This soft chocolate sour cream pound cake topped with a rich chocolate ganache is the perfect chocolate cake for birthdays and other special celebrations, as well as being the most deliciously easy yet decadent dessert!
Taking just 15 minutes to prepare, this easy chocolate bundt cake is always a crowd pleaser!
Easy sour cream chocolate pound cake is soft and moist, with sour cream adding a rich tang to the chocolate pound cake. It's perfect for when you want something a little more decadent than an easy chocolate cake, but without much extra work.
Perfect for birthdays and celebrations, this sour cream chocolate bundt cake also makes a special dessert, and is a delicious addition to any afternoon tea party!
As a self-confessed chocoholic, I feel you just cannot go wrong with a chocolate cake. From gluten free flourless chocolate cake to a party favourite with the kids, a chocolate fingers cake, and the ever popular no bake chocolate ripple cake, there is definitely a chocolate cake for all occasions!
If you love baking with sour cream, this apple and sour cream slice is always very popular too!
Why You're Going To Love This Recipe
- Perfect for parties and entertaining - this chocolate bundt cake makes the perfect celebration cake.
- Easy recipe - it may look impressive, but it's very easy to make and takes just 15 minutes to prepare.
- Rich chocolate ganache - this adds even more rich chocolate flavour to the sour cream chocolate cake, and it looks so beautiful - with minimum effort!
- Great for crowds - chocolate pound cake recipe is perfect for feeding lots of people as it makes a HUGE cake and you only need a small(ish) slice.
What You Need
Sour cream chocolate cake uses only pantry basics plus a tub of sour cream.
Note: Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom for the ingredients quantities and full detailed method.
Chocolate Sour Cream Pound Cake Ingredients
- Plain flour - also called all purpose flour.
- Cocoa powder - use regular, unsweetened cocoa powder.
- Bi-carbonate of soda - also called baking soda, this is used as a rising agent.
- Salt.
- Butter - use room temperature butter for the best results. I prefer to use unsalted butter but you can use salted butter and just omit the salt.
- Caster sugar - superfine sugar. This dissolves easily when mixed with the butter.
- Eggs - use room temperature eggs for the best results. I use large eggs weighing approx 60g each.
- Sour cream - adds moisture and richness to the cake.
- Hot water - not only makes a smoother cake batter, but brings out the chocolate flavour in the cake.
Ganache Ingredients
- Dark chocolate - I recommend using a good quality dark chocolate such as Lindt, Nestle or Cadbury as they melt easier and smoother than other brands.
- Thickened cream - also called whipping cream or thickened cream. I recommend using heavy, 35% milk fat cream for best results.
Equipment Required
- Large bundt tin - (at least 28cm / 10 inches in diameter). A bundt cake tin is ring-shaped with a hole in the middle, designed to ensure the cake bakes evenly.
- 2 large mixing bowls for mixing the cake batter, and 2 small bowls for making the ganache.
- Oven - I specify fan-forced oven temperatures in my recipes, so if you have a conventional oven, increase the temperature by between 10 and 20 degrees Celsius.
Step By Step Instructions
Making a sour cream chocolate pound cake from scratch may sound difficult, but it is actually incredibly easy!
Note: Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom for the ingredients quantities and full detailed method.
Step 1 - Mix The Dry Ingredients
Firstly, grease and dust with cocoa powder a very large bundt tin (at least 28cm / 10 inches) and set aside. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees celsius (fan-forced) or 320 degrees Fahrenheit.
Sift the plain flour, cocoa powder, bi-carbonate of soda and salt into a large bowl. Stir to combine.
Step 2 - Cream The Butter And Sugar
In a separate very large mixing bowl, beat the butter and caster sugar until pale and fluffy.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.
Step 3 - Combine The Wet And Dry Ingredients
Slowly add ½ of the dry ingredients and beat until smooth and creamy.
Add ½ of the sour cream and beat again.
Repeat with the remaining dry ingredients and sour cream.
Note: the mixture will be very thick at this stage.
Add the hot water and continue beating until smooth and combined.
Step 4 - Bake
Pour mixture into the prepared bundt tin and bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out with a few crumbs on it.
Set aside to cool before turning out onto a wire rack.
Step 5 - Make The Ganache
Break the chocolate into pieces in a small bowl and set aside. In a microwave-safe bowl, heat the cream on HIGH for 1 minute or until slightly simmering.
