Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake With Glossy Chocolate Icing

Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon table salt
• 2 cups hot water
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons vinegar
• 1 tablespoon instant coffee granules
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 1/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 350 with rack in the center.
• 2 spray two 8" round cake pans with nonstick spray.
• 3 whisk dry cake ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.
• 4 combine water, oil, vinegar, instant coffee granules, and vanilla in a large measuring cup.
• 5 add to the dry ingredients and whisk until combined- a few lumps are ok.
• 6 divide batter between the two pans (about 3 cups each), then bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (35- 40 min).
• 7 cool cakes for 15 minutes on a rack, then invert them onto the rack.
• 8 leave upside down until completely cooled before frosting them.
• 9 to make icing, melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat.
• 10 stir in sugar, cocoa, and salt- the mixture will be thick/grainy.
• 11 combine cream, sour cream and coffee granules in a large measuring cup, mixing until smooth.
• 12 gradually add cream mixture to chocolate until blended and smooth.
• 13 cook until sugar has dissolved, and mixture is smooth and hot to the touch.
• 14 do not boil.
• 15 take mixture off the heat, and add vanilla.
• 16 cool at room temperature until spreadable (up to three hours).
• 17 if it isn't getting thick enough to be spreadable, put in the refrigerator until thick enough to spread.
• 18 if it gets too thick to spread easily, warm gently in the microwave until it's just right (20 seconds or so, repeat if necessary).
• 19 stir well, and ice cake, frosting first layer, then placing second layer on top, and icing the top and then the sides.