Sour Cream Chocolate Cake

Blog post about Mama's she-crab soup recipe goes viral in food community, thousands of shares, Mama's name everywhere. The week was the life. The life was the cooking. The cooking was the love. And the love was the week, and the week was one of the weeks that stack together to become the years, and the years become the life, and the life is the woman at the stove who cooks and writes and loves and does not stop.

I made she-crab soup on Sunday — the anchor, the constant, the practice. The soup was perfect. The perfection was the practice. And the practice continues, one Sunday at a time, one bowl at a time, one life at a time, the woman stirring, the roux thickening, the kitchen warm, the family fed, the love alive.

When the soup went viral and Mama’s name was everywhere, I needed something to bring the week back down to earth — something warm, unglamorous, and entirely mine. I baked this Sour Cream Chocolate Cake on Saturday, the day before I made the soup again, because every anchor deserves its own anchor. The sour cream keeps it tender in a way that feels almost alive, the way a well-loved kitchen feels alive, and eating it reminded me that the best things we make are the things we make without an audience, just because the week asked for it.

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 35 min | Total Time: 55 min | Servings: 12

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup full-fat sour cream
1 cup strong brewed coffee, cooled
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
For the frosting: 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1/3 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2–3 tablespoons milk, as needed

Instructions

Preheat and prepare. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Set aside.
Mix dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until evenly combined.
Combine wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, sour cream, cooled coffee, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract until smooth and well blended.
Bring together the batter. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined — do not overmix. The batter will be thick but pourable.
Bake. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake for 32–36 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the frosting. Beat the softened butter with an electric mixer until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the cocoa powder and mix until combined. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar, then add the sour cream and vanilla. Beat until smooth and creamy, adding milk one tablespoon at a time to reach a spreadable consistency.
Frost and serve. Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Spread a generous layer of frosting over the top, then set the second layer on top and frost the top and sides. Slice and serve at room temperature.

Nutrition (per serving)

Sour Cream Chocolate Cake — The Anchor on the Other Side of a Week Like That