Recipe: Sourdough Chocolate Cake

Mandy, here is a recipe for Sourdough Chocolate Cake I have in my recipe
collection. Hope this is what you are looking for.

Sourdough Chocolate Cake

1 cup sourdough starter
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
3 squares (3 ounces) unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
1 cup milk
Cocoa Cream Cheese Filling
Sweet Chocolate Glaze

Bring sourdough starter to room temperature. Grease and flour two 9 x 1 1/2"
round cake pans; set aside. Stir together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. In a large bowl beat the butter with an electric mixer on medium
speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar and vanilla; beat till fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating 1 minute after each addition. Beat in the melted chocolate.

Combine the sourdough starter and milk. Add dry ingredients and milk mixture
alternately to beaten mixture, beating till well combined. Turn the batter into prepared pans. Bake in 350 Degree F. oven about 30 minutes or till done. Cool 10 minutes on wire racks. Remove from pans; cool thoroughly on wire racks. Fill with Cocoa Cream Cheese Filling and Glaze cake with Sweet Chocolate Glaze.
Drizzle a design atop the cake with reserved cream cheese icing and top with white chocolate leaves. Makes 12 servings.

Cocoa Cream Cheese Filling

1 cup sifted powdered (confectioners') sugar
1 3 ounce package cream cheese
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
Milk
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar

In a small mixer bowl beat together the 1 cup powdered sugar and cream cheese until fluffy. Beat in the vanilla. If necessary, beat in enough milk (about 2 teaspoons) to make of pouring consistency. Reserve 1/4 cup of the mixture and
set aside to decorate the top of the cake. Stir the cocoa powder into the
remaining mixture in the bowl. Add the 1/3 cup powdered sugar and beat until
smooth. Use the cocoa mixture to spread between cake layers. Makes 2/3 cup of
filling, 1/4 cup icing.

Sweet Chocolate Glaze

3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup water
2 squares (2 ounces) German Sweet Chocolate, cut up
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

In a small saucepan combine the sugar, cornstarch and pinch of salt. Stir in the water and chocolate. Cook; stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is thickened. Cook; stir 2 minutes more. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla.

Cover surface with clear plastic wrap or waxed paper. Let stand 10 to 15 minutes or until slightly cooled and of spreading consistency. Spread glaze over top and sides of the cake. Chill cake until set. Makes 1 1/2 cups glaze.Sourdough Starter

2 cups lukewarm water or milk
2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons yeast

Mix together in a glass or plastic bowl the above ingredients. Do not use metal
utensils. Cover the bowl with a tight fitting lid and allow to sit in warm, draft free place, for 4 to 7 days, gently stirring once a day. You may use your starter after four days.

To use your starter, simply remove the amount called for in the recipe and add to the other ingredients. Replace the amount removed with equal amount of water/milk and flour. You may refrigerate your starter. You must refeed at least once every 7 days. If you do not pan to use it, then take one cup out and throw away and feed.