This chocolate sour cream pound cake recipe makes a decadently rich, velvety chocolate cake with a delightfully moist texture.
With its dense and tender crumb, this cake takes the traditional pound cake to a whole new level of moistness and flavor. Whether you're a chocolate lover or simply seeking a dessert that melts in your mouth, this recipe is sure to become a favorite in your baking collection.
Pound cakes are very old-fashioned and simple cakes, typically made using equal portions of flour, sugar, butter, and eggs. They are soft and fluffy and easy to customize to many different flavors like matcha pound cake, lime pound cake, lemon pound cake, banana pound cake, Earl Grey pound cake, and many more with the simple addition of extra ingredients such as fruits, powders, and extracts for the extra flavors.
When making a chocolate pound cake, you replace a small portion of the flour with cocoa powder. That gives you a chocolate pound cake.
The chocolate sour cream pound cake recipe I have on this page is a slight extension of a typical old-fashioned chocolate pound cake in that I have added sour cream to it. The sour cream does not replace any ingredients in the chocolate pound cake. It is merely an additional ingredient, and works as a secret ingredients in this cake for its super moist texture and rich flavor.
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❤️Why you will love this recipe
- It's easy and quick to make, and requires very simple ingredients.
- It has a wonderful soft and moist texture and stays moist for days.
- Topped with rich chocolate ganache, this delicious cake makes a perfect treat for chocolate lovers to satisfy any chocolate cravings!
📋Ingredients
Cake
- Self-raising flour + baking powder + salt - mix together and sift into the cake batter.
- Brown sugar - gives the cake the depth in flavor.
- Butter - I use salted butter. If using unsalted butter, add a small pinch of salt into the recipe.
- Eggs - use large eggs (large sized eggs)
- Unsweetened cocoa powder - use good quality cocoa powder and make sure to sift it.
- Sour Cream - the secret ingredient in the recipe which contributes to the super moist texture of the cake.
- Milk - use whole milk.
- Vanilla extract - contributes to the lovely aroma and flavor in the cake.
Chocolate ganache glaze
- Dark chocolate - use good quality chocolate.
- Heavy whipping cream - use cream with at least 35% fat.
*Refer to the recipe card below for exact quantities of the ingredients above. For best results, use a digital kitchen scale where applicable*
🧾Substitution and variations
- Dark chocolate for the ganache can be replaced with semi sweet chocolate or even milk chocolate for a much sweeter option.
- Whole milk can be replaced with skim milk or you can also use powdered milk to make the milk.
- Salted butter can be replaced with unsalted butter, however, you need to add a extra small pinch of salt in the recipe.
- To make a round cake, bake the cake in a 7 inches round tin. Reduce the baking time to 45 minutes. Check the cake for doneness by inserting a skewer in the center of the cake at 40 minutes interval. If the skewer comes out without any wet batter sticking to it, it is ready. Otherwise, continue to bake further. The cake will bake to an approximate height of 2 inches in a 7 inches round tin.
- You can also use this chocolate sour cream pound cake to make a birthday cake or celebration cake. Double the recipe and bake it in two 7-inches round cake tins to make 2 layer cakes. Sandwich the layers with the frosting of your choice and decorate as you wish.
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you do try, please let me know in the comments section below!
👩🏻🍳How to make
Mixing the chocolate pound cake batter
- Start by combining the milk and sour cream in a small bowl. Whisk until smooth and set aside.
- Measure the brown sugar into a large bowl. Add in the butter. Cream butter and sugar on medium speed with a paddle attachment on an electric mixer until they turn light and fluffy. This should take approximately 2 minutes.
- Scrape bowl (sides and bottom) with a rubber spatula at one minute interval.
- Next, add in the eggs. Do this one at a time. Each time, beat until the traces of the egg are no longer visible.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the self-raising flour, salt, baking powder, and cocoa powder.
- Fold in the sifted dry ingredients (the flour mixture) into the creamed wet ingredients mixture in 3 batches.
- Alternate each batch of the dry ingredients with the milk-sour cream mixture in 2 batches.
- Scrape the sides of the bowl. Add vanilla extract and mix well.
- Pour batter into a well-greased and floured 8 inches by 4 inches loaf tin.
- Level the top and bake at 165 degrees Celsius for 50 to 55 minutes. Test the cake at 50 minutes by inserting a skewer or a cake tester in the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, the cake is ready. Remove it from the oven.
- Let the cake rest in the tin for about 5 minutes. Use a jam knife to loosen the sides of the cake against the cake tin.
- Transfer the cake onto a wire rack (with the top facing up) and cool cake completely before adding the chocolate glaze.
Making the chocolate ganache glaze
- Measure the cream into a heat proof medium bowl. Double boil (by placing the bowl over a small saucepan of boiling water but making sure the bowl does not touch the hot water) it until it starts to bubble on the sides. Remove from heat.
- Chop the chocolate (no need to chop if using chocolate chips or chocolate buttons).
- Pour the hot cream onto the chocolate. Let it sit for 2 minutes.
