Rich, moist, and so easy to make, this Sour Cream Chocolate Cake features coffee frosting and is made in an 8x8-inch pan. This snacking cake can easily be turned into a layer cake or baked in a 9-inch cake pan instead.
Adding sour cream to chocolate cake is an old-fashioned trick to make moist cake. It helps the cake retain moisture, creates a more tender cake crumb, and makes the cake less likely to dry out.
This is recipe 5 in my Lynn's Desserts series, where I highlight my friend Lynn's most loved bakery recipes.
This sour cream chocolate cake is one of her favorites, and although I'm usually not much of a cake fan (other than strawberry cake and carrot cake), I can't stop eating slices of this chocolate cake!
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Recipe highlights
- Rich chocolate flavor: Let's keep the cocoa powder for brownies (and the frosting). This chocolate cake uses unsweetened baking chocolate for a rich, dark chocolate flavor.
- Coffee buttercream frosting: Coffee naturally enhances chocolate flavor, so it's a great addition to this cake. You can use cold brew, coffee, or espresso to make the frosting.
- Hard to overbake: Sour cream is the primary fat in this cake, and in addition to adding richness, it makes the cake harder to overbake! Win-win.
Ingredient notes
- Baking chocolate: Choose unsweetened chocolate. Cocoa powder does not work here.
- All-purpose flour: No cake flour here, just simple all-purpose flour.
- Sour cream: Adds richness and fluffiness and acts as the main fat in the cake. Do not use reduced-fat or low-fat sour cream.
- Eggs: Choose large eggs.
- Coffee: For the coffee frosting, choose cold brew, brewed coffee, or espresso. Note that cold brew and espresso create a richer, deeper flavor than brewed coffee as they tend to be stronger. *Coffee can be used in place of water in the cake for a richer result*
How to make
Equipment note: I prefer to keep things simple with a whisk and bowl, but you can use a stand mixer or hand mixer if you prefer. Just be careful not to overmix the cake batter. Use an 8x8-inch baking pan to bake the cake.
Start by melting the butter and chocolate together. You can do this on the stovetop or in the microwave. I prefer the microwave because it's quicker.
Microwave in 20-second intervals, stirring between intervals.
Whisk together all of the dry ingredients, then add in the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined, careful not to overwhisk. Overwhisking the cake batter can result in a dense, deflated cake.
The batter should be similar in thickness to pancake batter.
Grease an 8x8-inch metal baking pan (this is the one that I use) with butter and use a sieve to coat the pan with cocoa powder. This helps the cake release easily. I also like to add parchment paper to the base of the cake pan.
Bake at 350F on the middle oven rack for 32-37 minutes, until the edges of the cake are pulling away from the pan and the center is domed. See below for notes on how to tell the cake is completely done baking.
Top tips
- Use a kitchen scale to measure out ingredients. This helps so much with consistency, and it's truly a game changer for baking. Under "Ingredients" in the recipe card tap "Metric" to show gram measurements for the ingredients.
- If you don't have a kitchen scale, spoon and level flour into the measuring cup instead of dunking the cup into the flour bag. Use the back of a knife to wipe off excess flour.
- According to Lynn, this cake will and should sink the smallest amount in the center to avoid overbaking the edges.
- Use parchment paper for easy release. Grease the edges of the cake tin with butter, then coat with a small amount of cocoa powder to keep the cake from sticking to the pan. I usually use flour with cakes, but since we don't want the flour showing up on the edges of the cake, cocoa powder is a great option for chocolate cakes.
How to tell the cake is done baking
Underbaked and overbaked cakes are two of my biggest baking fears, so I've done a lot of research to make sure I know how to tell that cake is done baking before removing it from the oven.
- Use an oven thermometer. You might be surprised by the results. For example, when my oven says it's reached temp the thermometer shows that it actually takes about 5 more minutes to fully come to temp.
- Don't open the oven door until the cake is almost done baking.
- The cake should be pulling away from the pan at the edges.
- The center will appear slightly domed.
- Insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. It should come out clean.
- The cake bounces back when gently touched. It should be lightly springy. If it just indents, continue baking.
FAQ
No, the recipe would need to be changed significantly to use cocoa powder in place of chocolate.
I have not tested using yogurt instead of sour cream, however if using an equal amount of full-fat (whole milk) yogurt it should work.
Don't use low-fat or reduced-fat sour cream, because they typically have a higher moisture content than full-fat sour cream. This can affect the cake texture.
Yes, this recipe was originally written for a 3-tier layer cake. One 8x8-inch snack cake is approximately one layer of a layer cake if using a 9-inch cake pan. The cake will bake a touch more quickly in 9x9-inch pan than 8-inch.
Simply multiply the recipe by 2-3, depending on how many layers you'd like to make, then divide the batter between cake pans.
More chocolate recipes
This recipe is part of my Lynn's Dessert series, which features classic bakery recipes that have been made hundreds of times. If you enjoy this recipe, make sure to check out one of the many other desserts in the series or leave a comment below to let us know what you think.
Recipe
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Sour Cream Chocolate Cake
Equipment
- whisk
- Mixing Bowl
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 6 tablespoons (¼ cup + 2 tablespoons) sour cream see note #1
- ½ cup water or coffee for a richer flavor
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter more as needed for greasing the cake pan
- cocoa powder for greasing the cake pan
Coffee Frosting
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter softened at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 8 ounces (roughly 2 cups) powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons espresso, coffee, or cold brew see note #2
Instructions
- I recommend using a kitchen scale for this recipe. Tap "Metric" below Ingredients to show the gram weights.
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease all sides of a cake pan with butter, then use a sieve to sprinkle with cocoa powder. Optionally, add a square of parchment paper for easy release.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and baking powder.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream, water, egg, and vanilla extract. Set aside.
- Roughly chop the baking chocolate and add to a medium bowl with the butter. Microwave in 20 second intervals until melted, stirring after every interval to avoid burning the chocolate. This can also be done on the stove over medium heat.
- Add the liquids and melted chocolate to the dry ingredients. Whisk until just combined, careful not to overmix.
- Transfer the cake batter to the prepared baking pan. Smooth into an even layer. Bake at 350F on the middle oven rack for 32-37 minutes, or until the cake is pulling away from the edges of the cake pan and the center is slightly domed and springs back with a light touch. Be careful not to check the cake too early or slam the oven door, as this can cause the cake to collapse.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. The cake will sink very slightly in the center, that's to be expected with this recipe.
- Meanwhile, make the frosting with a hand mixer by creaming together 2 tablespoons butter and cocoa powder. Mix in half of the powdered sugar and the 3 tablespoons of coffee. Add in the remaining powdered sugar, a little bit at a time, until the frosting reaches a thick but spreadable consistency. Add additional coffee, as needed, to thin the frosting.
- Once cooled, frost the cake with the coffee frosting. Enjoy! Keep leftovers frigerated for 4-5 days. This cake also freezes well.
Video
Notes
- Sour cream: Acts as the main fat in the cake and contributes richness and moisture. Do not use reduced-fat or low-fat sour cream, as it has a higher moisture content and can affect the cake texture.
- Coffee: Espresso yields the richness coffee flavor, while brewed coffee is the most subtle.
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