Sour Cream & Chocolate Cake

I have tried this recipe several times and it has never failed me so far. I even baked this once for my MIL's birthday. It's a rather easy recipe and I like the taste a lot. This cake has a nice mocha flavor with a moist texture (due to the sour cream used).

I usually prefer cakes with texture that's light (think chiffon) yet moist (think sponge soaked with alcohol, syrup or juice) and rich (but not overwhelming) in aroma/flavor (think coffee, chocolate, citrus). I'm not really a fan for cakes with texture that's too creamy (think mousse) or dense (think cheese) ... even thinking about it makes me feel 'gelat'.

Confusing ?!??! Ya I know ... I'm simply not good at describing. All I wanna say is ... this recipe is simply GOOOOD in my opinion as it fits what I like (^_^) I guess you just have to give it a try to see what I mean. Hope you'll like it as much as I do. You can bake it in cupcake tray, small individual cake moulds or in a 6" or 8" round cake tin.

Sour Cream & Chocolate Cake
Ingredients (Enough to yield 15 cupcakes for me)

250g butter
230g sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla essence
4 eggs, lightly beaten
150g sour cream (can also replaced with plain yoghurt)
1 tablespoon instant coffee granules
2 tablespoons boiling water
100g dark chocolate, chopped
300g flour (can use plain or cake)
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180degC. Line cupcake tray with baking cases or baking tin (if baking a whole cake) with baking paper. Grease sides & bottom of the baking tin with melted butter.
2. Dissolve the instant coffee granules in the boiling water. Set aside.
3. Sieve the flour, baking powder & soda together. Set aside.
4. Cream butter, sugar & vanilla essence in a mixing bowl with an electric whisk till light & fluffy. Add in the eggs slowly over 3 -4 separate additions & cream till smooth & light.
5. Add in the sour cream, followed by the coffee mixture & chopped dark chocolate. Mix till well blended.
6. Add in the sieved flour & mix till well incorporated.
7. Pour batter into individual cake moulds or baking tin & sprinkle some flaked almonds on top.
8. Bake at 180degC for about 25 mins or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Recipe from: Temptation of Chocolate by Alex Goh

Baking 101 - Cakes using 'wet' ingredients (e.g. milk, sour cream, yoghurt) in the recipe will usually end up with a moist texture.