This chocolate sour cream cake is moist and has a very rich and decadent chocolate flavor. It’s made with two kinds of chocolate and for the best chocolate flavor.

photo of a slice of Sour Cream Chocolate Cake

Two weeks ago I tried out a sour cream chocolate cake recipe, in my hunt to find the perfect chocolate cake. The recipe was easy to put together and it was fluffy and moist but was missing a deep chocolate taste.

I got a comment from a reader, Meryl, who recommended the sour cream chocolate cake recipe from Cook’s Illustrated. Meryl was also kind enough to email me helpful tips on making the cake, and suggested that I serve it with whipped cream.

Chocolate Sour Cream Bundt Cake

The recipe had a few extra steps compared to the other chocolate cake recipes I’ve tried, as well as a few extra ingredients. But if it was really that good, then I guess it would be worth the extra effort.

It wasn’t hard to put together, but there were a lot of steps. And for some reason, I was making quite a mess and managed to feed my clothes a bit of chocolate batter.

Meryl had commented that the cake tastes even richer the next day, after letting it sit, but I couldn’t wait that long. I could barely wait for the cake to finish cooling!

Ingredients

  • Dutch-process cocoa powder
  • Chopped bittersweet chocolate
  • Instant espresso powder
  • Boiling water
  • Room temperature sour cream
  • All-purpose flour
  • Salt
  • Baking soda
  • Room temperature unsalted butter
  • Light brown sugar
  • Vanilla extract
  • Room temperature large eggs

photo of a chocolate bundt cake

Recipe Steps

Combine the cocoa powder, chopped chocolate, and espresso powder in a medium heatproof bowl. Pour boiling water into the bowl and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Allow it to cool to room temperature and then whisk in the sour cream.

In a separate mixing bowl, whisk the flour, salt, and baking soda.

In a large bowl (or in the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment) beat the butter, sugar, and vanilla at medium-high speed with an electric mixer. Beat them until the mixture is light and fluffy.

Lower the speed to medium and add the eggs one at a time and scrape down the bowl as needed.

Adjust the mixer speed to medium-low and add 1/3 of the flour mixture and half of the chocolate sour cream mixture and mix for about 20 seconds. Scrape down the bowl and add half of the remaining dry ingredients and chocolate mixture. Repeat this until the ingredients are combined.

Pour the cake batter into a prepared bundt pan and bake the cake for 45 to 50 minutes or until a cake tester comes out with a few moist crumbs attached.

Cool the chocolate sour cream cake in the pan for 10 minutes and then turn it out onto a wire rack lined with parchment paper. Cook the cake to room temperature and then dust it with powdered sugar, if desired.

Serving Tips

I served the cake with whipped cream, which I thought was the perfect complement to the cake. The cake is moist and had a very rich, decadent, chocolate taste.

I think any icing would be too much for the cake. The whipped cream is light and not too sweet and helps the cake from being too overwhelmingly rich.

Storage Tips

Keep the cake wrapped in plastic wrap and it will keep for a few days at room temperature. You can also freeze the cake for up to a month.

close-up photo of a chocolate bundt cake

I enjoyed the cake, and think it’s my favorite chocolate cake recipe so far. My siblings, who have tasted the various chocolate bundt cake recipes, liked the cake a lot too. Little Sis, who loves chocolate-flavored desserts, was especially excited to try this cake and enjoyed it.

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Cook's Illustrated Chocolate Cake

This cake is moist and has a very rich and decadent chocolate flavor. Instead of icing the cake, I like to serve it with whipped cream which keeps the cake from being to rich.
Servings: 1 (12-cup) bundt cake
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
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Ingredients

Cake Release (see note)

  • 1 tbsp butter, melted
  • 1 tbsp cocoa

Cake

  • 3/4 cup (2.25-oz) Dutch-processed cocoa
  • 6 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
  • 1 tsp instant espresso powder, optional
  • 3/4 cup boiling water
  • 1 cup sour cream, room temperature
  • 1 3/4 cups (8.75-oz) unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp table salt
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 12 tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2 cups (14-oz) light brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 5 large eggs, room temperature
  • confectioners' sugar for dusting

Instructions
 

  • Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 12-cup bundt can with baking spray or follow the instruction below for the cake release.

Prepare the Cake Release (optional)

  • Stir together butter and cocoa in small bowl until paste forms; using a pastry brush, coat all interior surfaces of standard 12-cup Bundt pan.

Make the Cake

  • Combine cocoa, chocolate, and espresso powder (if using) in medium heatproof bowl; pour boiling water over and whisk until smooth. Cool to room temperature; then whisk in sour cream.
  • Whisk flour, salt, and baking soda in second bowl to combine.
  • In standing mixer fitted with flat beater, beat butter, sugar, and vanilla on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium and add eggs one at a time, mixing about 30 seconds after each addition and scraping down bowl with rubber spatula after first 2 additions.
  • Reduce to medium-low speed; add about one-third of flour mixture and half of chocolate/sour cream mixture and mix until just incorporated about 20 seconds. Scrape bowl and repeat using half of remaining flour mixture and all of remaining chocolate mixture; add remaining flour mixture and beat until just incorporated about 10 seconds. Scrape bowl and mix on medium-low until batter is thoroughly combined about 30 seconds.
  • Pour batter into prepared Bundt pan, being careful not to pour batter on sides of pan. Bake until wooden skewer inserted into center comes out with few crumbs attached, 45 to 50 minutes.
  • Cool in pan 10 minutes, then invert cake onto parchment-lined wire rack; cool to room temperature, about 3 hours. Dust with confectioners' sugar, transfer to serving platter, and cut into wedges.

Notes

  • I used a baking pan spray to prepare the pan and didn't do the cake release part, but I have included the instructions.
  • Recipe found on Odd Muse
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. This is not a comprehensive list of all the nutrients in the recipe (i.e., does not include vitamins, cholesterol, etc). I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
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