Easy Sour Cream Cake with Creamy Chocolate Frosting is my family’s favorite dessert recipe. This cake is chocolatey, moist, and dangerously delicious!
Yes, yes, this cake starts with a short cut. I used a cake mix here…sue me.
My grandma used to make this cake, your grandma probably made this cake… it’s a whole thing in the world. I generally do love a completely from “scratch” recipe, but sometimes the magic cake mix fairies sprinkle their love dust on my brain and convince me to pull a little semi-homemade action.
When fairies come-a-calling…you know how it goes…
If the weekend had an official cake, you’re looking at it. Plus, let me just say that creamy chocolate frosting on top is super legit.
You basically doctor up a cake mix with a little sour cream, an extra egg, an eensy bit more sugar…
It gives it a slightly denser texture, but totally soft.
It bakes up like perfection. I almost always make this in a 9×13 pan, because when I’m short-cutting and using a cake mix I’m generally looking for simple decorating too.
But for all you over achievers out there this cake is 100% perfect for baking in 8- inch round pans and layering!
The secret to this chocolate frosting is evaporated milk. It makes the frosting SO creamy.
Just spread it all over your cooled cake…
Gorgeous and stunning and beautiful and pretty and sexy and on fleek and cute and attractive and foxy and hot and…and…and…
…simple, delicious and no fuss.
Shouldn’t all cake be like this?
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Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: Serves 12 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
This easy sour cream cake is made with creamy chocolate frosting is my family’s favorite dessert recipe. Made from yellow cake mix, this cake is chocolatey, moist, and dangerously delicious!
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 (15.25- ounce) yellow cake mix
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Chocolate Frosting
- 6 tablespoons butter, room temperature
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/3 cup evaporated milk
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9×13 pan with nonstick spray and set aside.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment mix all the cake ingredients together on low speed for 30 seconds. Turn the speed up to medium and mix for 2 minutes, scraping the sides as necessary.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool completely.
Frosting
- In the bowl of your stand mixer mix the butter until smooth. Add in the cocoa powder, powdered sugar, vanilla and evaporated milk. Mix on low for 30 seconds and then turn the speed up to medium and mix for 1-2 minutes until it’s creamy and smooth.
- Spread the frosting on the cooled cake.
Notes
store airtight at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Keywords: sour cream cake, yellow cake mix recipes, yellow cake with chocolate frosting
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Helpful tip… out of sour cream?
Wow! Making this recipe literally brought me back in time to my mom-mom’s kitchen where she would make this cake for my aunt’s birthday. Thank you so much for allowing me to relive these special childhood memories through your delicious recipe! The icing is my favorite part! It will now become my go-to chocolate icing. Your recipes are the bomb!
★★★★★
Is it correct only to put in 1/4 cup water in the cake mix/ sour cream cake? Seems small amt. Need to know now for daughter’sbday.? . Thanks
Yes, it’s correct!
Would this recipe work for cupcakes?
What did I do wrong?! The cake fell (I have not not had that problem with a cake in decades!) and the frosting was much too thin (I added three more cups of powdered sugar, making for a VERY sweet frosting). The cake tasted ok but not worth the time.
I have always loved what sour cream can do for a cake. Just yummy. Made this for the first time today. Very easy and very good. I am all for easy. I do something a bit different with the frosting. Make your own frosting (buttercream is so wonderful) or use canned. Let the cake sit for about 5 minutes and then frost it hot. The frosting will melt down and leave a beautiful chocolate glaze over the whole cake. I usually top with crushed pecans but you can use your favorite nuts or coconut. Use your imagination. I will bake this again.
★★★★
Made this cake and it was delicious. Super moist. Frosting nice and creamy and not super sweet. Will definitely be making this again.
I made this for a luncheon at work and everyone loved it. Perfectly moist and the frosting wasn’t too sweet. It made just enough to cover the top.
★★★★★
Followed cake recipe exactly. Made in 2 8″ pans .Did not make frosting as I wanted a quicker version. Will do frosting version next time and yes there will be a next time. Super easy and moist
★★★★★
If I am doing two 8 inch round pans do I double the recipe or is the one recipe for a layered cake? Going to make it today for my sons birthday
Is it okay to skip the 1/4 cup sugar in the cake mix? Making it today for my husbands birthday.
You can, yes.
Thank you so much for the quick response!