World's Best Chocolate Cake

This is a really good chocolate cake recipe. I have made it twice now and it was moist and excellent both times. I got in in one of those ads for a cookbook that I didn't buy from Family Circle. I would recommend using the spray with the flour in it because when I greased and floured separately the outer cake was a little drier (not noticeable once I got the frosting on, but a little more difficult to frost because it was a little flaky, I probably used too much flour), but when I used the spray it was perfect. This does yield about one and a half times a regular cake mix. It uses three 9 inch pans, although you can also use a 9x13 and a nine inch round or square. I frosted this with a chocolate butter cream one time, and a white cream cheese and chocolate cream cheese the second time and it was good both ways. So, just use your favorite frosting recipe and it will be delicious!

Image from here.

Cake:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
4 oz semi sweet chocolate broken up
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups sour cream (use full fat sour cream, the low fat version doesn't work as well, I tried it :<)
3 eggs
1 cup water
2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour three 9-inch round cake pans.
2. In a microwave safe glass bowl, melt butter and chocolate together in microwave on High until melted and smooth, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, stirring halfway through. Set aside. Mix flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl until blended.
3. Add sour cream, eggs, water, chocolate mixture, and vanilla; beat 30 seconds on low speed, until dry ingredients are moistened. Increase to medium; beat 2 minutes. Pour into prepared pans.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until cake layers spring back when pressed.
5. Cool layers in pans on rack 10 minutes. Remove cakes to rack to cool.