Sour Cream Chocolate Cake Recipe

Reviewed on May. 08, 2013 by mg2013

Could somebody please tell me how are those gorgeous ruffles made on top of this cake?? Thank you so much.

Reviewed on Apr. 20, 2013 by Mz.CocoLee

The cake is amazing. The frosting?? Not so much. I suggest making your own regular chocolate frosting, and frosting as usual.

Reviewed on Jan. 25, 2013 by Wags84

I made two layers. I only had two cups of conf sugar and I added some melted peanut butter to the icing - Amazing!

Reviewed on Dec. 28, 2012 by keech

i did a 2 layer version, and it was very good. But wondering about the chocolate curls. Can they be put on the frosted cake the night before?? or should the curls go on right before serving or that same day?

Reviewed on Dec. 13, 2012 by Cindy Trask

getting a dry cake... decrease the cooking time by 5 minutes ... checking to make sure it's done.

Reviewed on Nov. 03, 2012 by MS LISA

A perfect chocolate cake !! Everything about it was perfect, from the cake to the frosting. I used Bensdorp cocoa from Holland, which, to me, is the best tasting cocoa on the market. In my search, over the years, for that perfect chocolate cake, I've finally found it ! Thanks so much for this outstanding recipe .

Reviewed on Oct. 23, 2012 by TinaMeadows

I made this cake for my husband's birthday and we all thought it was very good. As far as being dry, most cakes are better if they are made and frosted a day ahead of serving. The problem I had was that after cooling the layers on a rack when I tried to pick them up they absolutely fell apart. I was able to cobble it together and ended up with 2 layers instead of 3 but it was still very good. And thoughts?

Reviewed on Oct. 15, 2012 by Lori9772

It was a tad bit dry but I think next time I'll add a pudding mix to the recipe, other than that ,it was the bomb.The frosting is what made the cake.It tastes better the day after.

Reviewed on Sep. 17, 2012 by tcavman15

I was very disappointed in this recipe. I expected it to be moist because of the sour cream in the cake batter. It was extremely dry. No one finished their piece or asked for seconds. That never happens in this house. What a waste of my time and ingredients. On a positive note: the frosting is good. I'll make that again on another cake.

Reviewed on Sep. 13, 2012 by Brilll Girll

Sorry i have done a review before, but for us English ones what i bittersweet/semisweet chocolate? i used dark/ milk chocolate. is it the same?

Reviewed on Sep. 09, 2012 by Josiedee

I thought this cake was rather dry and not as moist as the reviews indicated. I have other chocolate cake recipes that I like better than this one.

Reviewed on Sep. 08, 2012 by Louisavan

I haven't made this recipe yet but I was responsing to BusyBusyBakers' question about how to make the chocolate curls for the cake. You can find the kit for making the curls at www.pastrychef.com. Click on the "Tools" link and then click on "Candy, Chocolate & Confectionery Tools" link. Scroll down and you'll find a picture and link called "CHOCOLATE RUFFLE CURLER KIT". Click on this link and you'll get the info and price of the product. Hope it helps.

Reviewed on Sep. 06, 2012 by Lady1bug

Great recipe, but it would have been nice to see how you created the white edges on the chocolate curls.

Reviewed on Sep. 05, 2012 by yellowbrickroad

I'm looking for a video clip on making those sensational two-toned chocolate ruffles! Then... I'll make this wonderful sounding cake! ' D

Reviewed on Sep. 05, 2012 by rose1138

You can make the chocolate ruffles without a special tool. Google "how to make chocolate ruffles" and you'll find a video from one of the Cooking with Julia shows that ran on PBS. Alice Medrich was making a chocolate raspberry ruffle cake with Julia Child. This is also on YouTube.

Reviewed on Sep. 05, 2012 by DelorisG

The tool that makes the ruffles on top of the cake is called a girolle. It is available for purchase at Amazon.com The cheapest one is about $50. It can also be used as a cheese slicer. I wanted one, but decided that I wouldn't use it often enough to justify the expense.

Reviewed on Sep. 05, 2012 by Nathansgramma

65 years ago this is the recipe that I used to make my very first cake. It was good then and still is the best chocolate cake.

Reviewed on Sep. 05, 2012 by boncie

Great cake. And I live in the UK as well, so there are at least three of us over here!

Reviewed on Sep. 05, 2012 by babycakes24

Brill Girl - 'lush' and 'colour' u r def frm UK!...i almost forgot that colour isn't the right way to it spell it in USA!! - awesome to hear that some1 in UK uses TOH!!!- cheers!...and these cakes are lush!!! way to go TOH!

Reviewed on Sep. 05, 2012 by BusyBusyBaker

Where can I find directions for making the garnish on top of the cake? It is beautiful!

