Maple Leaf Chocolate Cake

For the cake:
Preheat oven to 350 F and line a a 9-inch springform pan with a 9-inch round of parchment paper on the bottom, then spray the parchment paper and sides of the pan with a flour/oil baking spray (if you need to, you can hold the parchment paper in place with a dab of butter or shortening on the bottom side of it).

In a small bowl, whisk together the cocoa, sour cream, eggs and vanilla. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and baking soda. Add the butter and the cocoa mixture; mix on low for 30 seconds, then increase the speed to medium and continue mixing for about 2 minutes.

Spread the batter into a smooth layer in the prepared pan. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out of the center of the cake clean (one or two crumbs are okay). Cool cake completely.

For the buttercream:
Break up the chocolate and put it into a microwave safe bowl. Gently melt chocolate in the microwave on high, stirring every 10-15 seconds until almost completely melted (allow the residual heat to finish melting the chocolate as you continue to stir); set aside to cool.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip the egg whites until soft peaks form. Then slowly add the salt and granulated sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Gradually add the room temperature butter, a tablespoon at a time, until all the butter is fully incorporated. Add the cooled chocolate and whip until fully combined.

Note: Use pasteurized egg whites if you have any concerns about using fresh egg whites.

To decorate:
Lay a template (maple leaf, snow flake, etc) in the center of the completely cool cake. Sprinkle an even layer of powdered sugar over the entire surface of the cake and carefully remove the template. Pipe a buttercream border around the edges and sprinkle with shaved chocolate.

Recipes adapted from The Cake Bible.