Chocolate Sour Cream Cake - Ezra and Katy's birthday cake

In the midst of all the wedding cake tasting last week, I made two cakes myself. I admit, I was feeling competitive, and since my recipes have been chosen to suit my tastes exactly, it's no surprise I preferred them to ALL the boughten cakes.

Here's one of my two favorite chocolate cake recipes.

Chocolate Sour Cream Cake

1-3/4 cup flour
2/3 cup butter
1-3/4 cup sugar
1 ts vanilla
3/4 cup cocoa
1-1/2 ts baking soda
1 ts salt
2 cups sour cream
3 large eggs, separated

Preheat oven to 350; grease two 8" or 9" round pans. Separate the eggs.

Cream butter, sugar, next four ingredients. Beat in the egg yolks, one by one, until fluffy. Gently mix in sour cream.

Beat egg whites into high, fluffy peaks and fold them alternately into the mix with the flour. Spread in pans and bake for 25-30 minutes.

Frosting (enough to ice the cake above, two layers)

2 ounces (squares) unsweetened chocolate
6 tablespoons butter
3 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk (approximate)
2 ts vanilla

Melt butter and chocolate in microwave in short bursts, stirring in between. Cool and then beat in vanilla and sugar to taste. If you need more icing, add the milk and then 1-1/2 cups more powdered sugar.