Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 2 9-inch cake pans. Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt together into the bowl of an electric mixer (or large bowl for use with a hand mixer). Add the buttermilk and shortening and beat the ingredients at medium speed for , scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat the ingredients for another , scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally. Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Bake for or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake layers cool in the pans for , then invert onto a cake rack to cool completely. Frost the layer and outside of the cake with the fudge frosting. Refrigerate leftovers.
12 ounces semisweet chocolate
1 cup dairy sour cream
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Melt the chocolate in the top part of a double boiler set over barely simmering water. When the chocolate has melted, remove the top pan from the bottom part of the double boiler. Add the sour cream, salt and vanilla extract to the chocolate and beat the ingredients vigorously with a whisk to blend them completely into a smooth frosting. Let cool for a few minutes, until it has a spreading consistency. Use between layers and for outside of the cake.