Chocolate Sour Cream Bundt Cake
This is a fantastic moist cake for chocolate lovers! It has a silky crumb, rich chocolate flavor, and a thick ganache frosting that complements it perfectly. A sweet and irresistible cake that can be made ahead and frozen.
Servings 10 -12 servings
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 2 tablespoons shortening soft, to grease the pan (or use cake release goop)
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¾ cup prepared coffee hot but not boiling (you can use half the amount of liquor, such as Port or Kahlua)
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour or cake flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 3 eggs at room temperature
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup sour cream full-fat, at room temperature
For the ganache:
- 8 ounces semisweet chocolate chopped
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup brown sugar dark
- 1 tablespoon corn syrup or runny honey
Instructions
For the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180°C).
- Grease a 10 to 12-inch bundt cake pan (26cm) with 2 tablespoons shortening, making sure every nook, cranny and angle is covered. Dust with flour, shaking off excess. Reserve.
- Mix ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder with hot (not boiling) ¾ cup prepared coffee in a medium bowl until smooth. Reserve.
- Beat ¾ cup unsalted butter in a large bowl for 20 seconds and gradually add 1 cup granulated sugar and ¾ cup brown sugar while you continue beating until very creamy, about 3 minutes.
- Add 3 eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Beat for 1 minute after the last one is added.
- Add ½ teaspoon vanilla extract and ¾ cup sour cream to the chocolate mixture and mix to incorporate well.
- Add sifted dry ingredients (2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda, ½ teaspoon baking powder and ½ teaspoon salt) in 3 additions to the butter mixture, alternating with the chocolate mixture in 2 additions. That means you start and end with flour mixture. Don't worry if the batter looks a bit curdled at times. You can sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl or have the ingredients measured and sift directly over the cake batter as you add them (like I do).
- Pour cake batter into the prepared bundt pan and smooth the top.
- Bake for 55-60 minutes or until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean. The time might vary depending on your oven and pan.
- Let cool for a few minutes and carefully remove from the pan onto a wire rack. Make sure the sides and center are loose before doing so.
- Cool completely before glazing.
- To glaze, set the cold cake on a wire rack that's placed on a large piece of parchment paper. Drizzle the ganache from the top all around the cake and let it drip. You can reuse the drippings by simply collecting them with a spatula and drizzling them over the cake again.
For the chocolate ganache glaze:
- Finely chop 8 ounces semisweet chocolate and put it in a heatproof bowl. I always use glass or ceramic bowls.
- Heat 1 cup heavy cream with ¼ cup brown sugar in a small saucepan.
- Remove *just* when it's about to boil. It can have small bubbles on the outer rim or you'll see movement like large bubbles are wanting to burst.
- Immediately cover the chopped chocolate with the hot cream. For best results make sure all the chocolate is covered. Let stand 1 minute to soften.
- Start mixing from the middle out with a wire whisk. The chocolate will mix with the cream and create a smooth and shiny chocolate mixture.
- Add 1 tablespoon corn syrup, mix well and it's ready to use. If it's too thin and hot still, let it cool down for ten minutes or so, or until it's the consistency you want.
Notes
Oven: having the right oven temperature is crucial. That said, I find that this cake benefits from baking it at 350°F (180°C) for about 40 minutes and then turning it down to 325°F (160°C). It gives it an extra burst and it rises more. Might be just my oven, but if you feel it's not cracking and growing as it should, you can try it and see. After that, I sometimes end it at 350° for the last 5-10 minutes. That depends a lot on the pan size. For very large bundt cakes it is a good idea.
Glaze: this chocolate bundt cake needs no glaze, but the chocolate ganache I use in this recipe is so incredibly good, that I urge you to try it. With a sprinkle of powdered sugar (or nothing at all), it is a fabulous simple chocolate cake.
Storing: I keep it wrapped in plastic for up to 2 days at room temperature (in a normal or cool environment, not a hot one), and if there are leftovers (the nerve!) I freeze them. It also lasts for several days in the refrigerator, always well covered in plastic wrap or in an airtight container.
Variation: substitute half of the coffee for a liquor, such as port, Kahlua, Cointreau, or any other you like that complements chocolate.