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Real dessert lovers know that anytime they see the word ‘sour cream’ close to the words ‘chocolate cake,’ they have found the best chocolate cake! This small Sour Cream Chocolate Cake makes just 4 slices of cake.
Let’s talk about with the ultimate chocolate cake, shall we? If you’re a chocolate cake person, then you know anytime you see a sour cream chocolate cake on the menu, you must order it, right?
If you’re a vanilla person (it’s ok, I am too), let me explain. Sour cream has a high fat content that allows all the delicious notes of chocolate (coffee, floral, and even vanilla) shine. It also creates a dense yet light cake crumb. And the tang also keeps things from being ‘too sweet,’ so you keep reaching for another forkful.
Here’s my answer to it: a mini cake for two, made at home in a small 6-inch cake pan.
A few quick notes:
The recipe contains 1/4 cup of sour cream for the cake portion, but we’re also going to use some sour cream in the chocolate glaze, too! The tanginess is perfect for chocolate!
Cakes made with oil instead of butter are softer, period. They also stay softer when stored for a few days, when compared to butter cakes. And in my opinion, the neutral flavor of oil allows the chocolate flavor to shine even more.
Instead of the typical chocolate buttercream frosting, let’s make a chocolate sour cream ganache-like glaze for the cake, ok? You’ll love it!
Ingredients
- Flour. One-half cup of all-purpose flour. Remember, we’re making a small 6-inch cake, that’s why it doesn’t call for much flour!
- Cocoa Powder. Five heaping tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder.
- Baking Soda. One-half teaspoon of baking soda.
- Oil. One-third cup of any oil that does not have a strong flavor, such as canola, grapeseed, avocado oil. Do not use olive oil or coconut oil. (Coconut oil is solid at room temperature, so your cake will be oily and dense if you use it!)
- Granulated Sugar. One-half cup of granulated sugar.
- Sour Cream. The best part–please use full-fat sour cream. Don’t use any ‘light’ dairy products, because they contain chemical thickeners which can change the rise of your cake. One-third cup of sour cream for the cake, plus another fat tablespoon for making the chocolate sour cream frosting.
- Egg. One large egg, beaten.
- Vanilla. We need 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract for the cake and another 1/4 teaspoon for the frosting.
- Coffee. Save some coffee from your morning cup. One tablespoon of warm coffee provides flavor and moisture in this sour cream chocolate cake.
- Chocolate. So, because we’re making a glaze instead of a buttercream frosting, we need to use real chocolate instead of cocoa powder! You can chop up two ounces from a semisweet chocolate bar, or weigh out 2 ounces of semisweet chocolate chips.
- Heavy Cream. Because we’re making a ganache, we need a small amount of heavy cream to melt the chocolate into. Start with 4 teaspoons, and add more if the mixture seems too thick.
- Corn Syrup. This is optional, so if you don’t have it, please know that you can still make this recipe! I’m calling for one teaspoon of corn syrup in the frosting, because it makes the chocolate sour cream ganache super shiny! Again, not necessary, but if you have it, try it!
How to Make Sour Cream Chocolate Cake
Whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda in one bowl.
Whisk together the wet ingredients in another bowl: oil, sugar, sour cream, egg, vanilla, and coffee.
Combine the two bowls and stir until no streaks of flour remain. Scrape into a 6-inch pan, and bake at 350-degrees F for 29-32 minutes.
When the top of cake is dry and the edges of the cake start pulling away from the sides of the pan, the cake is done.
Combine the heavy cream and chopped chocolate in a double boiler to melt together.
Stir in the vanilla, corn syrup, and sour cream, and whisk until smooth and shiny. Decorate the cake and serve.
Please note that the frosting for this recipe is supposed to be a melty glaze, not a thick layer of buttercream that coats the cake like a birthday cake. If you want a standard chocolate buttercream recipe, I have that instead for you.
Leftovers
If you have leftovers from this recipe (which is a little wild because it only makes 4 small slices), store them in the fridge. I recommend this because the topping has dairy in it. Leave it out at room temperature to soften before serving the next time, unless you’re someone who enjoys a cold slice of cake!
Chocolate Sour Cream Cake
This chocolate sour cream cake is all kinds of delicious!
Ingredients
- FOR THE CAKE:
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/3 cup neutral oil (like canola or grapeseed)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup full-fat sour cream
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon warm coffee
- FOR THE SOUR CREAM GLAZE:
- 2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 4 teaspoons heavy cream
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon white corn syrup
- 1 tablespoon sour cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350, and position a rack in the lower third of the oven. Line a 6" round cake pan (with 2" sides) with parchment paper on the bottom, and lightly grease the sides with oil.
- Next, in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar, sour cream, egg, vanilla and coffee.
- Combine the two bowls, mixing just until combined.
- Pour the batter into the cake pan, and bake for 29-32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. If you under-bake the cake, it will slightly sink, so check it! It will also start to pull away from the sides when it's done.
- Remove the cake from the pan by carefully tilting it into one hand, peel off the parchment from the bottom, and then place it on a small cake stand.
- Next, make the glaze: melt the chocolate and heavy cream over a double boiler (or in the microwave). Once melted, stir in the vanilla, corn syrup and sour cream. Stir vigorously to make the glaze shiny. Pour over the cake and serve.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 653Total Fat: 35gSaturated Fat: 8gUnsaturated Fat: 27gCholesterol: 67mgSodium: 226mgCarbohydrates: 78gFiber: 5gSugar: 41gProtein: 10g
What kind of flour did you use- Cake Flour or AP Flour?
If you used AP Flour, was it bleached or unbleached?
Thank you so much for posting this recipe. It has been sweetly approved by Surreal Confections and bragged about on the website. As well as being on the Recipes Approved Pin board on Pinterest.
You can read the article here – http://www.surrealconfections.com/2012/07/cake-for-two.html
great ready for printing recipe, beautiful simple cake thanks
Thank you for this wonderful recipe–made it today to use up some leftover sour cream and it is astoundingly good!
Man im not sure why but the center of the cake colapsed, cooked in a 7″ pan because thats all I had for about 32 mins. I didnt have parchment so I used butter and flour, any ideas what happened?
Wrong size pan :(
A 1-inch difference in pan size won’t make a cake collapse. It was probably under baked.
Greetings!! Can I use buttermilk instead of sour cream since it’s hard to get sour cream here.
Can you make this cake without oil, and if so, what liquid would you use to replace it?
I haven’t tried that, but if you do, try applesauce and report back to all of us :)
Hi, this chocolate cake looks good and I would like to try it, but I have a question about the instructions. Your notes at the top say 5 heaping tablespoons of cocoa and the recipe itself says 5 tablespoons of cocoa. It could end up to be quite a bit more cocoa which could impact the result. Could you please clarify? Thanks!