This Sour Cream Chocolate Cake is the only chocolate cake recipe you will ever need for birthdays and celebrations. Recipe with step-by-step photos, plus tips for making chocolate cupcakes.
Sour-Cream Chocolate Cake
This is the chocolate cake recipe I turn to for every birthday party celebration in our family. And even if there is not a birthday event in sight, if I just simply have a craving for chocolate cake, this is quite simply, the best chocolate cake.
And once you have tried this moist chocolate cake with chocolate sour cream frosting, you will understand why it is the most delicious and perfect chocolate cake you will ever taste.
Why This Recipe Works
- The sour cream gives the cake a slight tang to cut through the sweetness.
- The sour cream also helps to keep the cake moist.
- This cake keeps well several days, so you can make it advance for birthday parties.
Chocolate Birthday Cake
This is the cake that I make at home for my family. I like to keep it plain as photographed but, in recent years, I have had to relinquish some creative control and now let the children decorate their cakes with an assortment of sprinkles, Smarties, gummi bears and whatever else takes their fancy.
We also like to browse the cake decorating aisle of the supermarket where the kids will choose some sugar decorations for the cake.
Birthday Cake Recipe
If you need to feed a lot of people, especially a lot of young children, sometimes a large single layer cake is more practical.
For such occasions, I recommend my Easy Chocolate Cake recipe which is the same as below, but baked in one large cake pan instead of two.
Chocolate Cake Recipe
This recipe for Sour-Cream Chocolate Cake comes from How to be a Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson. I am quite sure that this recipe was the precursor to the Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cake in Nigella Lawson’s later book, Feast; both recipes are quite similar in terms of ingredients, although the latter boasts a speedier method using the food processor.
I’m a big fan of the Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cake (which I made here for a birthday party for a friend’s daughter), but I make this Sour-Cream Chocolate Cake just as frequently and, for some inexplicable reason, I seem to prefer it.
How to Make Chocolate Cake
Step 1
Making a chocolate cake from scratch is so easy once you understand the basics of making a cake.
First, prepare the wet ingredients by whisking together the sour cream, eggs and vanilla extract.
Step 2
Next, measure all of the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt) into the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Add the softened butter.
Using the flat paddle attachment, beat everything together until the mixture resembles (chocolately) wet sand.
Step 3
With the electric stand mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients. Beat until everything is incorporated and you have a thick and smooth chocolate batter.
Step 4
Pour the batter into two cake pans which have been lined with baking paper on the bottom, and greased with butter on the sides.
Bake the cakes for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Let the cakes cool completely on a wire rack.
Step 5
To frost the cake, cut out four thick strips of baking paper and place them on a large cake tray or cake stand. Place one cake on top of the strips of baking paper.
Spread about one third of the chocolate sour cream frosting over the cake.
Place the second cake on top, and top with another third of the frosting. Spread the frosting evenly, and cover the sides of the cake with the remaining frosting.
Sour-Cream Chocolate Cake
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: Serves 10-12
- Category: Cakes
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: International
This Sour Cream Chocolate Cake is the only chocolate cake recipe you will ever need for birthdays and celebrations.
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RateIngredients
For the chocolate cake
- 200 g (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 200 g (1 cup) caster sugar (superfine sugar)
- 200 g (1 1/3 cups) plain flour (all-purpose flour)
- 40 g (1/3 cup) cocoa powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 150 ml or 170 g (2/3 cup) sour cream or crème fraîche
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
For the chocolate frosting
- 80 g (3 oz) milk chocolate (e.g. 42% cocoa, semi-sweet chocolate)
- 80 g (3 oz) dark chocolate (e.g. 70% cocoa, bittersweet chocolate)
- 75 g (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
- 125 ml or 150 g (1/2 cup) sour cream or crème fraîche
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 1 teaspoon golden syrup
- 300 g (2 1/4 cups) icing sugar (powdered sugar), sifted
Instructions
For the chocolate cake
Make sure all of the ingredients are at room temperature before starting.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) (without fan).
- Line the bottom of 2 x 20cm (8 inch) round cake pans with baking paper and grease the sides with butter.
- Place all of the ingredients into the bowl of a food processor and blitz until the mixture is well-combined. The batter should be thick and smooth.
