Sour Cream Cake Recipes

Sour cream cake recipes make a great cake that is moist and flavorful. And the best part, this cake recipe is easy to make! Sour cream gives cake a moist texture and a tangy flavor that's not too sweet.

This cake travels well so don't be afraid to take this sour cream cake in cake or cupcake form for a potluck, a summer picnic, or just to have on hand for a special homemade treat for the family.

Photo credit for all cake photos shown here: Peggy Hazelwood

Add chocolate chips for a sweet treat

This sour cream cake recipe is delicious all by itself, but I love to add chocolate to it for a punch of creamy flavor. I like this recipe because it starts with a simple cake mix and just a few extra ingredients.

Sour Cream Cake Recipe with Chocolate Chips

Ingredients:

- 1 box cake mix, white or yellow with pudding added

- 1 cup milk

- 1 cup vegetable oil, any of these work fine: canola, corn, peanut, soybean, sunflower

- 4 eggs

- 3/4 cup sour cream

- 6 ounces chocolate chips

You'll also need oil or shortening or oil spray to coat the cake pans. Then add a dusting of flour making sure all of the surfaces are coated. Then dump out the extra flour. If you're making cupcakes, use paper liners if you're lazy like me.

In a large bowl, add the eggs, oil, milk, sour cream, and cake mix. Blend with an electric mixer for 2 minutes on low speed.

Turn off the mixer and stir in the chocolate chips, if desired. This cake is good with or without the chocolate chips.

Turn the mixer on again and mix the cake batter for another 2 minutes on medium speed.

Pour the cake batter into the prepared pans. Check below for pans and baking times.

Know Your Tools

This cake recipe works well in the following pans:

~ 1 Bundt pan, also called a tube pan, you know, the one with the hole in the middle

~ 2 or 3 loaf pans

~ 24 to 30 cupcakes, depending on how large you want them

~ 1 rectangle pan

~ 2 round or square pans

Here's the baking time for each type of pan in a 325-degree Fahrenheit oven:

~ Bundt pan or tube pan: 60 minutes

~ Loaf pan: 50 minutes

~ Cupcakes: 20 minutes

~ Round or square cake pan: 35 minutes

Baking times may vary depending on your oven. Be sure to check your cake at the times listed using a toothpick for doneness. If the toothpick comes out clean, it's done. If it's still goopy, let the cake bake another 10 minutes for large pans and 5 minutes for cupcakes and small-type pans. Do the toothpick test again.

I live in a hot climate so during hot parts of the year, I try to use the smallest cake pans possible, like cupcakes or two round cake pans. These pans take less time to bake than a Bundt pan or a long, rectangle pan. The less time the oven is on, the better.

That is the Question

If you're a big fan of icing or frosting, like me, your first impulse will be to whip up some buttercream frosting for this sour cream cake recipe. But, you may want to wait and try a piece of this cake before adding frosting. This cake is so tasty all by itself, I never ice it.

If you have to add something to it, I'd suggest a light glaze like a powdered sugar and water one. Poke some holes in the top of the cake and pour on a bit. A very thin spread of buttercream would also be delicious.

This sour cream cake recipe is good enough to make for a birthday cake or for any occasion when you want to impress your guests but not have to go to a lot of trouble. This cake whips up in about 10 minutes so be sure to preheat that oven before you start mixing it.

If you must dress it up, here are a few ideas to add to each slice of cake:

- a dollop of whipped cream

- a couple of fresh strawberries

- a spread of Nutella on top