----- For Meal-Master v7.0+ - generated by ReciPants v1.2 at Hyphen!
      Title: Birthday Chocolate Layer Cake
 Categories: Desserts, Holidays, Birthday, Cake, Cupcake
      Yield: 1 sheet cake or 2 layer cakes and 8 cupcakes

  2 1/2 c  all purpose flour
  1 1/2 c  good cocoa power
  2 1/4 ts baking soda
    1/2 ts kosher salt
    1/2 lb unsalted butter, room temperature
      1 c  granulated sugar
      1 c  brown sugar, packed
      3 ea extra large eggs, room temperature
      3 tb pure vanilla extract
  1 1/2 c  buttermilk, room temperature
    3/4 c  sour cream, room temperature
      3 tb brewed coffee, room temperature
      1 ea recipe or can of frosting
      1 ea optional writing chocalate for piping

1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 12 by 18 by 1 1/2-inch sheet pan or two 9 inch cake pans for a layer cake. "Flour" the pan(s) with good unsweetened cocoa powder instead of flour.
2) In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. 
3) In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (lacking a stand mixture, a hand-held mixer with beaters works fine but takes some upper arm strength), cream the butter and sugars on high speed until light, approximately 5 minutes. 
4) Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well.
5) Combine the buttermilk, sour cream, and coffee. 
6) On low speed, add the flour mixture and the buttermilk mixture alternately in thirds, beginning with the flour mixture and ending with the buttermilk mixture. Mix the batter only until blended. 
7) Pour the batter into the prepared sheet pan or cake pans, smooth the top with a spatula, and bake in the center of the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.  If you make a layer cake you will have enough excess batter for about 8 cupcakes.
8) For sheetcake, serve in pan.  For layer cake, let cakes stand in their pans for five minutes before turning out onto cooling racks. For either sheet or layer cake, cool to room temperature before frosting.
9) When layer cakes are completely cool start with one layer rounded-side-down and frost the top.  Place the next layer rounded-side-down on top and frost entire cake, starting from the top and bringing down to the sides. Pipe a birthday message with colored frosting or writing chocolate.  
10) Story: I made this cake and cupcakes to celebrate the birthdays of Mom Albright, Jimmy and Andrea in 2008.  I topped both with a simple white homemade buttercream and Alton Brown's recipe for writing chocolate.

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