Cake Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups of water
6 ounces bakers unsweetened chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup sour cream, room temperature
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
5 eggs, room temperature
Espresso Chocolate Frosting:
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup whole milk
1 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 packets Starbucks Via instant coffee (Columbia or Italian roast)
pinch of salt
3 cups powdered sugar
Directions:
1. Position oven rack to lower third (just below center). Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 12 cup Bundt pan.
2. In a medium size sauce pan on medium low heat, add water and bakers chocolate until melted. Whisk in cocoa powder until combined. If mixture is dry, add water until smooth, remove from heat to a wire rack to cool. Once cooled, whisk in sour cream and set aside for later. In a separate medium bowl whisk together flour, salt, and baking soda.
3. In a stand mixture bowl beat butter, brown sugar, and vanilla until creamy. Add eggs one at a time and beat, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed with a spatula. Add one-third of the flour mixture and half of the chocolate mixture and mix until combined. Add half of the flour mixture and the rest of the chocolate mixture and mix until combined. Mix in the rest of the flour mixture, scraping the sides of the bowl until combined.
4. Pour batter into prepared Bundt pan and bake for 50-55 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes, then remove cake from pan, and let cool completely before frosting.
5. For the frosting: Make the frosting quick, don’t heat long or it will come out dry and break. If it does dry out on you, stir in a little more milk. In a medium sauce pan on medium heat, add butter and milk until melted. Whisk in chocolate chips and vanilla until melted. Reduce heat to simmer. Whisk in Starbucks instant coffee and salt. Whisk in powdered sugar half a cup at a time until combined. This is a lot of frosting, make sure to fill up the middle donut hole of the Bundt cake with the extra frosting.
Note: If you are not up to making the cake at least try the espresso chocolate frosting. You can always half the recipe. Spread it on graham crackers, or use it as a dip for chocolate covered strawberries, it is to die for.