Dark Chocolate Cake

Total Time: 1 hr 45 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 15 mins

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup hot black coffee
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 125 g butter
• 3 eggs, separated
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 cups plain flour (all-purpose)
• 1/2 cup sugar, extra
• whipped cream
• 125 g dark chocolate
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 pinch salt
• 2 tablespoons icing sugar (confectioners)

Recipe

• 1 stir hot coffee gradually into cocoa.
• 2 combine 1 1/4 cups sugar with butter, egg yolks, salt, vanilla and half the cocoa mixture.
• 3 beat until light and creamy.
• 4 mix bicarbonate of soda and sour cream together.
• 5 to butter and sugar mix add sour cream and coffee-cocoa alternately with sifted flour.
• 6 beat egg whites until soft peaks form, gradually add the 1/2 cup sugar, beat until the meringue stands in stiff peaks.
• 7 fold into chocolate mixture.
• 8 pour into a deep 23cm (9 inch) or 25cm (10 inch) greased and lined cake tin.
• 9 bake in a moderate (180c/350f) oven 1-1 1/4 hours.
• 10 cool completely, then split in 2 layers and fill with whipped cream.
• 11 spread frosting in a thin layer over top and sides of cake.
• 12 refrigerate until sour cream frosting is firm.
• 13 sour cream frosting: melt chocolate over hot water.
• 14 remove from heat and cool slightly, then stir in sour cream and salt.
• 15 add sifted icing sugar and beat until a spreading consistency.