Note: alternatively you can heat the cream in a saucepan over the stovetop.
Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Stir continuously until the chocolate has melted and the ganache is smooth.
If needed, allow the ganache to chill in the fridge until slightly thickened before spreading over the top of the cooled cake.
Expert Tips
- This is a HUGE cake! Therefore, you will need an extra large bundt tin/tube tin (which produces a cake with a hole in the centre). Ensure it is at least 28cm / 10 inches wide.
- This recipe is not suitable for baking in a regular cake tin as it's so large (in a regular cake tin the centre will not cook through while the outside will dry out).
- Have all wet ingredients at room temperature for the best results.
- Allow the cake to cool completely before icing with ganache to avoid the ganache melting and running.
- Storing - chocolate sour cream pound cake is best eaten at its freshest in the first day or two, but will also keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days.
FAQs
Yes! You can freeze the un-iced chocolate sour cream pound cake whole, or cut into pieces. It will freeze for up to 3 months. Before freezing, allow it to cool completely. Then wrap the cake well and place it into an airtight container in the freezer. To thaw, leave the cake in the fridge overnight, or at room temperature for around 2 hours before serving or spreading with ganache.
No, unfortunately this chocolate sour cream cake cannot be made in a Thermomix due to the large quantities of ingredients used.
Yes, sour cream adds moisture to the cake, but without thinning the cake batter, which results in a light and tender cake.
Absolutely! If you don't have a bundt tin, divide the mixture between two regular cake tins.
Related Recipes
These is something about a chocolate cake that is perfect for sharing. Here are some more of my favourite chocolate cake recipes:
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Chocolate Sour Cream Pound Cake
Ingredients
For the pound cake
- 360 g (1 ⅓ cups) plain flour all purpose flour
- 50 g (½ cup) cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon bi-carbonate of soda baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 225 g (1 ½ cups) butter
- 600 g (3 cups) caster sugar
- 5 eggs room temperature
- 250 g (1 cup) sour cream
- 185 ml (¾ cup) hot water
For the ganache
- 250 g dark chocolate
- 240 g (1 cup) thickened cream
Instructions
- Grease and dust with cocoa powder a very large bunt tin (at least 28cm or 10 inches wide) and set aside. Preheat oven to 160 degrees celsius (fan-forced) or 320 degrees fahrenheit.
- Sift the plain flour, cocoa powder, bi-carbonate of soda and salt into a large bowl. Stir to combine.
- In a separate very large mixing bowl, beat the butter and caster sugar until pale and fluffy.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.
- Slowly add ½ of the dry ingredients and beat until smooth and creamy.Add ½ of the sour cream and beat again. Repeat with the remaining dry ingredients and sour cream. Note: the mixture will be very thick at this stage.
- Add the hot water and continue beating until smooth and combined.
- Pour mixture into the prepared bundt tin and bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out with a few crumbs on it. Set aside to cool before turning out onto a wire rack.
- To make the ganache, break the chocolate into pieces in a small bowl and set aside. In a microwave-safe bowl, heat the cream on HIGH for 1 minute or until slightly simmering.Note: alternatively you can heat the cream in a saucepan over the stovetop.
- Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Stir continuously until the chocolate has melted and the ganache is smooth.
- Allow the ganache to chill in the fridge until slightly thickened (if needed) before spreading over the top of the cooled cake.
Notes
- This is a HUGE cake! Therefore, you will need an extra large bundt tin/tube tin (cake with with a hole in the centre). Ensure it is at least 28cm or 10 inches wide.
- This recipe is not suitable for baking in a regular cake tin as it's so large (in a regular cake tin the centre will not cook while the outside will dry out).
- If you don't have a bundt tin, divide the mixture between two regular cake tins.
- Have all ingredients at room temperature for best results.
- Allow the cake to cool completely before icing with ganache to avoid the ganache melting and running.
- This recipe is not suitable for a Thermomix machine due to the large quantities of ingredients used!
- Storing - this cake is best eaten at its freshest in the first day or two, but will also keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days.
- Freezing - the un-iced cake can be frozen (whole, or cut into pieces) for up to 3 months. Before freezing, allow it to cool completely. Then, wrap the cake well and place it into an airtight container in the freezer. To thaw, leave the cake in the fridge overnight, or at room temperature for around 2 hours before serving.
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