Three Layer Chocolate Cake

This cake is a birthday tradition in our family, and has been since 1968 when I found the recipe in the Time/Life American Cooking cookbook. The frosting is about the only thing I still use sour cream for, having discovered Trader Joe's 2% Greek yogurt. As good as that yogurt is though, I don't think it would cut it for frosting.

6 ounces unsweetened chocolate squares
12 T butter (1-1/2 sticks), at room temperature
2 cups of sugar
4 eggs, at room temperature
1 t vanilla

2 cups flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 t salt (omit if using salted butter)

1-1/2 cups of milk

FROSTING

3 ounces walnut pieces
21 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
1/4 t salt
1-1/2 cups sour cream, at room temperature


Melt the unsweetened chocolate and cool it to room temperature. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs singly incorporating well after each addition, then the melted chocolate and vanilla.

Sift together the dry ingredients. Add 1/4 cup of the dry ingredients into the batter, then 1/4 cup of milk. Continue alternating milk and dry ingredients, incorporating well after each addition until the batter is smooth.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. On a baking sheet, toast the walnuts until they are lightly golden and fragrant. If you are over 45, set a timer so you don't forget about them. Remove and cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile, butter and flour three 9" cake pans, and line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper. Divide the batter equally AMONG (NOT between -- bad grammar is almost as bad as bad food!)the pans. Bake the cakes for about 20 minutes -- until the cakes are pulling away from the sides of the pan a bit and are firm to the touch. A toothpick or cake taster should come out clean. Turn the cakes out on racks to cool and remove the parchment paper.

Make the frosting: Melt the chocolate. Add it to the sour cream and salt and blend until well combined.

Frost the top of each cake(about a quarter of an inch thick). Stack the layers on a cake plate and frost the sides. Add additional frosting to the top if you have it. Strew the walnut pieces on top of the cake and push them gently into the frosting so that they adhere.

Lemon Cornmeal Cake with Blueberry Sauce

This quick and easy cake is an adaptation of a recipe I found on epicurious.com. You don't even have to get out the mixer, and it cooks in about half an hour. It has been very well received every time I've made it. In place of the blueberry sauce, you can substitute sliced, lightly sugared stawberries and whipped cream.

Cake:
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
½ cup sugar
3 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 cup buttermilk at room temperature
2 large eggs at room temperature
Zest of two lemons
¼ pound butter, melted and cooled to room temperature

Glaze:
1 ¼ cups powdered sugar, sifted
Juice of two lemons

Sauce:
4 cups whole fresh or frozen blueberries
½ cup light brown sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Zest of one lemon


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9” pyrex pie plate with deep sides and line the bottom with parchment paper.

Combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar and baking powder in a mixing bowl and stir to combine. Combine buttermilk, eggs, lemon peel vanilla and butter in small bowl and stir to combine. Pour the liquid mixture into the dry mixture and fold in with spatula until just blended. Pour the batter into the pie plate and bake until the cake pulls away from the sides and a tester comes out clean, about 30 minutes.

While the cake is baking, make the glaze: Put lemon juice into powdered sugar and stir until well combined and free of lumps. If the glaze is too thick, add a bit more lemon juice or water until glaze is of spreadable consistency.

When the cake is done, remove it from the oven, place a plate over it, and, using oven mitts, invert the cake onto the plate. Remove the parchment paper and, while cake is still hot, ice the top with glaze. Cool completely to room temperature.

Make the blueberry sauce: reserve half the blueberries. Combine the remaining ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat and cook, stirring, until the berries are soft and the mix is syrupy. Remove from the heat and add the reserved berries. With the back of a wooden spoon, gently crush some of the fresh blueberries. The sauce can be made up to two days ahead and stored in the refrigerator. Before serving, bring to room temperature, or rewarm