Chocolate Cake with Almond Frosting

At my brother's wedding this month, several of us were enjoying the cake. We quickly decided that it wasn't really the cake itself that was so good - it was really quite ordinary. What made it good was the frosting. It was almond-flavored. So, last week I made this chocolate cake, which is very moist, and paired it with almond buttercream frosting. I really liked the results, as did the rest of my family. You can, of course, frost this cake with a different flavor of frosting, but I think this is a great combination.



Sour Cream Chocolate Cake

1 cup water
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
4 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups sugar
2 eggs, partially beaten
1 Tbsp. vanilla
3/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup chocolate chips (optional - my husband loves them but the cake is still good without them)

Bring water to boil in a medium saucepan, add butter and cocoa. Cook while stirring until butter is melted and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat. Mix the dry ingredients well in a large bowl. Add the chocolate mixture and mix well. Add the eggs and vanilla and again, mix well. Add sour cream and chocolate chips and stir until just blended. Pour into greased pans and bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

Almond Buttercream Frosting

1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup butter, softened but not melted
2 Tbsp milk
4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp almond extract

Cream butter and shortening. Add almond extract and milk. Stir in sugar one cup at a time until frosting is the consistency you want.