Valentine Sour Cream Chocolate Cake with Cherry Vanilla Yogurt Sauce

I love Goats! O.K. doesn't everyone love goats? They're all over the Internet, and they certainly make you smile! Every year I go to the Open House at Redwood Hill Farm where I meet the goats. I like to see the goats and sample lots of Redwood Hill Farm products. I have mentioned several times that many companies have recipes on their sites, and Redwood Hill Farm is no exception. So for Valentine' Day here is Redwood Hill Farm's Valentine Sour Cream Chocolate Cake with Cherry Vanilla Yogurt Sauce. Serve on Valentine's Day.. or any time.

VALENTINE SOUR CREAM CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH CHERRY VANILLA YOGURT SAUCE
 Makes one Bundt cake or 8 heart-shaped cakes

Ingredients 
1 3/4 cup flour unbleached, all-purpose

A Baby Goat at Redwood Hill Farm

1 2/3 cup sugar 3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup butter, softened
2 cups Green Valley Organics Sour Cream
2 eggs
2 tsp Madagascar vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
1 cup chocolate chips semi-sweet

Chocolate Frosting Glaze: 
3 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
3 Tbsp milk
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp almond extract

Cherry Vanilla Yogurt Sauce:
2-6 oz. tubs Redwood Hill Farm Goat Milk Yogurt Vanilla flavor
1 vanilla bean scraped
1 cup dark cherries chopped (frozen and thawed is fine)
1/2 tsp almond extract

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour bundt pan.
In large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
In separate bowl, combine butter, sour cream, and eggs, beating with hand or stand mixer until smooth. Mix wet and dry ingredients together, and beat with hand or stand mixer for 3 minutes.
Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 50 to 55 minutes, until wooden skewer inserted into  cake comes out clean. Cool before removing from pan.
While cake cools, melt butter in small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in cocoa and milk until smooth. Remove from heat, add confectioners sugar and almond extract and beat using stand or hand mixer until silky smooth. Drizzle over top of cooled cake.
Allow to set before serving.

To make the Cherry Vanilla Yogurt Sauce, whisk together yogurt, vanilla bean paste, cherries and almond extract. Refrigerate until needed.

Chef’s Tip: How to Scrape a Vanilla Bean 
Slice vanilla bean lengthwise down middle. Using paring knife, scrape out vanilla bean seeds from inside sliced pods. Instead of discarding used vanilla bean pods, put them in cup or two of granulated sugar in covered container. Allow to sit for week and enjoy vanilla-scented sugar in coffee, hot chocolate, baked goods, sprinkled over sugar cookies, and more.

Frank Price, Goat Magnet!