- Alternatively, if you do not have a food processor:
- Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer with the flat paddle attachment.
- Slowly beat in the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Beat on low speed until all of the ingredients are incorporated.
- In a small bowl or jug, lightly whisk together the sour cream, eggs and vanilla.
- Slowly add the wet ingredients to the mixer, and beat until the batter is thoroughly mixed.
- Pour the batter evenly into both prepared cake pans. I generally find that the weighed batter for each cake is approximately 430 g.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Place the cake pans on a wire rack and let the cakes cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely. I like to cool the cakes with the bottom facing up, so that the top of the cakes can flatten as they cool.
- I often make the cakes the night before serving and leave them to cool overnight.
For the sour cream chocolate frosting
- Melt the chocolate and butter in a bain-marie or a bowl over a pan of simmering water, taking care not to let the bowl come into contact with the water. If you have an induction stove, you can melt the chocolate and butter directly in a saucepan over low heat.
- Once the chocolate has melted, take the bowl off the heat and let it cool slightly.
- Stir in the sour cream, vanilla extract and golden syrup.
- Measure the icing sugar (powdered sugar) into the bowl of an electric stand mixer.
- Using the flat paddle attachment, slowly beat the chocolate mixture into the icing sugar (powdered sugar).
- Beat on medium speed until all of the ingredients are well incorporated.
- The frosting should be thick enough to cover the cake, but soft enough to spread easily.
To assemble the cake
- Cut four thick strips of baking paper and place them on a large plate or cake stand in the shape of a square. The baking paper is to help keep the serving plate clean while you are frosting the cake.
- Place one cake on top of the baking paper.
- Spread about 1/3 of the frosting over the cake in a thick layer.
- Place the second cake on top and spread another 1/3 of frosting over the cake.
- Use the remaining frosting to cover the sides of the cake.
- Once you have finished frosting the cake, carefully remove the pieces of baking paper.
- Leave the cake to set for at least 1 hour before serving.
Kitchen Notes
As this is one of my go-to recipes for birthday cakes, I thought it would be helpful to also provide baking times when using different sized cake pans.
12 cm (5 inch) round cake pan
Fill the pan with batter to about 2 cm from the top. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
16 cm (6 inch) round cake pan
Fill the pan with batter to about 2 cm from the top. Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
23 cm (9 inch) round cake pan
The above recipe can be used to fill one cake pan of this size. To make a double-layer cake, double the above recipe and use two pans of this size. Fill the pan with batter to about 2 cm from the top. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
26 cm (10 inch) round cake pan
The above recipe can be used to fill one cake pan of this size. To make a double-layer cake, double the above recipe and use two pans of this size. Fill the pan with batter. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
The nutritional information is higher than it should be because not all of the frosting is required to ice this cake.
STORAGE
The cake keeps well for several days on a covered cake stand.
MAKE-AHEAD TIPS
The cakes can be baked the night before serving, but the frosting should be made at the last minute.
RECIPE CREDIT
This recipe is adapted from How to be a Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson.
OVEN & STOVE TEMPERATURES
All recipes on this website have been tested on an induction stove and/or with a conventional oven (i.e. an oven without fan). All recipes on this website state temperatures for a conventional oven, unless otherwise mentioned. If you have a convection oven (i.e. an oven with a fan), please consult the manufacturer’s handbook on how to adjust the temperature and baking time accordingly.
CONVERSIONS
To convert from cups to grams, and vice-versa, please see this handy Conversion Chart for Basic Ingredients.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 12
- Calories: 529
- Sugar: 43.5g
- Sodium: 312.1mg
- Fat: 30.5g
- Carbohydrates: 61.1g
- Fiber: 2.3g
- Protein: 5.6g
- Cholesterol: 94.8mg
Update
This recipe was first published on 23 November 2015. It has been updated with new photos and more comprehensive recipe notes.
This cake looks just perfect! I want a thick slice with my 11.00am mug of coffee!
Happy Birthday to your little man!
