"We seldom get into trouble when we speak softly. It is only when we raise our voices that the sparks fly and tiny molehills become great mountains of contention."
I don’t know.
Does a cake this pretty really need words?
For years, I’ve
wanted a homemade version of a chocolate sour cream Bundt cake to
replace an old favorite that calls for a cake mix. And I don’t
think we need to have the whole “love the baker, hate the cake
mix” talk do we?
The short synopsis: I
have nothing against people who use cake mixes (some people very
close to me — ahem, Mom — use cake mixes and I
gloriously shove the baked cakes in my mouth when they are served, no
lie) but I don’t use cake mixes very often in my own life. I
kind of like the from-scratch challenge.
However, I think we can
all be friends no matter where we fall on the cake mix spectrum,
right? Right. Cake mix guilt doth not belong here.
Moving right along,
this cake is amazing. And it’s not fussy or difficult. Stir,
whisk, mix, scrape — or something like that — and you’re
done. Seriously, greasing the nooks and crannies of that Bundt pan
may be the hardest part (did that sentence sound weird to anyone
else?) but only because Bundt pans are inherently annoying (but the
cakes are fun and pretty in the end).
The thick, fudgy
frosting is rustic and dare I say a bit artistic dripping all
nonchalantly down the sides of the cake as it does. If your
personality needs you to smooth it out a bit, no worries. You go
ahead and smooth it into an even, glossy layer.
Rich and decadent, this
super moist cake is not for the chocolate faint of heart, which
basically means it lives in my dreams and heart always. It’s a
show-stopper of a dessert perfect for your holiday table this year or
really any time you need a dessert that will drop people to their
knees.
Chocolate Fudge Sour Cream Bundt Cake Yield: Serves 8-12 depending on the size of pieces cut
Using bittersweet
chocolate in the glaze is delicious (obvs) but may not be sweet
enough for some people's taste so add sugar to taste, if needed (I
like it dark and rich without the sugar but that's a personal
preference). Using semisweet chocolate will make it sweeter, too.
Ingredients
For the pan:
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
For the cake:
1 cup (2 sticks, 8 ounces) butter
1/3 cup (1.25 ounces) natural, unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
1 3/4 cup (8.75 ounces) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups (11.5 ounces) granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 large eggs (3.5 ounces)
3/4 cup (6 ounces) sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 to 2 cups (6 to 12 ounces) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
For the Glaze:
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
2/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
Directions
Preheat the 350 degrees F. In a
small bowl, mix together the butter and cocoa powder for the pan
until the mixture is well-combined and pasty. Use a pastry brush or
folded square of wax paper to wipe the cocoa/butter mixture into a
10- or 12-inch Bundt pan until the inner surface is evenly coated.
In a medium saucepan, combine the
butter, cocoa powder, salt and water. Heat until the butter is
melted and whisk to combine well. Set aside to cool to room
temperature (just slightly warm is ok, too, but let it cool more if
it's overly warm or hot).
In a large bowl, whisk together
the flour, sugar and baking soda. Pour in the chocolate mixture and
stir to combine.
Add the eggs and whisk to combine.
Stir in the sour cream and vanilla extract until the batter is
smooth. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Spread the batter evenly in the
prepared pan and bake for 40-45 minutes until the top lightly
springs back and the cake is baked through.
Let the cake cool for 5-10 minutes
in the pan before turning it out carefully onto a cooling rack to
cool completely.
For the glaze, place the chocolate
chips in a medium bowl. Heat the cream to a simmer (either in the
microwave or in a saucepan) and pour over the chocolate. Let the
mixture sit for a few minutes without stirring. Add the vanilla and
stir the mixture until it is glossy and smooth. The glaze will set
up as it cools; if you want a thin drizzle, pour it over the cake
while the glaze is still warm but if you want a thicker frosting,
let it cool slightly.
Once the cake is cooled, place it
on a serving plate or cake stand and pour the glaze over the cake
letting it drip down the sides.
Melanie Gunnell is a food-loving, chocolate-obsessed mom who has a desperate need to share
her favorite tried-and-true recipes with the world. In a past life she graduated from Brigham
Young University with a degree in public health, but for the past ten years, stay-at-home
motherhood has been her job along with blogging-from-home for the past five.
She resides in the brilliantly cold tundra of Northern Minnesota with her husband and their brood
of five children: four boys and one tiny, bossy girl. Dark chocolate (particularly the act of
shoving chocolate chips in her mouth whilst hiding in the pantry) is her coping skill of choice for
both the never-ending winters and the never-ending wrestling matches in her front room.