I’m officially back from France, where I spent the holidays. I ate so much chocolate while I was there that I’ve re-awoken my chocolate addiction. My preferred way of consuming chocolate is eating it in chocolate bar form. I love breaking off the little squares of a chocolate bar and savoring each bite. This recipe takes the cake though. 😉
France offers chocolate everything and so many of the desserts that tempted me this time around were of the chocolate variety. French cakes in general are exquisite. They’re more art than dessert. Intricate, beautiful, and sophisticated. Today’s cake is nothing like a French cake. However it’s full of chocolate which is a nice tribute to the country that does chocolate so well. And it is SO GOOD. Trust me.
The actual cake portion is light and pillowy and chocolate forward. My Dad even said, “That cake part may be the best I’ve ever had. Seriously. Amazing texture and super moist.” And my Dad knows his desserts! Two secrets.
- The sour cream. It provides moisture and depth, the way buttermilk does for a pancake.
- Coffee. Hot coffee gets added to the batter and just like Ina Garten always says, the coffee rounds out the chocolate flavor and brings it forward. You can’t actually taste the coffee (or can you? you’ll have to judge for yourself!) once baked.
Sour cream is introduced again in the frosting. Oh, the frosting. I’m usually the type to scrape frosting off of my cupcakes and cakes and leave it in a pile on the side of the plate, except for this one (and any cream cheese frosting for that matter). The sour cream provides a tang that cuts some of the sweetness. The incorporation of melted baking chocolate in the frosting really takes it to the next level and you can taste the quality.
So whether you’re all about the cake or you’re all about the frosting, or maybe you just appreciate the perfect bite with both, you’ll absolutely love diving into this chocolate cake. Also, I should mention…the January birthday people (cough, me) would LOVE for you to make this for their birthday this month. 😉
For another popular sour cream cake check out: Sour Cream Coffee Cake. And for my family’s favorite chocolate cake: Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake.
A Bee Bakes 