk sugar, flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl; set aside.
Place cocoa and coffee in a medium bowl. Whisk in 3/4 cup boiling water to form a smooth paste. Stir in sour cream and vanilla; set aside.
With a hand mixer in a medium bowl, beat egg whites to soft peaks. Without cleaning beaters, mix melted butter into dry ingredients until mixture is smooth. Immediately add cocoa mixture, and beat until batter is smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Carefully fold egg whites into batter until just incorporated.
Divide batter evenly between pans and bake until a skewer inserted into center comes out with wet crumbs, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from oven and let cakes sit in pans to cool slightly, about 5 minutes. Invert each cake layer onto a plate, then onto a cooling rack so that it sits top-side-up.
Split each cake to make 4 layers: Cut each layer around the perimeter with a serrated knife; when the cake is almost completely split, saw across the middle of each layer to complete the cut. Frost and serve.
*Frost with Soft-and-Creamy Double Chocolate Frosting (Cakes)
**Source: Panama City News Herald, Panama City, Florida
Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease two 8-inch cake pans and dust with flour. Whisk sugar, flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl; set aside.
Place cocoa and coffee in a medium bowl. Whisk in 3/4 cup boiling water to form a smooth paste. Stir in sour cream and vanilla; set aside.
With a hand mixer in a medium bowl, beat egg whites to soft peaks. Without cleaning beaters, mix melted butter into dry ingredients until mixture is smooth. Immediately add cocoa mixture, and beat until batter is smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Carefully fold egg whites into batter until just incorporated.
Divide batter evenly between pans and bake until a skewer inserted into center comes out with wet crumbs, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from oven and let cakes sit in pans to cool slightly, about 5 minutes. Invert each cake layer onto a plate, then onto a cooling rack so that it sits top-side-up.
Split each cake to make 4 layers: Cut each layer around the perimeter with a serrated knife; when the cake is almost completely split, saw across the middle of each layer to complete the cut. Frost and serve.
*Frost with Soft-and-Creamy Double Chocolate Frosting (Cakes)
**Source: Panama City News Herald, Panama City, Florida
Recipe Info
Views
750
Rating
Date
October 18, 2003
Categories
Cakes