This chocolate sour cream cake is a simple recipe that I discovered in a cookbook that my mom gave to me! The cookbook is full of baking recipes passed down for generations and was compiled by a group of ladies at the Lakota, North Dakota Lutheran Church (one being my great aunt!). If you are looking for a chocolate snack cake that is quick to throw together with minimal ingredients, this sour cream chocolate cake is the perfect thing for you!
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Whew. What a week I have had! Nathan and I recently bought a new puppy and we are loving her to death! Isn’t she adorable? Her name is Myra! She is a Samoyed dog and is part fluff and all cuddles!
Anyway, all of this craziness calls for a super simple recipe – chocolate sour cream snack cake!
This easy chocolate snack cake is the perfect little treat when you are wanting something simple and fast, with fewer leftovers.
Like I said above, this came from a cookbook my mom gave me full of recipes from a church in Lakota, North Dakota. I assume lots of the recipes in this book have been passed down for generations, and many of the recipes use minimal ingredients and lots of pantry staples!
How to make Chocolate Sour Cream Snack Cake
When making this cake, I tried to stick to the original recipe as much as possible! I was curious to see how it would come out as is. This cake is dense, but not overly so! It also has a light texture and is very moist. I attribute this to the sour cream being used in the recipe.
This chocolate snack cake recipe calls for cocoa powder and NOT Dutch-processed cocoa powder. It’s super important to not mess this up! Let me explain why…
In this chocolate sour cream cake, we are using strictly baking soda as the leavening agent. Interestingly enough, Dutch-processed cocoa powder does NOT interact with baking soda! Dutch-processed cocoa powder goes through a process to neutralize the acidity of the cocoa beans, therefore making it a neutral substance. Baking soda is also a neutral substance and therefore does not interact with dutch processed cocoa powder! If you don’t use regular cocoa powder in this recipe, your cake will be flat and have a bitter, soapy taste because the baking soda will not interact correctly with the cocoa.
Ok, have I totally lost you? Luckily this cake has simple and minimal ingredients, so don’t fret! Just be sure to use the correct cocoa powder. I like to use just good ‘ol Hershey’s Cocoa Powder. I like the Special Dark version, but you can use regular too!
High Altitude Instructions for Chocolate Sour Cream Cake
For those of you living at high altitude (3,000 feet elevation and above), I have included a few adjustments that keep my cakes from being overcooked on the edges and sunken in the middle! For reference, I live at around 5,800 feet above sea level, and you may need to slightly adjust based on higher/lower elevation:
- Flour – increase by 1 tbsp. for extra structure, especially because this recipe calls for cake flour. Cake flour has less protein and structure than normal, all-purpose flour and so it’s really important to increase the amount to give the cake more lift.
- Baking Soda – decrease to 1/4 tsp. so that the batter does not rise as quickly when cooking. This will prevent a sunken cake.
- Oven Temperature – increase to 360° F. The higher temperature helps your cake set faster which decreases the risk for sinking!
- Bake Time – I baked this cake for 30 minutes. Just be sure to keep a close eye on your cake so that it does not overbake! Ovens can all vary greatly in temperature.
Ok, so this might be something good to make this weekend, yes? I’ll be spending probably every waking hour this weekend playing with my sweet baby Myra, but I’ll be back here next week with a new recipe!
If you’re looking for other cake recipes, check out these other ones on my blog!
Chocolate Sour Cream Snack Cake
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Sour Cream Cake
- 2 large eggs (at room temperature)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup cake flour
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ cup cocoa (mixed with 3 tbsp hot water)
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup full fat sour cream (at room temperature)
Sour Cream Chocolate Frosting
- ½ cup unsalted butter (at room temperature)
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ½ cup full fat sour cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
For the Chocolate Sour Cream Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F and spray an 8×8 inch cake pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, salt, cake flour and baking soda. Whisk and set aside.
- Mix the cocoa powder and hot water together in a small bowl and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the eggs on medium-high speed until thick.
- Add the vanilla, sour cream and cocoa mix to the eggs and beat on medium speed until combined.
- With the mixer on low, slowly add in the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined, but do not overmix.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool before frosting.
Sour Cream Chocolate Frosting
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the butter on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.
- Add in the remaining ingredients and beat on medium-high speed until fluffy. Frost your cake and enjoy! If you have leftover frosting, store in an airtight container in the freezer and then simply unthaw and whip again before using.
Notes
- Flour – increase by 1 tbsp.
- Baking Soda – decrease to 1/4 tsp.
- Oven Temperature – increase to 360° F.
- Bake Time – I baked this cake for 30 minutes. Just be sure to keep a close eye on your cake so that it does not overbake! Ovens can all vary greatly in temperature.
