emergency chocolate cake

Some days call for chocolate cake. Not a scoop of peanutbutter, not a handful of m&m's, but a big fluffy chocolatey slice of chocolate cake. Chocolatey enough to erase the blue mood and make you believe that tomorrow will be another, better, day.

Yesterday was one of those days. That is why I baked emergency chocolate cake today. And even though I was all set to make homemade granola or perhaps chocolate caramel crackers (recipes checked, ingredients bought), at the last minute I changed my mind and looked for a chocolate cake recipe that I could make using what I had on hand - sour cream, Callebaut dutch processed cocoa powder, butter, eggs.

Taking about an hour from start to finish, this recipe yields a fluffy, coca-y chocolate cake with a tender crumb. An extra dousing of sugar icing adds sweetness to a not-too-sweet cake. I tend to prefer fudgier cakes, but this did the trick!

Everyday Chocolate Cake
1½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup alkalized (Dutch process) cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 1/3 cups sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar
Lowfat milk

Preheat the oven to 350ºF and butter two 8½ x 4½-inch loaf pans (or 1 9-inch bundt pan).
Combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda in a mixing bowl and stir well. Set aside.
Beat the butter and sugar together in a stand mixer set at medium speed. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, continuing to beat the batter smooth after each addition.
Scrape the bowl, lower the mixer speed then add the sour cream and the dry ingredients in intervals until fully incorporated.
Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pans and bake the cakes for 30-35 minutes, or until they are well risen and a toothpick, when inserted, comes out clean.
Cool the pans on a rack for 5 minutes then turn the cakes out of the pan.
Whisk milk into powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it becomes thick and viscous. Pour onto cooled cake. Top with sprinkles for extra cheering power!