Dark Chocolate & Raspberry Sour Cream Cake

This Dark Chocolate Raspberry Sour Cream Cake is a simple one layer cake that packs so much flavor! It is so soft, fluffy and incredibly moist with the beautiful combination of dark chocolate and raspberry. I love to bake with sour cream since it adds rich cultured dairy notes and a tanginess to balance the sweetness of cake. This one in particular really showcases the sour cream really well as it is the main liquid ingredient and the tanginess is not offset by a lot of baking soda. It's pretty enough on its own with no need for frosting. I like to decorate it with just a dusting of icing sugar. If you love baking simple cakes with fresh fruit, check out my Strawberry Almond Cake and my Raspberry Almond Cake too!

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

• Simple and easy recipe - this recipe is super simple to make with minimal steps and basic ingredients.
• Soft and fluffy texture - my sour cream cake has such a soft and fluffy texture.
• Moist sour cream cake - there's plenty of sour cream in the batter so you really taste the rich dairy notes. The small amount of baking soda means the acidity will not be completely neutralized so you really taste it.
• Dark chocolate chip cake - chocolate and raspberry is a classic combination and a fairly sophisticated one. You can use chocolate chips or chunks chopped from a block of chocolate. I use these couverture chocolate chips that melt so nicely into cakes.
• Fresh raspberries - you only need a handful of fresh raspberries to make this cake and it's perfect for any occasion. Serve it at brunch, for tea time or for dessert with a scoop of ice cream.

INGREDIENTS FOR DARK CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY SOUR CREAM CAKE

Here are some notes about the ingredients. For a full list of ingredients, check out the recipe card at the bottom of the page.

• Unsalted butter - butter adds incredible flavor and creates a fine crumb texture.
• Pure vanilla extract - vanilla will elevate the flavor of the sour cream batter. I like this Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla extract.
• Eggs - two large eggs will add nice structure and help with the soft crumb in this raspberry sour cream cake recipe.

• All purpose flour - regular unbleached all-purpose flour works great in this recipe, but if you have cake flour on hand, you can replace half all-purpose flour with cake flour and it will make an even more tender loaf. Adding too much flour is the most common mistake and leads to dry cake, so be sure to measure accurately using a scale or the spoon and sweep method.
• Dark chocolate chips - you can use chocolate chips or chunks for this recipe. For a dramatic effect and larger pockets of chocolate, you can chop it up from a block. When it comes to chips, I love these couverture chocolate chips that have a higher cocoa butter content and melt so nicely into cakes.
• Sour cream - sour cream is the feature ingredient and adds tanginess to this lovely cake which complements the tart raspberries. You can use full fat or low fat sour cream.
• Raspberries - I recommend using fresh raspberries in this recipe since they wont compromise the baking time or the texture. If you use frozen raspberries, they tend to bleed too much into the batter. However, you can use them with a simple trick. Read below in the FAQ section to learn more.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS

This recipe is simple to prepare and you can make it with an electric hand mixer, although using a whisk with some vigorous beating will work too!

• STEP 1). Beat butter and sugar. Combine melted butter, sugar and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl and whisk until pale and fluffy-looking. Whisk in eggs one at a time until very light and creamy. Mix in sour cream.
• STEP 2). Combine dry ingredients. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a medium bowl and whisk to blend evenly.
• STEP 3). Combine wet and dry ingredients. Add the flour mixture to the sour cream mixture and fold it in by hand with a spatula until mostly incorporated. It will still look a bit dry and very thick at this point. Before it is all incorporated, pour in the milk and fold it in until evenly combined and the batter is homogeneous.
• STEP 4). Fold in chocolate. Add chocolate chips and fold them in.
• STEP 5). Top with raspberries. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out evenly. Scatter the raspberries on top and don't press them in.
• STEP 6). Bake for 35-40 minutes until the top is just lightly golden and the cake feels firm to the touch. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for at least an hour. Enjoy slightly warm or at room temperature. Dust with icing sugar before serving.''

EXPERT BAKING TIPS

• Do not reduce the sugar. The right amount of sugar will keep this cake tender so do not try to reduce it.
• Sift the dry ingredients. In order to get a smooth batter and soft, light texture, it is important to break up any lumps in the flour. This will also help it hydrate more quickly into the wet ingredients and minimize the amount of mixing required to create a smooth batter.
• Do not over-mix. Just fold in the flour gently until well combined, but no need to mix vigorously. Just mix until no streaks of dry flour remain.
• Do not over-bake. This cake is ready when a skewer comes out clean and the sides are nicely golden.
• Choose fresh raspberries when you can. Fresh raspberries will hold up better in the batter and won't leach juices which can discolor the batter and also increase the baking time as it adds moisture to the batter.
• Don't poke the berries into the batter. As the batter rises during baking, it will naturally envelop the raspberries so don't poke them in or the will get buried inside and I like how this cake looks with the berries poking up on the surface.

FAQ

STORING AND FREEZING

If you love fruity cakes, check out these other recipes:

Baking with raspberries

Looking for more delicious recipes with raspberries? Try these:

Simple cakes

Here are more simple cake recipes:

Video

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Sour Cream Cake

Christina Marsigliese

Soft, fluffy and moist chocolate chip sour cream cake with fresh raspberries. This is a simple yet delightful all-purpose cake for any occasion.

5 from 2 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Servings 16 square slices

Ingredients

  

• ⅓ cup 75g unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 1 cup 200g granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon 5ml pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs at room temperature
• ½ cup 120ml full fat sour cream
• 1 ½ cups 215g all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ⅓ cup 80ml milk
• ½ cup 85g dark chocolate chips
• 1 ¼ cups 150g fresh raspberries

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9x9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper allowing a 2-inch overhang at each side.
• Make the cake batter. Combine melted butter, sugar and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl and whisk until pale and fluffy-looking. Whisk in eggs one at a time until very light and creamy. Mix in sour cream.
• Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a medium bowl and whisk to blend evenly. Add it to the wet ingredients and fold it in by hand with a spatula until mostly incorporated. It will still look a bit dry and very thick at this point. Before it is all incorporated, pour in the milk and fold it in until evenly combined and the batter is homogeneous. Add chocolate chips and fold them in.
• Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out evenly. Scatter the raspberries on top and don't press them in. Bake for 35-40 minutes until the top is just lightly golden and the cake feels firm to the touch. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for at least an hour. Enjoy slightly warm or at room temperature. Dust with icing sugar before serving.