- Stir slowly to combine the chocolate and the cream to a smooth glaze. Let it cool down slightly until it reaches a slightly thickened consistency before using on the cooled cake.
Decorating the cake with chocolate ganache glaze
- Spoon the chocolate glaze generously on the top of the cake.
- Slowly push it to the sides of the cake loaf with a spoon to create the dripping effect.
🍽️Serving & storage
- This chocolate sour cream pound cake can last at room temperature for a good 4 to 5 days provided you handle it without moisture.
- If you wish to keep it longer, it is best to refrigerate it in an airtight container. Consume with one week.
- If the cake is not served immediately after baking, it is best wrapped in a plastic wrap (cling wrap) while it is still warm and refrigerate it. Bring it to room temperature before adding the chocolate drizzle and serving.
💡Expert tips
- Cocoa powder tends to be lumpy and it is best sifted before being added into the cake batter. If you see any lumps of cocoa powder in your sieve, you need not discard them. Simply use a spoon to break them and sieve through.
- For best results, use room temperature ingredients especially butter and eggs. This will help avoid curdling of the cake batter after addition of eggs. If curdling still happens after all the eggs have been added, fold in some flour (in small amounts) until the batter is no longer curdled before adding any liquid.
- Wrapping this chocolate sour cream cake with plastic wrap while it is still warm and refrigerating it helps retain moisture in the cake and keeps it moist. It also helps to keep the cake covered with a kitchen towel while it the cake cools on a wire rack.
💭FAQs
Melted chocolate can be used in cakes. This recipe, however, uses cocoa powder. Hence it cannot be substituted with melted chocolate without making changes to the quantity of remaining ingredients like the flour and the liquid ingredients.
It is best that the cake is made with cocoa powder.
Yes, technically you can replace brown sugar with white sugar. Do note that the brown sugar in this chocolate sour cream pound cake recipe contributes to the deep molasses-like flavor of the chocolate cake. When combined with sour cream, it adds to the rich taste of the cake. Substituting this with white sugar means your cake will miss out on this flavor.
When substituting, use granulated sugar (finer sugar granules) rather than the regular white sugar.
Sour cream is essentially fermented heavy cream. It has a creamy texture and looks almost similar to yogurt. The difference between these 2 is that sour cream is made using the cream while yogurt is made using milk.
Sour cream is widely used in cooking and baking. It is a common ingredient in cheesecakes and lends a creamy texture to the cheesecakes. In normal cakes, sour cream helps the cakes bake with a lovely moist texture, and adds a wonderfully rich flavor, thanks to its creamy texture and slightly tangy flavor.
Sour cream can be purchased from the milk and dairy section in most stores. It does not typically have a very long shelf life and should be kept refrigerated at all times.
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📖Recipe
Chocolate Sour Cream Pound Cake
For best results, use the metrics measurements. US customary measurements have not been tested and are only meant for guide.
Ingredients
Cake
- 165 g self-raising flour
- 180 g brown sugar
- 180 g butter at room temperature
- 3 eggs at room temperature
- 15 g cocoa powder
- 90 g sour cream
- 3 tablespoon milk
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Chocolate Glaze
- 60 g dark chocolate chopped
- 60 ml heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 165 °Celsius.
- Add the milk and sour cream to a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy for about 2 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl halfway through.
- Add the eggs, one at a time. Beat until the traces of the egg are no longer visible. Scrape the sides of the bowl.
- In a separate bowl, sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Fold in the sifted ingredients into the creamed mixture in three batches. Alternate with the milk-sour cream solution in two batches.
- Finally, add in vanilla extract and combine well. Pour batter into a well-greased and floured loaf tin measuring 8 inches by 4 inches and bake for 50 to 55 minutes. Test the cake at 50 minutes baking time by inserting a skewer in the center of the cake. The cake is done if the skewer comes out without any wet batter.
- Remove the cake from the oven and let it rest in the tin for 5 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Place the cake facing up on the rack.
- To make the chocolate glaze, double boil (or microwave) the cream until the sides start to bubble.
- Remove it from heat and pour it onto the chopped chocolate. Let it sit for a few minutes before stirring. Mix until it becomes a smooth glaze. Let ts cool down until it reaches a slightly thick consistency.
- Spread the glaze generously on the cooled cake top. Use a spoon to gently push the glaze to drip around the sides of the cake.
Notes
- Cocoa powder tends to be lumpy and it is best sifted before being added into the cake batter. If you see any lumps of cocoa powder in your sieve, you need not discard them. Simply use a spoon to break them and sieve through.
- For best results, use room temperature ingredients especially butter and eggs. This will help avoid curdling of the cake batter after addition of eggs. If curdling still happens after all the eggs have been added, fold in some flour until the batter is no longer curdled before adding any liquid.
- Wrapping the cake with plastic wrap and refrigerating it helps retain moisture in the cake and keeps it moist. It also helps to keep the cake covered with a kitchen towel while it the cake cools on a wire rack.
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