Sour Cream & Coffee Chocolate Cake
Sharing a great to-go recipe for a moist chocolate cake that is moist and stays fluffy for days. This chocolate cake recipe is incredibly moist, I use sour cream in this cake recipe which makes this cake so delightfully soft and tender.
I also add strongly brewed coffee in the cake batter even if you think you don’t like coffee. Just trust me on that!
This cake baked up like a dream, it is fluffy, soft and moist, and chocolatey beyond words you can top it with anything you love.
Bake this cake off in two 23 cm (9 inches)round baking pan or in half a sheet pan, or double the recipe and bake it off in one large baking sheet!
It is a perfect match with any chocolate frosting or delicious marshmallow frosting, I hope you love it as much as I do.
Before you start
Read the recipe completely; make sure you have everything you need.
For all the step-by-step, pictures scroll to → Notes and click on the clickable link
For questions related to my recipes, ask me on my inbox on Instagram @passionforbaking to reply to you with an audio message.
Sour Cream & Cofee Chocolate Cake Layers
- 125 gram unsalted butter, melted
- 225 gram white sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temp
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 100 ml strongly brewed coffee, lukewarm
- 200 ml sour cream, yogurt, kefir, fil or buttermilk, room temp
- 175 gram all-purpose flour, sifted
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 50 gram best quality cocoa powder
- pinch of salt
Sour Cream & Cofee Chocolate Cake Layers
- 125 gram unsalted butter, melted
- 225 gram white sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temp
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 100 ml strongly brewed coffee, lukewarm
- 200 ml sour cream, yogurt, kefir, fil or buttermilk, room temp
- 175 gram all-purpose flour, sifted
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 50 gram best quality cocoa powder
- pinch of salt
Directions for the sour cream & Coffee chocolate cake
- Preheat the oven to 180C°/350F°. Grease the bottoms two 23 cm (9-inch) round cake pans and line with parchment paper.
- If you are baking this cake in half a sheet pan, grease a 37 x 25 cm (15 x 10 – inches) half sheet pan and line with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl sift together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, cocoa powder and a pinch of salt. Set aside for now.
- In a small saucepan melt the butter over low-medium heat, once melted remove from the stove and set aside until lukewarm.
- Into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment add the sugar, eggs, and vanilla bean paste ( if using) on high speed, mix until fluffy, thick and lighter in color ( about 10 minutes)
- Add the brewed coffee and sour cream to the lukewarm melted butter, and combine with a whisk.
- Set the mixer to low, and slowly pour the melted butter mixture into the egg mixture in a thin, steady stream, aiming for the side of the bowl instead of the whisk, continue mixing on low speed until just combined — about 20-30 seconds.
- With the mixer on low, ( Mix lightly) add the flour/cocoa mixture with a large, thin-edged spoon, add a spoonful at a time and mix on low just until combined it is very important to mix lightly. — about 20-30 seconds.
- Mix lightly at all times to not knock out the air in the bubbles you made by whisking. When you done adding all the dry ingredients, stop mixing!!
at this point, you will still see some of the dry ingredients on the side of the bowl and in the middle.
- Remove the bowl with a silicone spatula scrape the bottom and the side of the bowl, gently fold to combine thoroughly.
- Evenly distribute the batter among the two prepared pans ( I use a large ice cream scoop to divide the cake batter).
- If time permits, let the cake batter steep/rest in the pans for 20 minutes before baking; As this step makes for better cakes, otherwise proceed as directed.
- Bake the cakes or half sheet pan in the center of the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the top of the cakes springs back when gently touched with your fingertip, and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Let the cake layers cool in their pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes, using a knife, loosen the sided of the cakes and carefully turn them out onto wire racks.
Peel off the parchment paper and let cool completely.
- Decorate with your favorite frosting
Directions for the sour cream & Coffee chocolate cake
- Preheat the oven to 180C°/350F°. Grease the bottoms two 23 cm (9-inch) round cake pans and line with parchment paper.
- If you are baking this cake in half a sheet pan, grease a 37 x 25 cm (15 x 10 – inches) half sheet pan and line with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl sift together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, cocoa powder and a pinch of salt. Set aside for now.
- In a small saucepan melt the butter over low-medium heat, once melted remove from the stove and set aside until lukewarm.
- Into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment add the sugar, eggs, and vanilla bean paste ( if using) on high speed, mix until fluffy, thick and lighter in color ( about 10 minutes)
- Add the brewed coffee and sour cream to the lukewarm melted butter, and combine with a whisk.
- Set the mixer to low, and slowly pour the melted butter mixture into the egg mixture in a thin, steady stream, aiming for the side of the bowl instead of the whisk, continue mixing on low speed until just combined — about 20-30 seconds.
- With the mixer on low, ( Mix lightly) add the flour/cocoa mixture with a large, thin-edged spoon, add a spoonful at a time and mix on low just until combined it is very important to mix lightly. — about 20-30 seconds.
- Mix lightly at all times to not knock out the air in the bubbles you made by whisking. When you done adding all the dry ingredients, stop mixing!!
at this point, you will still see some of the dry ingredients on the side of the bowl and in the middle.
- Remove the bowl with a silicone spatula scrape the bottom and the side of the bowl, gently fold to combine thoroughly.
- Evenly distribute the batter among the two prepared pans ( I use a large ice cream scoop to divide the cake batter).
- If time permits, let the cake batter steep/rest in the pans for 20 minutes before baking; As this step makes for better cakes, otherwise proceed as directed.
- Bake the cakes or half sheet pan in the center of the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the top of the cakes springs back when gently touched with your fingertip, and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Let the cake layers cool in their pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes, using a knife, loosen the sided of the cakes and carefully turn them out onto wire racks.
Peel off the parchment paper and let cool completely.
- Decorate with your favorite frosting
For step by step pictures how to make
→ Sour Cream Coffee Chocolate Cake Layers
Click → here
Cocoa powder
I use unsweetened from the brand Valrhona (or Cacao Barry Extra Brute) it is Dutch-processed unsweetened cocoa powder, this is pure chocolate with an intense flavor. If you are going to use grocery store cocoa powder, your cake may not look as dark and taste chocolaty as mine.
Sour cream
Sour cream makes this cake so delightfully soft and tender and incredibly moist if you can't find sour cream use yogurt, kefir, fil or buttermilk. You can make your own buttermilk from regular whole milk by adding 2 tablespoons of freshly pressed lemon juice to 200 ml whole milk, stir the lemon juice into the milk and let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, or until the milk begins to curdle.