Reviewed on Sep. 05, 2012 by yellowbrickroad

OOPS! I was on the wrong recipe page! That review was for the 'Come Home to Mama Chocolate Cake!"

yellowbrickroad

Reviewed on Sep. 05, 2012 by yellowbrickroad

I followed the recipe to a 'T'. One exception, no Dutch process cocoa here, so I used my Hershey's Special Dark. I absolutely LOVED the frosting!!!! I considered just eating it out of the bowl!

When I took the cake out of the oven it was tall and looked delightfully light and fluffy. I turned and continued chopping the Bakers chocolate squares for the frosting. When I turned back around... 'What the?!'... I was looking at two sunken cake 'bowls' :

Glad you sent pictures of how your cake looked when cooling. Mine looked the same.

High when taken out of oven then it fell to pan level!

The recipe calls for 3.9 oz pkg of pudding - the large pkg = 2.0 oz - that's what I used.

I also added some extra sour cream and water as the batter was very stiff - too stiff for my little hand mixture to finish the mixing. I used large bar of Ghiradelli chocolate - it probably wasn't enough - it looks milk chocolate, but tastes good. I added extra powdered sugar, so I guess I messed with success in more than one way on this cake - oh well, it will all be gone by nightfall with 8 adults and five children! I'll send pix and comments later. "

True, she messed with the recipe, but she got the same sunken cake results that I had. I shared 1/4 of the cake... and totally enjoyed the rest all by myself!

OK everyone listen up! Make the recipe with the 1/2 C powdered sugar! It is ABSOLUTELY OUT OF THIS WORLD DELICIOUS! It stays on the cake and does not slide down/off, and the flavor was magnificient!

I'd like to hear from someone whose cake did not fall. The AC is the only thing I can relate it to. I need a little pop-up tent to cover cakes/cookies/pies etc. when cooling. The way the AC is set up in this apt. is not good for cooling baked goods.

Thank you for such great recipes!!!!!

yellowbrickroad

Reviewed on Sep. 05, 2012 by Brill Girl

Lush! To add colour i put fresh strawberries on top. i think this is the best cake in the whole of England! (Or should i say the United Kingdom!

Reviewed on Sep. 05, 2012 by licatinodm

Haven't made this yet but I want to know how to make the things on the top of it.

Reviewed on Aug. 19, 2012 by lbvf

This cake is amazing! I didn't have semisweet chocolate, so I substituted unsweetened chocolate and 1 tbs sugar for each ounce. The frosting almost tastes like a fudge, though not overly sweet and is absolutely delicious. Will definitely make this cake again.

Reviewed on Apr. 27, 2012 by robbinthornton

Great taste, fabulous texture and the frosting was to die for!

Reviewed on Apr. 17, 2012 by silly girl

This was really good..i tried it in a cupcake too because I have been looking for a moist recipe but that doesn't stick to the paper..this works! I like how the tops are a little crunchy..I was about 1/4 cup short of cocoa so I used espresso powder to make up the difference. Still debating on the frosting here or my coffee frosting..

Reviewed on Mar. 03, 2012 by Holmescsh

Awesome flavor, but stuck to everything it touched, pan, cooling rack, cutting knife, very crumbly - still got rave reviews.

Reviewed on Feb. 20, 2012 by berthaj

This is the best chocolate cake recipe ever. The cake is deliciously moist and the icing is to die for. I will definitely keep making it over and over for my family and friends.

Reviewed on Jan. 21, 2012 by marrisa_s

This cake was just the right amount of sweet! And i agree with 25kevin, the frosting does taste similar to fudge, much better than the overly sweet frosting on most cakes.

Reviewed on Oct. 09, 2011 by 25kevin

Such a moist cake. The frosting sets up firmly and tastes like fudge!

Reviewed on Jun. 03, 2011 by TriniRoz5

My family love this cake. I substitute the sour cream with Plain Greek non-fat yogurt. Absolutely the best. I finished off this delicious cake with 'Sangster's' Rum and Raisin Cream glaze-I put together.

Reviewed on Feb. 07, 2011 by DianeMeyer

My 32 year old daughter requests this cake for her birthday every year.....for the past 13 years!! It is a wonderful chocolate cake!

Reviewed on Aug. 02, 2010 by Flora Colboch

It is truly a sight to see. Very impressive to make. Everyone is sure to enjoy. It is a chocolate lovers dream come true! This cake is great for any event. I add 1 small box of vanilla instant pudding and 1/4 cup of water to be sure it is moist!

Reviewed on Sep. 24, 2009 by lstraub

I made this for my son's birthday. AMAZING!!!