Chocolate Sour Cream Layer Cake

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This cake was the best I have ever made, everything about it was great. A couple people who tried it said it was the best chocolate cake they ever had. The icing was amazing. From big Gourmet cookbook.

5 oz fine-quality unsweetened chocolate, chopped
2 1/4 sticks (9 ounces - 3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
2 3/4 cups sifted cake flour (sift before measuring - I put the flour through a sieve and then measured it)
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
4 large eggs, left at room temperature 30 minutes
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups sour cream

For Frosting:
1 cup sugar
6 tbsp all purpose flour
6 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups whole milk
4 oz fine-quality unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
1 tbsp vanilla extract
6 sticks (1.5 pounds - 3 cups OMG for real) unsalted butter, softened

two 8x2 inch round cake pans
parchment paper

Put rack in middle of oven and preheat to 350. Butter cake pans, line bottom of each with a round of parchment paper, and butter paper. Flour pans, knocking out excess. (with the stakes this high, and with all this butter and ingredients, you don't want to mess around so you might as well do all this stuff).

Melt chocolate with butter in a metal bowl set over barely simmering water, stirring. Cool. If you're careful, you could do this just in a heavy pot, or even probably in the microwave.
Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

Beat eggs, sugars and vanilla in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and thick - 3-5 minutes. Reduce speed to low and mix in the melted chocolate until incorporated. Add flour mixture in 3 batches alternately with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture and mixing until each addition is just incorporated.

Spread batter evenly in pans and rap pans several times on work surface to eliminate bubbles. Bake until a wooden toothpick inserted in center of each comes out clean and cakes pull away from sides of pans, 40 to 50 minutes. Cool in pans on a rack for 10 minutes.

Run a thin knife around sides of pans and invert cakes onto racks. Remove paper and cool cakes completely.

Make the frosting: Whisk together sugar, flour, cocoa powder and salt in a 1 quart heavy saucepan. Whisk in milk and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until mixture boils and is smooth and thick, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in chocolate and vanilla until smooth. Transfer to a bowl, cover surface with parchment paper to prevent a skin from forming, and cool to room temperature.

Beat butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer, fitted with paddle attachment if using a stand mixer, until creamy. Add chocolate mixture a little at a time, beating until frosting is fluffy and spreadable.

Assemble the cake: Cut each cake horizontally into 2 layers with a long serrated knife. Put 1 layer on a cake stand or large plate, cut side up, and spread top with 1 1/4 cups frosting. Place a second layer over frosting, cut side down, and spread with 1 1/4 cup frosting. Top with a third layer, cut side up, and spread with 1 1/4 cups frosting. Add remaining layer, cut side down, and spread top and sides of cake with remaining frosting.

The cake layers can be made up to 2 days ahead (but not split) and kept, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, at room temperature.

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