Recipes out of the Blond Box

There are a lot of steps to complete this recipe. In the physical recipe-box, it takes up both sides of three 3" x 5" cards. Sad to say, we have never attempted it.

For cake:
2 cups sugar
1 ¾ cups cake flour, not self-rising
1 cup unsweetened cocoa, sifted
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 stick butter, cut up
1 ½ cups buttermilk
3 large eggs
2 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

For filling:
1 ½ cups chilled heavy cream
¼ cup confectioners’ sugar
1 pint strawberries, hulled and halved lengthwise

For frosting:
10 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
½ stick butter, cut up
¾ cup sour cream, add room temperature
2 cups confectioners’ sugar

1. Heat oven to 350°. Coat two 9" x 2" cake pans with nonstick spray. Line bottoms with waxed paper.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, and baking powder to blend. Milk chocolate and butter for 1 min. in the microwave; stir to blend. With mixer on low speed, beat buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, and chocolate mixture into the dry ingredients until just blended. Beat on medium for 2 min. until smooth. Scrape batter into prepared pans. Bake 40-42 min., until pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 20 min.; turn cakes out of pans; cool.
3. Beat cream and sugar in large bowl with mixer until stiff peaks form when beaters are lifted. Place one cake layer on serving plate. Spread on half the whipped cream to ½ inch of the edge. Arrange halved strawberries in the whipped cream. Cover with the rest of the whipped cream, and the second cake layer.
4. Melt chocolate and butter in large glass bowl in the microwave, 1-2 min., until chocolate is soft and shiny; stir until completely melted and smooth. Fold in sour cream. Using a whisk, gradually beat in confectioners’ sugar until smooth and shiny. Spread cake with frosting.

You can bake and frost the cake up to two days ahead. Store covered in the refrigerator.