Sweet or Sour Cream Chocolate Cake

This has been my Birthday cake every year since I was about 10 or 11...Having cows, we never had a shortage of milk or cream, this was one way to use it up! I really don't know where my mother got the original recipe, but I have been making it myself for quite some time now, and this is my spin on it. Makes 3 9" round cakepans.

• Ready In: 50 mins
• Serves: 8-12
• Yields: 3 9

Ingredients

• 4  medium eggs, separated
• 2  cups  cream (sweet cream or sour cream. I prefer sour)
• 1  teaspoon vanilla
• 3  ounces baking chocolate, melted
• 2  cups sugar
• 2 1⁄2 cups cake flour
• 1  teaspoon salt
• 6  tablespoons cocoa powder
• 2  teaspoons baking soda (if using sour cream)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Melt and cool baking chocolate in double boiler or by other means and allow to cool. Cream together egg yolks, sugar and cream, and add chocolate and vanilla.
3. Sift together flour, salt, cocoa powder and baking soda and add to wet ingredients.
4. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form and carefully fold into batter.
5. Pour batter evenly between 3 9" round cake pans and bake in the oven at 350 F for 25-30 minute or until toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven, cover with clean dishtowel and allow to cool before removing from pans.
6. I usually frost with a buttercream or cream cheese frosting and then drizzle bitter chocolate around the top to cut the sweetness of the frosting.