Chocolate Sour Cream Bundt Cake

Last week my husband and I were watching House Hunters and the wife was talking about how she wanted a bigger kitchen. She said she wanted to learn how to cook, and that she knew how to bake already because "baking is easy, you just follow the directions on the back of the box." Jon and I just looked at each other and laughed.

 

Now don't get me wrong, I have no problem with using boxed mixes for cakes and brownies. It's pretty hard to mess up a boxed cake and while it technically IS baking, it's not exactly baking from scratch. Baking from scratch, in my opinion, is hard, but I am determined to figure it out. My dad is an amazing baker so I am hoping it's in my genes and it won't be too difficult for me!

 

To get some more practice baking and to put my new mixer to work, I asked my husband what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday. His only request was for a bundt cake, and since I know he loves chocolate and coffee, I went in search of something that would incorporate both.

 

I came across this recipe for a Chocolate Sour Cream Bundt Cake on the blog Handle the Heat. I loved the use of espresso along with both cocoa powder and bittersweet chocolate with a sweet chocolate glaze. There's no such thing as too much chocolate, right?

 

This cake was easy to put together, and I even think I got the glaze right. My only problem was that the recipe said the cake would be done when the toothpick came out with moist crumbs. I didn't get my timing right so it was just a touch overdone, but like I said, I'm learning. We still loved this cake and I'd definitely make it again.

 

Ingredients

 

For the cake:

• 3/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 6 ounce bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon instant espresso (I couldn't find instant espresso in my store, so I used instant coffee)
• 3/4 cup boiling water
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup sour cream, at room temperature
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups packed light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 5 large eggs, at room temperature

 

For the glaze:

• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons corn syrup
• 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray.
• Combine the cocoa, chocolate, and espresso in a large bowl. Pour the boiling water into the bowl and cover. Let stand for 5 minutes. Whisk the chocolate mixture until it is smooth. Let cool to room temperature. When it has cooled, whisk in the sour cream.
• In a small bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter, brown sugar, and vanilla for about 4 minutes, or until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, until combined.
• On low speed add the flour mixture and the melted chocolate mixture alternatively, beginning and ending with the flour, until the batter is smooth.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake the cake for about 50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs. Let cool on a rack for 10 minutes, then turn the cake out and let cool completely.
• The glaze - In a small saucepan heat the cream and corn syrup over medium heat until hot. Remove from heat and add the chocolate, whisking until smooth. Let cool slightly until thickened. Drizzle over the cake. Let the glaze set at room temperature, about 10 minutes, before serving.