Thanks, Angela! I’m getting ready to make three birthday cakes this weekend … my little guy is pretty excited about the big day! 🙂
You had me at ‘chocolate’! I bet this cakes tastes as good as it looks. Happy Belated Birthday to your son, I hope he had a wonderful day! x
Oh thank you! My son is still celebrating 🙂 It’s so cute when he sings Happy Birthday to himself that I can’t quite tell him yet that he needs to wait another year 😉
I couldn’t get this recipe to work, seems like too much dry ingredients compared to wet.
Hi James, sorry to hear that this recipe didn’t work for you. This recipe produces quite a thick batter, but it should still produce a nice, moist cake. Did you use an electric stand mixer or did you do everything by hand? If the latter, my guess is that it would be a bit difficult to mix the butter into the dry ingredients by hand, and maybe that’s why the cake didn’t work out?
If making this cake by hand, I would start by creaming (with a bowl and wooden spoon) the butter and sugar together until it is light creamy, and then adding the rest of the dry ingredients, followed by the wet ingredients. I hope this helps.
Ah, what a beauty! Put sour cream in or on anything and it is sure to be a hit 🙂
Absolutely! We always have a tub of sour cream in our fridge.
Have made this before and perfect.
This time however my chocolate topping was too runny.
Can you help?
Thanks
Hi Julie,
If the icing is too runny, you can always try to “thicken” it with some more icing sugar. Just try adding a tablespoon at a time until you get the consistency you want. Sometimes, the type of icing sugar makes a difference, i.e. if the icing sugar is too fine, you generally need more icing sugar than normal. Hope this helps!
Many manyyy Thanks!!! for offering this very simple and amazing recipe. It is too simple to understand by Everyone. Again Thankyou so much!!!!
I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe!
This is the best chocolate cake I’ve ever made. Thank you xx it was hard to share.
mixture was a bit dry and hard to work so I added a dash of milk before spreading into the pans.
★★★★★
Hi Jess,
Many thanks for your feedback! I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe, and I agree that it is “the best” chocolate cake 🙂 Sounds like you are an experienced baker, as a dash of milk would definitely make the batter easier to work with if it feels a bit too dry or thick. Ingredients work differently in different climates and in different kitchens, so thanks for sharing your tip!
Hi, the cake looks delicious, I have a question, for the buttercream can I substitute the chocolates for Nutella? Than you!
★★★★★
I’ve never tried to make the frosting with Nutella but you could certainly try and I think it would be pretty well 🙂 You may not need the same quantity of Nutella. Please let me know if you try it!
Has anyone tried to freeze this recipe? I’ve made lots of times fresh but would like to be able to freeze it.
I’ve never tried freezing this recipe, sorry. Our freezer can barely fit a tub of ice-cream 😉 But from what I’ve read elsewhere, others have had much success in freezing the un-iced sponge cakes.
How about if i make it as a cupcake?what is the temperature and how many minutes?
I haven’t tried using this recipe for cupcakes yet, although the thought has crossed my mind several times. Hopefully someone else will be able to answer your questions.
mmm…this CHOCOLATE CAKE looks delicious!!! I️ just drooled!!!
★★★★★
This is amazing! I tried this for my brothers birthday and it’s a winner. I’m a chocolate person so my eyes was instantly drawn to this recipe, the sour cream was a plus factor. The taste just blends so well together!
★★★★★
Wonderful! I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed this recipe. It is the ONLY chocolate cake I make for birthdays and parties – everyone always loves it and I’m glad you enjoyed it too!
Hi, Made the cake today, I’ve got nice crumb, moist, the only thing is I don’t get the same color of cake as yours. Very light in chocolate. Overall it’s a nice cake! Thank you.
Hello,
I’m glad that you enjoyed the cake! What type of chocolate did you use? I use chocolate with 70% cocoa content (Lindt brand usually), and I find that this and dark chocolate in general gives a nice, rich brown colour to cakes and chocolate frosting. If you used chocolate with less cocoa content, this might affect the colour of the cake. The type of cocoa powder you use can also make a difference. But what is most important is that the cake tastes good 🙂
I followed the recipe but it turned out SUPER SUPER dry. What happened?
Hi Stella,
Did you use the fan on your oven? My recipes are for oven temperatures without fan, so using a fan could make a difference. Also, all ovens are different so you might have to adjust for a few minutes either side of the recommended baking time. Sorry that the cakes turned out dry!
