Amazing Chocolate Cake

thatnewyorker316's Note:

I found the basic recipe in an old cookbook my family's had forever and "tweeked" it almost beyond recognition so it tastes "amazing". Its not overly sweet or rich, so it pairs really nicely with some nice and light home made chocolate mousse. Some steps might seem a little weird and the batter is super runny, but I get requests to make this thing all the time and it tastes really good so its worth the weirdness :p

• Total Time: 1 hrs 5 mins
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 35 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 12

Yield: 12.0 slices

• 5 semi-sweet chocolate baking squares (I use Godiva)
• 1 1⁄8; cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1⁄8; cups cake flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup softened butter
• 2 ¼ cups firmly packed brown sugar (I've used light and dark, so whatever you happen to have on hand is fine)
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
• 1 cup dairy sour cream
• 1 cup boiling water

Directions:

1. Melt chocolate in a double boiler over hot (not boiling) water, stirring occasionally until melted; set aside to cool.
2. Grease two 9 by 1 1/2 inch layer cake pans and "flour" with unsweetened cocoa (so the cakes don't look white after all that flour); tap out excess cocoa.
3. Sift flour (cake and all-purpose), baking soda, and salt onto wax paper. Preheat oven to moderate (350).
4. Beat butter, sugar, and eggs in a large bowl with electric mixer at high speed until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla and cooled chocolate.
5. Stir in dry ingredients, alternating with sour cream, beating well with a spoon, until smooth. Stir in water. (Batter will be thin) Pour into prepared pans.
6. Bake in preheated moderate oven (350) for 35 minutes, or until centers spring back when light pressed with fingertip. Cool in racks 10 minutes; turn out on wire racks;cool completely.
7. Frost and fill with favorite frosting and pig out :D.