Chocolate Cake With Chocolate-Pecan Frosting

This was a recipe I got from one of Oprah's television shows. This is a moist chocolate cake and one you can cut up into squares and eat right out of your hand with a napkin instead of a plate and fork.

• Ready In: 50 mins
• Serves: 12

Ingredients

• 2  cups flour
• 2  cups granulated sugar
• 1  teaspoon baking soda
• 1  pinch salt
• 8  tablespoons unsalted butter, cut up
• 8  tablespoons margarine, cut up
• 1  cup water
• 1⁄3 cup  unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
• 3⁄4 cup sour cream
• 2  large eggs
• 1  teaspoon vanilla extract

• Frosting

• 8  tablespoons unsalted butter, cut up
• 1⁄3 cup milk, plus
• 1  tablespoon milk
• 1⁄4 cup  unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
• 1  lb  about 4 1/3 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 1  teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1  cup  toasted pecans, coarsely chopped

Directions

1. To make the cake, position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Lightly butter and flour a 13x9-inch baking pan, tapping out the excess flour.
2. Whisk the flour, granulated sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl to combine. In medium saucepan, bring the butter, margarine, water and cocoa to boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve the butter and margarine.
3. Pour into flour mixture and whisk well. Add the sour cream, then the eggs and vanilla, and beat well. Spread evenly in the pan.
4. Bake until the cake springs back when pressed in the center, about 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack.
5. To make frosting, bring the butter, milk and cocoa to a boil in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the butter. Gradually stir in the confectioners' sugar, then the vanilla. Stir in the chopped pecans. Pour over the warm cake.
6. Cool the cake in the pan on the rack. Cut into pieces and serve directly from pan.