I made this cake for my daughter’s birthday this weekend and it turned out absolutely perfect! The cake was nice and moist and everyone just loved it. I’ve never received so many requests for a recipe before! For the frosting, I used slightly more milk chocolate as we were mostly feeding kids. Next time, I will definitely make a larger size!
★★★★★
That’s wonderful to hear! So glad that everyone enjoyed this recipe. I always look forward to making this cake 🙂
Excellent recipe! Made this for my co-worker’s birthday at the office and everyone loved it. There was a bit of leftover frosting but it was so delicious.
★★★★★
love this recipe!!! Super yummy and fluffy.. due to my family and I prefer less sweet bakes, I cut down sugar to 150gm, added 1 more egg, added bit more of sour-cream because I found my batter looked bit dry..
Hello,
So glad you enjoyed this chocolate cake recipe. I like the idea of cutting down the sugar – I’ve been thinking of doing that myself! Thanks for letting me know what changes you made – they are very helpful!
AMAZING! Delicious and decorative cake ever. My sister is a big fan of chocolate cake. I will definitely try this yummy chocolate cake for her. I’m sure she would like this cake.
Thanks for sharing!!!!
★★★★★
AMAZING! Delicious and decorative cake ever. My sister is a big fan of chocolate cake. I will definitely try this yummy chocolate cake for her. I’m sure she would like this cake.
Thanks
★★★★★
This recipe works well for a layered cake and had a yummy buttery chocolate flavor. I just found it dry. I followed the instructions closely and did not over-bake it. If I made it again, I would brush the layers with something to moisten it.
★★★
Hi Sarah,
Thanks for your feedback. If you find the mixture to be dry, you can always add a splash of milk to the batter. Ovens also vary greatly, so this can also affect the outcome of the cake. Thanks for popping by.
Had lots of frosting leftover but i must say this is a great cake recipe !
Hi, could you cut each cake in half to make a 4-layer cake, or is there not enough height and the layers would be too thin to work with?
I think it could work, but each layer would be fairly thin. What you could instead try is to use 18cm cake pans to produce slightly taller cakes, and then slice each cake in half to make a 4-layer cake. If using 18cm cake pans, you might have to adjust the baking time slightly. Hope this helps 🙂
Excellent recipe
★★★★★
Thank you!
Hi there! Planning to make this for my son’s second birthday party tomorrow and wondering whether you think a mint buttercream would work well with the chocolate cake? We’ve already celebrated once this week with cupcakes that had chocolate cream cheese frosting so wanting to try something different. Would love to know your thoughts! P.s. SO happy to have found a choco cake recipe that doesn’t call for oil! 🙂
Hi Meredith,
Yes, I think a mint buttercream would be delicious! Provided, of course, that your son likes the combination of mint and chocolate 😉 I’m tempted to try it myself! Happy Birthday to your son 🙂
Your step-by-step guide for making chocolate cake is awesome and quite easy for people like me. Loved the recipe and soon gonna try it. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, Abby! Hope you will enjoy this recipe.
Hi there, I’ve been a long-time fan of your blog. I’ve just made this cake for the umpteenth birthday today. It’s my go-to recipe for birthdays and special occasions, and I just want to thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe. Have a wonderful day!
★★★★★
An absolutely beautiful and classic cake. Everyone loved it.
★★★★★
This cake is perfect! The taste is beautiful and it keeps for days and days. I love that I can make at least a day in advance of the party and it will still taste great.
★★★★★
This is a delicious cake. I made a few of changes. I doubled the sour cream, added chopped walnuts and I just made one cake rather than put it into two tins. I spread apricot jam on it while it was hot and then put chocolate pieces on top of the jam so that they melted and made a lovely chocolate icing. The cake was perfect. I’ll be making it again.
★★★★★
Hi Rose,
Oh I love the changes you made to this recipe! The addition of apricot jam sounds so delicious, a bit like an Austrian Sacher Torte. I would love to try it soon!
This is the best chocolate cake I have ever tasted. I will only be using this recipe from hereon!! Thank you so much for sharing.
★★★★★