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I officially declare it Valentineโ€™s Day season!ย  This is my favorite time of year!ย  It was about this time a few years ago that I got the idea for small-scale desserts that would serve only two.ย  To celebrate, I will be posting romantic desserts all the way up โ€˜til the big day.ย  Is there anything special yโ€™all would like to see here?ย  Iโ€™m open to requests!

Letโ€™s start with the ultimate chocolate cake.ย  I make this fudgey cake with real chocolate instead of cocoa powder because I like the crumb it produces.ย  The sour cream glaze is proof that chocolate and sour cream were made for each other.

Yield: Yields 1 6" cake.

Chocolate Sour Cream Cake

Chocolate Sour Cream Cake

This chocolate sour cream cake is all kinds of delicious!

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

  • FOR THE CAKE:
  • 3 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1/4 cup canola oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon instant espresso powder
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 large egg
  • 3/4 cup flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • FOR THE SOUR CREAM GLAZE:
  • 2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 4 teaspoons heavy cream
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon white corn syrup
  • 1 tablespoon sour cream

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350ยฐ.
  2. Butter a 6โ€ round cake pan, and fit a circle of parchment in the bottomโ€”butter the parchment too.
  3. In a medium bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, melt the chocolate chips, canola oil and espresso powder. Remove the chocolate mixture from the heat and stir to cool. (You can also do this in the microwave in short pulses, stirring frequently).
  4. Stir in the sugar, sour cream,vanilla and finally the egg.
  5. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda. Pour this mixture over the chocolate mixture and stir to combine.
  6. Pour the batter into the cake pan, then bake on a sheet pan for 35-40 minutes. Test the center of the cake with a toothpick before removingโ€”moist crumbs should cling to the toothpick, but it should not be overly wet. Let cake cool completely on a wire rack.
  7. To make the glaze, melt the chocolate chips and heavy cream over a double boiler (or in the microwave). Once melted, stir in the vanilla, corn syrup and sour cream. Stir vigorously to make the glaze shiny. Pour over the cake and serve.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 371Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 43mgSodium: 178mgCarbohydrates: 45gFiber: 2gSugar: 31gProtein: 4g

Did you make this recipe?

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About Christina Lane

Christina Lane is the author of 5 cookbooks all about cooking and baking for two. She has scaled down hundreds of recipes into smaller servings so you can enjoy your favorite dishes without the leftovers! Valentine's Day is her favorite holiday.

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31 Comments

  1. N says:

    What kind of flour did you use- Cake Flour or AP Flour?
    If you used AP Flour, was it bleached or unbleached?

  2. Jennifer Paul Gibson says:

    Thank you so much for posting this recipe. It has been sweetly approved by Surreal Confections and bragged about on the website. As well as being on the Recipes Approved Pin board on Pinterest.

    You can read the article here โ€“ http://www.surrealconfections.com/2012/07/cake-for-two.html

  3. munchkin says:

    great ready for printing recipe, beautiful simple cake thanks

  4. Geoff says:

    Thank you for this wonderful recipeโ€“made it today to use up some leftover sour cream and it is astoundingly good!

  5. Lisa says:

    Man im not sure why but the center of the cake colapsed, cooked in a 7โ€ณ pan because thats all I had for about 32 mins. I didnt have parchment so I used butter and flour, any ideas what happened?

    1. Christina Lane says:

      Wrong size pan :(

      1. Kelly says:

        A 1-inch difference in pan size wonโ€™t make a cake collapse. It was probably under baked.

  6. Indu Jacob says:

    Greetings!! Can I use buttermilk instead of sour cream since itโ€™s hard to get sour cream here.

  7. Kris says:

    Can you make this cake without oil, and if so, what liquid would you use to replace it?

    1. Christina Lane says:

      I havenโ€™t tried that, but if you do, try applesauce and report back to all of us :)