French Chocolate Buttercream Cake

Place oven rack in center of oven; heat to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour bottoms of two 8 inch round cake pans, reserve. Beat eggs in large mixer bowl at high speed, one minute. Continue beating, adding sugar very slowly, about 7 minutes. Melt choclate with 3/4 C butter. Drizzle warm chocolate mixture into egg mixture, beating at low speed until blended. Add sour cream and vanilla; beat at low speed until thoroughly blended. Sift together 1 1/2 cups of flour, the cocoa and baking soda. While beating at low speed, add dry ingredients, about 1/2 cup at a time, to the chocolate mixture alternating with the milk, about 1/3 cup at a time. Stop as necessary to clean sides of bowl with a spatula. Beat until well blended. Pour half of batter into each reserved pan; place pans in oven diagonally on same rack. Bake until cake tester or wooden pick inserted into center of each cake comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on wire racks until just warm; remove from pans and cool completely on racks. Prepare Chocolate buttercream. Reserve about 1/2 cup of buttercream for decorative piping. To assemble cake, place 1 layer on serving plate; spread top evenly with 3/4 cup of the firm buttercream. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Place second layer of cake on top of first layer. Frost sides, then top of cake completely with buttercream. Pipe reserved buttercream through pastry bag filled with #4 star tip in a decorative border around top of cake. Refrigerate cake until thoroughly chilled; serve cold (keep stored in refrigerator. CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM 6 oz semisweet chocolate, broken into small pieces 1 C unsalted butter, slightly softened 1 large egg (room temp) 4 large egg yolks (room temp) 1/2 C sugar 1/3 C water 1 1/2 tbsp brandy or dark rum Melt chocolate with 2 tbsp of the butter, reserve. Place whole egg and egg yolks in medium mixer bowl; beat at high speed 1 minute, reserve. Measure sugar and water into 1 quart non aluminum saucepan and stir well. Cook over low heat until mixture simmers; cover and simmer 5 minutes. Uncover sugar syrup; simmer slowly over low heat until it reaches the "soft-ball" candy stage. While beating at high speed, immediately drizzle the sugar syrop into the reserved egg mixture. Continue beating until bottom of the bowl is cool to touch. Gradually beat reserved chocolate mixture and brandy into sugar mixture until thoroughly blended. Place remaining butter in small mixer bowl; beat at medium speed until fluffy. While beating chocolate mixture at high speed, add beaten butter, about 1 tbsp at a time. When all butter has been added, beat for another 5 minutes. Refrigerate buttercream, stirring every 10 minutes, until firm enough to spread. Usually takes 30 - 40 minutes.