Chocolate Sour Cream Cake

I have had the worst craving for chocolate. I'm thinking it might have something to do with me eating healthier and trying to reduce my sugar intake. Whatever it is, it has left me with this insatiable desire to eat something very chocolaty. I had this particular recipe saved for a very long time because I love what sour cream does in cakes. This cake was good and everyone else in the family liked it, but it wasn't chocolaty enough for me. I will take the blame for that because I didn't add the frosting that Two Peas and Their Pod did in the original recipe. I thought I could get away with some chocolate sauce and was very wrong. Don't make the same mistake!

Chocolate Sour Cream Cake
Source: Two Peas and Their Pod
Half the recipe yields an 8x8 cake.

1 cup unsalted butter, plus more for the pan
1/3 cup cocoa powder (we use Dutch processed)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup water
2 cups all-purpose Gold Medal flour, plus more for the pan
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

 Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a cake pan and set aside. 

In a small saucepan, combine the butter, cocoa powder, salt, and water and place over medium heat. Cook, stirring, just until melted and combined. Remove from the heat and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and baking soda. Add half of the melted butter mixture and whisk until completely blended. The mixture will be thick. Add the remaining butter mixture and whisk until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking until completely blended. Whisk in the sour cream and the vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes depending on your pan size. Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes and then invert onto a rack.

Follow me on Facebook and Instagram @thecookierunner