Cupcake Café Chocolate Cake

1 pound butter
2 1/3 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup dark brown sugar
7 eggs
6 ounces baker's unsweetened chocolate
4-1/2 cups pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup cocoa
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2-1/3 cups buttermilk

Butter two 10-inch round layer cake pans and dust them with cocoa.

* Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Cream together the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Beat in the eggs, then melt the chocolate in a double boiler over simmering water and allow it to cool.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cocoa. Add the vanilla to the buttermilk. Add the cooled melted chocolate to the eggs and butter. Then alternately mix in the dry ingredients and the buttermilk.

Fill your pans about half full with batter.

Bake in the preheated oven about 40 to 45 minutes. Insert a straw or cake tester into the centers of layers. If it comes out clean (i.e., without any batter sticking to it) the cake is done and should be removed from the oven. The cakes can also be tested for doneness by pressing on them gently in the center. If they have a slightly springy feel, they are ready to come out.

Makes two 10 inch cake layers

*We use parchment paper circles at the bottom as well. This makes our lives a lot easier (there's no danger of the bottom sticking), but is not absolutely necessary. If you do use parchment paper, we find it works best if you butter the pan, then place the circle precut to fit the pan, and butter along the edges. You can also pour into buttered cocoa dusted pans.

From:

The Cupcake Café Cookbook
by Ann Warren & Joan Lilly
Doubleday
ISBN: 0-385-48339-2
208 pages
12 full color photographs
Black & white photographs throughout
$25.00 hardcover
Reprinted by permission.