Chocolate Sour Cream Cake.

December 13th, 2007 | Category: friends and family, food

Today is Lucia Day and the start of the Christmas season! Fittingly, we received half a foot of fresh snow here in the Hudson Valley today, and I have spent the evening cooking for tomorrow’s potluck lunch in the art department I work for. Here’s the first recipe of the night, Chocolate Sour Cream Cake. This has been my mother’s go-to recipe for many years of birthdays and other celebrations—I wonder how many slices I have eaten over the course of my life! It is so simple and delicious, and goes very nicely with a little whipped cream and a cup of coffee.

Chocolate Sour Cream Cake

2-3/4 cups flour
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/2 pound unsalted butter
3 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract
6 heaping tbsp instant cocoa
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

In a mixing bowl, combine the first 3 ingredients. Take off and reserve 1/2 cup crumbs for top of cake. Add eggs, sour cream, baking soda, and vanilla and mix well (I find it easiest to use an electric mixer). Pour half of the batter into a well-greased tube (Bundt) pan. Sprinkle instant cocoa on top of batter. Mix chocolate chips in rest of batter, and pour that over the bottom half. Sprinkle the reserved crumbs over the top of cake. Bake at 350° 1 hour or until the tester comes out dry.

You’ll want to cut yourself a slice when it’s just out of the oven, but try to resist! This cake is really at its peak at room temperature (or even refrigerator-cold the next day). To serve, invert the cake onto a pretty plate—the crumbs will be on the bottom. You can garnish with a bit of powdered sugar if it’s for a fancy occasion, but it will look nice just by itself.

14 Comments so far

  1. carlene December 14th, 2007 7:02 am

    I was about to write OMG a chocolate sour cream cake, then I looked a little closer. OMG, is that a ceramic egg carton!!?? That is so cool!

  2. Adam December 14th, 2007 8:21 am

    Delicious! I think I am going to try to make this for my family’s Christmas eve gathering at my house.

  3. Anna at D16 December 14th, 2007 9:16 am

    Yes, it’s a ceramic egg carton! I don’t use many eggs so I almost always buy them by the half-dozen. So much happier to look at than a plastic clamshell!

  4. Lauren December 14th, 2007 9:58 am

    Anna! I totally have the baking bug too! We are making a pear pie with almond cake topping for tonight’s Christmas party. I’ll let you know how it turns out :)

  5. nicole December 14th, 2007 10:04 am

    leave it to me to notice what a lovely (and clean) stove top you have.

  6. lesley December 14th, 2007 10:37 am

    ohhhhhh that would be SO GOOD right now. *makes shopping list*

  7. Lola December 14th, 2007 3:24 pm

    And I love the chocolate chips in the bowl with the chocolate dots! I guess we ALL want to come for a Holiday nosh and tour of your home!!

  8. Kyle December 15th, 2007 6:49 pm

    Is it worth it to use the fancy Vosges Parisienne Coutoure Cocoa?

  9. Anna at D16 December 16th, 2007 12:14 am

    Kyle: If you were given a box of the fancy Vosges Parisienne Coutoure Cocoa as a gift, and you’re not using it for anything else, then…yes, it’s definitely worth it! Otherwise, I think you’ll be just fine with some Swiss Miss. :)

  10. Tina December 18th, 2007 11:16 am

    What size bundt pan did you use?
    I really want to make this,
    it looks great!

  11. Anna at D16 December 18th, 2007 11:43 am

    Tina, I believe it’s a 10-cup tube pan. Standard size!

  12. Barbara McNair March 6th, 2008 3:49 pm

    Can you tell me where you purchased your ceramic egg holder ? Thanks.

  13. Anna at D16 March 7th, 2008 9:32 am

    Barbara, I’m pretty sure I bought it at Anthropologie, but it must have been about 4 or 5 years ago.

  14. Belle July 4th, 2008 4:05 pm

    Hello,

    The cake looks very good! I bet it is moist with the sour cream. I like to use sour cream or mayonaise in my cakes to make them moist!

    Belle

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