This Chocolate Sour Cream Cake is a classic rich chocolate cake made extra moist by the addition of sour cream and is one of those recipes that is sure to become a favourite in your household.
My family loves it when they see a classic chocolate cake on my list of baking projects that I’m going to undertake in the following week. But my girls did turn their noses up at the thought of sour cream in a cake mix. "Why on earth would you add that mum?” “Don’t you put sour cream on your mexican dishes instead of in a cake?” Yep, I had all the questions. ’Eye roll!'
Why should you use sour cream in a cake?
- Adding sour cream to you cake batter gives your cake a beautiful moistness. To get technical, the acidity in the cream tenderises the gluten in the flour and gives the cake a super fine crumb texture.
- Due to the acidity in the sour cream, the cake has a slight tang and isn’t as sweet and sickly as other chocolate cakes. It adds a richness to the flavour that is out of this world.
- The moistness allows the cake to stay fresh for a bit longer too...bonus!
HELP ... What do I do if I don’t have sour cream available. No problem, just substitute it for greek yogurt which is the same consistency as sour cream and contains that acidic element to prevent an overly sweet cake. Phew, problem solved.
Why this Chocolate Sour Cream Cake works so well
As far as a chocolate cake goes, this one is beautiful in its simplicity. The chocolate sour cream cake has to shine as with only whipped cream cheese frosting and a handful of blackberries on top, it’s all about the chocolate cake. Let’s see what makes this cake so fabulous.
- The sponge is super rich and moist. With the addition of chopped chocolate and cocoa powder, the chocolate flavour is taken to the next level.
- Whipped cream cheese is dreamy! Have you ever tried it? Omg if you haven’t! Sweet yet tangy cream cheese frosting is delicious in its own right, but add whipped cream and it’s sublime. So light and airy.
- Constructing the cake is simple. With only two layer this cake is simple to put together.
- Easy to decorate. I’ve gone for the simple addition of blackberries on the top of the cake. Sometimes I think less is more. Especially for this cake.
How to construct this Chocolate Sour Cream Cake
With only two layers of cake this is a remarkably simple cake to put together. I promise.
Place one cake onto your serving platter and spoon half of the cream cheese frosting onto the cake. Smooth evenly to the edges with an offset spatula.
Place the remaining cake layer onto the cream. Spoon the remaining whipped cream cheese frosting onto the top and evenly smooth to the edges. Add blackberries to the top and that’s it!
For more delicious berry recipes, check out the following from my blog:
Earl Grey Cupcakes with Blackberry Curd. Recipe found here.
Almond Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream. Recipe found here.
The amazing Sally from Sally’s Baking Addiction does an incredible Blackberry Lavender Cake which is well worth checking out too.
Chocolate Sour Cream Cake with Blackberries
Equipment
Ingredients
Chocolate sourcream cake
- 80 g dark chocolate 70%, finely chopped
- 55 g light brown sugar
- 45 g cocoa powder
- 180 g boiling water
- 130 g unsalted butter, room temperature
- 150 g granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 220 g plain flour (all-purpose)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- 120 g sour cream
Whipped cream cheese frosting
- 112 g cream cheese
- 60 g powdered icing sugar (confectioners’ sugar)
- 240 ml double cream (heavy cream)
- 300 g fresh blackberries
Instructions
Chocolate sour cream cake
- Pre-heat your oven to 180°C (350°F). Lightly grease the base and sides of two 20cm (8-inch) cake pans and line with parchment paper.
- In a medium sized bowl, add the finely chopped chocolate, light brown sugar and cocoa powder and pour in the boiling water. Whisk until the sugar has dissolved and chocolate has melted leaving you with a smooth chocolate liquid. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachement, beat the butter and sugar on high until pale and fluffy, about five minutes. Add in the eggs, one at a time beating well after each addition. Ensure the you scrape down the bowl after adding the first egg.
- In a separate bowl, sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and stir together. Add half of the flour mix into the bowl of the standmixer and beat on low to combine.
- Next pour in the melted chocolate mix and sourcream and beat until combined. Finally add in the remaining dry ingredients and beat until a few streaks remain. Divide batter equally between the the prepared cake pans. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the centre of the cake springs back when pressed and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before removing the cakes from the pans and cooling completely.
Whipped cream cheese frosting
- Whilst the cake is cooking, prepare the frosting. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachement, beat the cream cheese and powdered icing sugar on medium until combined and smooth. Whilst the whisking is running and medium speed, gradually pour in the cream. Continue to whisk until soft peaks form. Be careful not to over whip.
To assemble
- Place one cake layer onto a serving plate. Spoon half of the whipped cream cheese frosting onto the cake and spread evenly. Leave a small gap around the edge of the cake as when the second cake layer goes ontop the weight will push out the cream. Now place the second cake layer onto the frosting and spoon the remaining cream cheese frosting onto the top. Smooth out evenly and place backberries on top. Serve immediately.
All recipes are developed and tested in Metric grams. I strongly recommend that you bake using digital scales for a more accurate result. I have provided a conversion to US customary in the recipe but please note that I haven’t tested using this method.
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