Sour Cream Chocolate cake with sour cream icing

I probably should have let it cool before putting the icing on...


For the cake
200g plain flour
200g sugar
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
1/2 tsp salt
200g soft unsalted butter
40g cocoa
150ml sour cream
2 large eggs
1&1/2 tsp vanilla extract

for the icing
80g milk chocolate
80g dark chocolate
75g unsalted butter
125ml sour cream
1tsp vanilla extract
1tbsp golden syrup
300g golden icing sugar (powdered sugar), sieved (plus more if needed)
1/2 tsp hot water

Preheat to 180c/350f
Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, bicarb, and salt in a large bowl. Then using an electric mixer, add the butter. In another bowl whisk together the cocoa, sour cream, eggs, and vanilla. Slowly add this mix to the dry ingredients, beating until thoroughly mixed. Pour batter into 2 lined and buttered 20cm sandwich tins, and bake for 30 min. When they are ready, the cakes should be starting to shrink back from the edges of the tins. Leave for 10 minutes, then turn out to cool..

To make the icing, melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave, or in a bowl over hot water. Let it cool a little, then stir in the vanilla, sour cream, and syrup. Add the sugar and a little hot water blending till smooth (add more sugar or water as needed to get the consistency right.

This one is from Nigella Lawson’s book, “How to be a Domestic Goddess”. This book is great fun for all things baked.
This cake is just about the chocolate-y-ist experience that you could possibly have short of injecting chocolate directly into your veins. As a special note to one specific friend (and if you are reading, you know who you are), this is a really good recipe for just making the frosting and eating it out of a bowl from your fridge.

I didn’t read carefully enough beforehand and so I did not realize that the cake tins required are quite a bit smaller then normal ones. As it turns out, I did not have the right size pans. Instead of making a small two layer cake, I wound up making a large single layer. It worked just fine, but it meant that I had a ton of extra frosting (not exactly heartbreaking). I totally recommend this cake, but only if you are looking for a seriously decadent chocolate experience.