Thursday, October 11, 2007

Chocolate Cream Cheese Brownie Cake

This is a great cake- don't let the three parts deter you from trying it. The brownie like cake is wonderful when combined with the cream cheese layer and homemade chocolate frosting. It's a time consuming, but is actually a fairly simple and inexpensive cake to make. And of course- it's YUMMY!


Cake:
3/4 cup water
1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/3 cup shortening
3 T baking cocoa
1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
2/3 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 t vanilla

Butter Cream Cheese Filling:
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
3 oz cream cheese, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 t vanilla

Chocolate Frosting:
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
2 T cocoa
3 T milk
1/2 t vanilla

Cake:
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottoms and sides of cake pans with shortening and lightly flour. Heat water, butter, shortening, and cocoa in small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until smooth. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Mix flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Beat in cocoa mixture with electric mixer on low speed; scraping bowl occasionally until smooth. Beat in sour cream, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Pour into pans. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour. Fill layers with Butter Cream Cheese Filling. Frost sides and top of cake with Chocolate Filling. Store covered in refrigerator.

Butter Cream Cheese Filling:
Beat butter and cream cheese in medium bowl on medium speed until fluffy. Beat in powdered sugar and vanilla on low speed until smooth.

Chocolate Frosting:
Beat butter in medium bowl on medium speed until fluffy. Gradually beat in remaining ingredients on low speed until smooth.

TIP OF THE DAY: If you are in a big pinch for time, this could be made using canned frosting and even a boxed brownie mix.

Tomorrow's Daily Special: Taco Soup