Chocolate
Sour Cream Cake with Raspberry Divinity Frosting
Nearly
everyone likes chocolate cake. This one has the deep, rich taste of
unsweetened chocolate and sour cream. The light airy, raspberry divinity
frosting is really a seven-minute frosting with added raspberry jam.
Both the raspberries and the fluffy frosting complement the rich chocolate
cake.
As with all cake recipes, it is important that the temperature of the
ingredients is at room temperature. You may beat cold butter for about
two minutes to bring that to room temperature. You will heat the chocolate
with milk. By letting it cool for several minutes and then adding cold
sour cream, the resulting mixture should be near room temperature.
Chocolate
Sour Cream Cake with Raspberry Divinity Frosting
For the cake:
3 ounces unsweetened
chocolate
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup butter
1 2/3 cups brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose
flour
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
For the frosting:
3 egg whites
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup seedless
raspberry jam
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Directions
For the cake
Prepare three eight-inch
cake pans by greasing them and dusting them with flour.
Preheat the oven
to 350 degrees.
1. Heat the chocolate
and milk together in a small saucepan, stirring until the chocolate
is melted. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the sour cream.
Set the mixture aside to cool to room temperature.
2. With the paddle attachment of an electric mixer, beat the butter
at medium speed until it is smooth and creamy. Add the brown sugar and
salt. Beat until it is light and fluffy.
3. Add the eggs one at a time, creaming after each. Beat at medium speed
for eight to ten minutes or until it is light and fluffy.
4. Mix the flour, baking powder, and baking soda together.
5. Add about one-third of the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture.
Mix until just combined. Do not over-stir or you may reduce the entrained
air in the creamed mixture.
6. Add about one-half of the liquid ingredients and stir them in.
7. Add another one-third of the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture
and mix until just combined.
8. Add the last of the liquid ingredients and stir them in.
9. Add the last of the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and mix
until just combined.
10. Place in pans, smooth the tops, and bake immediately for 25 minutes
at 350 degrees or until a toothpick stuck in the center of the cake
comes out clean.
11. Cool for five to ten minutes in the pans. Remove the cakes to wire
racks to cool completely. Frost after cooling.
For the frosting
1. In the top of
a double boiler, mix the egg whites, sugar, water, and cream of tartar.
Whisk them together for thirty seconds or beat slow speed with an electric
mixer.
2. Over boiling water, cook the mixture while beating constantly at
high speed with your electric mixer. Continue for about seven minutes
or until peaks begin to from.
3. Add the extract and jam. Continue beating until stiff peaks form.
Frost the cake.
Baker’s
note: Use a good quality jam. If your jam has seeds
in it, remove them by pressing the jam through a sieve. You can purchase
gourmet
seedless raspberry jam here.
Printable
Version
Meringue powder
is essential for frostings and icings. Learn
more about meringue powder.
