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                            Home > Recipes > Simple cakes

    Sour Cream Chocolate Cake

    By Daniela Lambova · Published: Dec 2, 2016 · Updated: Jun 21, 2025 · Leave a Comment

    The simplest chocolate cake with amazing Sour Cream frosting. It is easy, versatile and absolutely delicious.
    Jump to Recipe
    two slices of cake, one eaten with a form
    easy double chocolate cake pin

    This perfect one bowl chocolate cake with sour cream is one of the best easy desserts that you can make. It is moist, fluffy, rich and tasty and made with basic ingredients.

    The Sour Cream frosting is incredibly simple and also light. But if you like a thicker one, try out the Mascarpone Frosting or the White Chocolate Frosting with cream cheese.

    a slice of thick chocolate cake with white frosting and raspberries

    Why is this cake so good

    Chocolate cake from scratch in about an hour: that is not a miracle! This recipe is so easy and yet with a wonderful result. It is perfect when you need a last minute dessert or something homemade to bring to a potluck. A perfect combination of  dark cake base and sour cream frosting!

    two slices of cake, one eaten with a form

    Ingredients

    You need very simple ingredients for this recipe and some of them can be substituted according to your preferences or for convenience:

    • You can use both all-purpose flour or cake flour
    • Substitute the coffee for warm water if you make the cake also for kids
    • Use brown or coconut sugar instead of white sugar
    • You can also use greek yogurt instead of sour cream, both in the cake and in the frosting
    cake ingredients
    frosting ingredients

    Tips for making this recipe

    This is a literally one bowl cake: Mixing the wet ingredients, except the coffee and at the end adding the dry ingredients with the coffee.

    There are not many things that could go wrong in this recipe. In fact it is suitable also for novice bakers. For perfect taste make sure you don't overbake the cake, by checking it after the 30st minute in the oven. The toothpick will show you correctly what is the stage of baking. It is ok to remove from the oven with just few crumbs on it, if the cake looks firm overall.

    Serving and Storing

    This cake can be served immediately but it is even better on the day after it has been baked, after it has absorbed some of the moisture from the frosting.

    Store it in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can freeze it for up to 2 months.

    two slices of cake next to a cake stand

    This is one of the simplest cakes you can make: the perfect decadent dessert for any occasion! The cocoa and coffee are pairing perfectly in the cake, while the frosting, made of white chocolate and sour cream, is adding a great creamy finishing touch…

    Chocolate lovers, preheat your ovens! Here comes the recipe of the easiest Sour Cream Chocolate cake!

    More dessert recipes with sour cream to try

    If you didn't know, Sour Cream is great for desserts and these recipes are the proof:

    • Sour Cream Bundt Cake - amazingly fluffy and very easy to make
    • Crepe Cake with Citrus Curd and an amazing sour cream frosting
    • Sour Cream Apple Crumb Cake - absolutely delicious apple bars baked as a single cake
    • Medovik - a great version of the classic recipe with blueberry jam

    📝 Recipe

    two slices of cake, one eaten with a form
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    5 from 2 votes

    Sour Cream Chocolate Cake

    The simplest chocolate cake with amazing Sour Cream frosting. It is easy, versatile and absolutely delicious.
    Course Dessert
    Prep Time 20 minutes mins
    Cook Time 40 minutes mins
    Total Time 1 hour hr
    Servings: 12
    Author: Daniela Lambova

    Ingredients

    For the base:

    • ¼ cup / 50 ml olive oil, or other vegetable oil
    • 2 eggs
    • ⅞ cup / 200 g sour cream
    • ¼ cup / 50 ml strong coffee
    • 3 tbsp/ 30 g cocoa powder
    • 2,5 teaspoons baking powder
    • ⅓ teaspoon salt
    • 1/ ⅔ cup/ 200 g cake flour, or all purpose flour
    • 1 cup + 1 tbs/ 220 g sugar
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

    For the frosting

    • ⅞ cup / 200 g sour cream
    • 3,5 oz / 100 g white chocolate, melted
    • ⅓ teaspoon cinnamon, optional
    • raspberries to sprinkle , optional
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    Instructions

    Cake Base:

    • Preheat oven to 350° F/ 180° C. Line a 8 - 9 inch/ 20-23 cm round cake pan (or a similar size rectangular pan) with a circle of baking paper. Grease the pan well.
    • In a bowl combine flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder. Stir carefully and set aside.
    • In a mixing bowl beat eggs and sugar until foamy using an electric mixer. Add olive oil, vanilla, coffee and sour cream and whisk until homogeneous. Gradually add the dry ingredients and whisk until absorbed.
    • Bake the cake for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with just few crumbs. Remove the pan from the oven and allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack. Let the cake cool well before frosting it.

    Frosting:

    • Combine the sour cream, melted white chocolate and the cinnamon in a mixing bowl and beat with a mixer or with a hand whisk for 2-3 minutes, until smooth.
    • Cover the cake with the frosting. Sprinkle the raspberries on top. Serve immediately or refrigerated.

    Notes

    Keep the cake in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. You can also freeze it for up to 2 months.
    This cake can be prepared in different sizes of pans, according to your preferences: round or rectangular.
    Cake Pan Conversions CalculatorAdapt any cake recipe to your pan with this calculator!
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    Daniela Lambova is a professional food and product photographer, cookbook author and educator. Her recipes help people bake delicious and easy desserts at home with confidence. She teaches baking and photography and has had more than 7000 students from around the world.

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