Very Chocolate Cake

Recipe Name: Very Chocolate Cake

Notes: I made this cake for my boss's birthday back in Boston and it turned out overwhelmingly rich, but awesome.

Servings: 12

Ingredients:

For Cake

• 8 ounces dark chocolate or semisweet chocolate
• 2/3 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• a shallow 1/2 cup cake flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 4 tablespoons of cocoa powder (unsweetened)

For Icing/Garnish

• 3/4 cup whipping cream
• 9 oz. dark or semisweet chocolate
• strawberries

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a cake pan by greasing the pan, then lining it with parchment paper or wax paper, then grease the interior paper surface. This step is a pain, but it is worth it to have perfect cakes with no sticking and no burning. Chop the 8 oz. of bakers chocolate for the cake into small pieces and melt it with the butter in a double boiler or in a pan halfway submerged in a pot of water. Beat the eggs with the sugar. Mix the vanilla extract, flour, cocoa powder and baking powder into the eggs and sugar. Carefully fold the melted chocolate/butter mixture into the main bowl, followed by the sour cream. Once the cake batter is thoroughly mixed, pour it into the cake pan and bake at 325 degrees for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool entirely, and then cut it in half horizontally with a very sharp knife.

While the cake is cooling, make the icing by heating the whipping cream in a sauce pan. Take the cream off of the heat, add the 9 oz. of chocolate (chopped into small pieces), and stir until the chocolate is evenly mixed in and the mixture is smooth. Put a tablespoon of the icing into the refrigerator to cool for 10 minutes - if this sample is too thick, add an additional tablespoon or two of cream to the icing. If it is too thin, add more chocolate. Do not refrigerate the icing before icing the cake as it should be the right consistency at room temperature, but quite thick when refrigerated. Ice the cake, stacking the two layers. Immediately before serving, garnish with fanned strawberries and chocolate curls. This cake is best served at room temperature.