Cake Ingredients
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp salt
1 ½ tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
3 eggs
1 stick melted butter, slightly cooled
1 ¼ cup buttermilk
¼ cup warm water
2 tsp vanilla
Icing Ingredients
1 and a half sticks of butter
6 oz (half of a package) of semi sweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup cocoa powder
4 ½ cups confectioners sugar
¼ tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup sour cream
To make the cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 9-inch round cake pans with baking spray (or grease and flour).
Put all dry ingredients flour through baking soda in the bowl of a mixer and mix on low speed for about 30 seconds to combine.
Increase speed to medium high and add eggs, buttermilk and butter. Put warm water in bowl used to melt butter and swish around to get any extra – add to cake ingredients.
Add vanilla and beat until well combined, about one minute.
Divide batter evenly between the two cake pans.
Bake until toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 30 minutes.
Cool cakes in pans for 10 minutes and then turn out on a cake rack or wax paper to cool completely before icing.
To make the icing:
Add the butter to a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in chocolate chips to melt.
Remove from the heat and pour butter and chocolate in a mixing bowl.
Beat in the cocoa powder, salt, and vanilla extract.
Add the confectioners sugar beating on low speed.
Slowly beat in the sour cream.
*I like to put the icing in the fridge for about 30 minutes to harden up just a bit.