For Micah’s 2 year-old birthday we made pretty much the best chocolate cake in the world. We got the recipe from an Irish friend we met while in Dublin. This cake is sooo good! Really… try it.

The Best Chocolate Cake in the World

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1- 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 canola oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1 cup hot water

Cooking Supplies

• 2- 9 inch round cake pans
• parchment paper
• 2 quart sauce pan
• big bowl

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Butter the bottoms of two 9-inch round cake pans and fit a circle of parchment paper large enough to cover 1 inch up the side of each cake pan.
3. Heat butter, brown sugar, and sweetened condensed milk in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat until the butter melts and the sugar is dissolved. Do not boil.
4. Divide the sugar mixture between the prepared pans.
5. Sprinkle 3/4 cup pecans over sugar mixture and set aside to cool.
6. Combine the flour, cocoa, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl.
7. Add the eggs, sour cream, canola oil, vanilla, and vinegar, and hot water and mix with a wooden spoon until the batter is smooth.
8. Pour the batter into the cake pans — over sugar mixture
9. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until a tooth pick inserted into the cake center comes out clean
10. Cool cakes in pans for 10 minutes
11. Run a knife around the edge of the pans and turn cakes out onto a cooling rack.
12. Remove the parchment paper and cool completely before frosting.
13. Frost cake with chocolate mousse frosting (see below).
14. Add the remaining 1/4 cups of pecans to the top of the frosted cake.

Chocolate Mousse Frosting

Ingredients

• 14 oz whipping cream
• 1 bag of semi sweet chocolate chips
• 2 tablespoon butter

Cooking Supplies

• Hand mixer with bowl or Kitchen Aid
• 2 quart sauce pan

Instructions

1. Melt butter in sauce pan on medium heat.
2. Add chocolate chips to sauce pan and stir with a wooden spoon until melted.
3. Put the whipping cream in a mixing bowl and add melted chocolate mixture.
4. Whip until the frosting is fluffy and smooth.