I found this recipe in one of my absolute FAVORITE cookbooks, the Tea and Sympathy Cookbook. I've changed it around rather a lot, taking out the boiling water and putting in sour cream and adding a dash of coffee among other things. It's become almost like a brownie cake, absolutely delicious. Tea and Sympathy is a WONDERFUL British restaurant in Greenwich Village which my family and I LOVE. If you find yourself in NYC and you need a good cup of tea and a proper British meal,
Heat oven to 350 F
Butter and flour 2 8inch cake pans
1 cup of semi sweet baking chocolate, melted
8 oz unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups of sugar
3 eggs
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
Pinch of salt
3/4 cup of sour cream
1/4 cup of brewed coffee
FOR THE FILLING AND GLAZE
1 cup of chocolate
1 cup of cream
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
• Heat the chocolate in the microwave until melted. Set aside to cool.
• Cream the butter and the sugar until beautifully light and fluffy.
• Add the eggs one at a time and scrape down after each addition.
• Add the tablespoon of vanilla extract and beat in.
• Mix the sour cream and coffee together in a bowl.
• Combine the flour, baking powder, soda and salt in a bowl.
• Mix in half the flour mixture, then the sour cream mixture and finish off with the rest of the flour until just combined.
• Pour into the two pans and bake in the oven for approximately 30-40 minutes until cooked through.
To make the glaze, which I also use for the filling:
• Combine the chocolate and cream in a small pan and heat until the chocolate has melted.
• Stir gently until you have a lovely thick chocolate mixture that coats the spoon.
• Try not to eat it before you fill and frost the cake.
Serve with a cup of tea, or vanilla ice cream or whipped cream OR just perfectly by itself!