Cookbook, Desserts Chocolate Sour-Cream Cake

Chocolate-Sourcream cake

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
3 cups light brown sugar, packed
4 eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups sifted cake flour
1 1/3 cups sour cream
1 1/2 cups hot coffee
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour 3, 9-inch cake pans. In a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, or using a hand mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar and eggs and mix until fluffy. Add the vanilla, cocoa, baking soda and salt; mix. Add half of the flour, then half of the sour cream, and mix. Repeat with the remaining flour and sour cream. Pour in the hot coffee and mix until smooth. The batter will be thin.
Pour into the prepared pans and bake until the tops are firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Let cool in the pan 10 minutes. Turn out onto wire racks and let cool completely before frosting.
Vanilla Buttercream:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
4 egg whites
2 cups butter, cut up
1 teaspoon vanilla
In a saucepan place the sugar and slowly pour the water around the edge. Bring to a boil and cook to softball stage (235 degrees F.) Meanwhile, whip the egg whites in a mixer with a whip attachment until light and fluffy. When sugar is at softball, slowly pour it into the bowl down the side and continue whipping, adding vanilla, until incorporated and then cooled. Add the butter 1 piece at a time while whipping until it is a thick frosting. Keep at room temperature while frosting the cake.