You can improve the taste and texture of homemade chocolate cake by adding one simple ingredient to the batter, according to a pastry chef who shared the tip
Nothing beats the feeling of baking a cake from scratch, and one secret trick can make your homemade chocolate cake taste dreamy. Pastry chef Christina Marsigliese, the brains behind Scientifically Sweet, reveals that using sour cream is the key to making your chocolate cake richer and creamier.
She states: “One of the secrets to the best moist chocolate cake recipe is sour cream. And a lot of it. Sour cream contributes the dairy undertones, rich flavour and body (thanks to its high protein and fat content) that oil-based cakes lack.
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“Full-fat sour cream adds richness and dairy notes to this cake in the absence of butter.” While it might sound odd, sour cream actually locks more moisture into the batter, giving the cake an incredibly sumptuous, melt-in-your-mouth texture that’s simply divine.
How to make a chocolate cake
Start by preheating your oven to 175C. Get two round cake pans ready by lightly greasing them and lining the bottoms with parchment paper, reports the Express.
Sift your flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and bicarbonate of soda together in one large mixing bowl. Toss in both sugars along with a pinch of salt, making sure to break up any clumps of brown sugar.
Grab another medium-sized bowl and beat together the eggs, sour cream, and a splash of vanilla extract. Pour this creamy mixture into your bowl of dry ingredients.
Whether you’re armed with a handheld mixer or just a trusty wooden spoon, combine all the ingredients until your cake batter is smooth, thick, and homogenous. Don’t fret if it seems slightly dry at first.
Next, gradually pour in the hot coffee. Add it in two stages to prevent lumps from forming, then stir everything until it’s fully mixed.
Split the cake mixture equally between the prepped cake tins and pop them in the oven for 30 minutes. Bake the cakes until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
After taking the cakes out of the oven, let them sit in the tins for 15 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool down completely.
Once the cakes are cooled, get your frosting ready, either homemade or shop-bought. Slather the frosting on top of one cake and on the bottom of the other, then stick the cakes together.
Use an offset spatula to spread the remaining frosting all over the cake. Your scrumptious chocolate cake is now ready to be devoured.
