Mom’s Best-Ever Chocolate Cake

This is my mom’s most delicious, most requested chocolate cake that has become a family favourite for birthdays given to you with love in the 2015 Family Organizer.

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour,
2 tsp baking powder,
2 tsp baking soda,
1 tsp salt,
2 cups sugar,
4 oz unsweetened chocolate,
6 Tbs unsalted butter,
1 tsp vanilla extract,
4 eggs lightly beaten.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 Celsius. Butter and flour two 8-by-1 1/2-inch round cake pans. Line the bottoms with wax paper. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside. In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar with 2 cups water. Bring to a boil over high heat and stir until the sugar dissolves; then pour into a large bowl.

Add the chocolate and butter and let sit, stirring occasionally, until melted and slightly cooled. Stir in the vanilla. Beat the eggs into the chocolate mixture at medium speed until combined. Add the dry ingredients all at once and beat at medium speed until smooth. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans and bake for about 35 minutes, or until the top springs back when pressed lightly and a cake tester comes out clean.

Cool the cakes in their pans for about 35 minutes, then invert onto a rack to cool completely. Set one layer, right-side up, on a serving platter. Using a metal spatula spread one-third of the Chocolate Frosting evenly over the cake. Top with the second cake layer and frost the top and sides with the remaining frosting.

Chocolate Frosting

The best frosting for the best cake!

1 1/3 cup heavy cream,
1 1/2 cups sugar
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate 1 stick + 2 Tbs unsalted butter,
pinch of salt.

In a medium saucepan, bring the cream and sugar to a boil over moderately high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the liquid reduces slightly, about 6 minutes. Pour the mixture into a medium bowl and add the chocolate, butter, vanilla and salt. Let stand, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate and butter are melted. Set the bowl in a larger bowl of ice water. Using a hand-held electric mixer, beat the frosting on medium speed, scraping the sides with a rubber spatula, until thick and glossy, about 10 minutes. Use at once.