Sandy's Chocolate Cake
Taste of Home
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"I held this velvety, rich cake on my lap during the 4-1/2 hour drive to the Greatest Cocoa Cake Contest at the Pennsylvania Farm Show last January," recalls Sandy Johnson, who lives on a dairy farm near Tioga. "By the time we got to the judges table, I was almost too tired to care if I won."
But win she did! Topping 59 other entries, Sandy's impressive layer cake with creamy frosting took first place!
SERVINGS: 12-14
CATEGORY: Dessert
METHOD: Baked
TIME: Prep: 15 min. Bake: 35 min. + cooling
Ingredients:
- 3 cups packed brown sugar
- 1 cup butter or margarine, softened
- 4 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2-2/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup baking cocoa
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1-1/3 cups sour cream
- 1-1/3 cups boiling water
- FROSTING:
- 1/2 cup butter or margarine
- 3 squares (1 ounce each) unsweetened chocolate
- 3 squares (1 ounce each) semisweet chocolate
- 5 cups confectioners' sugar
- 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions:
In a mixing bowl, cream brown sugar and butter. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat on high speed until light and fluffy. Blend in vanilla. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; add alternately with sour cream to creamed mixture. Mix on low just until combined. Stir in water until blended. Pour into three greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes. Cool in pans 10 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. For frosting, in a medium saucepan, melt butter and chocolate over low heat. Cool several minutes. In a mixing bowl, combine sugar, sour cream and vanilla. Add chocolate mixture and beat until smooth. Frost cooled cake. Yield: 12-14 servings.