Chocolate Sour Cream Cake (Doctored Cake Mix)
Oh how I love this Chocolate Sour Cream Cake (doctored cake mix) recipe! It is super easy, amazingly moist, and delicious! Nobody would guess that it started with a cake mix!
This decadent Chocolate Sour Cream Cake has a slightly dense and velvety texture which I absolutely love. This is probably why it tastes and looks so much like a scratch chocolate cake recipe. (By the way, you can find two of our favorite scratch chocolate cakes linked below!)
If you've been searching for the perfect doctored cake mix recipe for Chocolate Cake, you just cannot top this one! I've made it countless times and it always gets rave reviews!
This decadent Chocolate Sour Cream Cake not only tastes amazing, but it is versatile also. It has a nice density for holding up to fondant, and can even be used for designs that call for light carving.
Chocolate cupcakes can be made from this recipe also, but if you are looking for a fluffier cupcake with more of a dome, I highly recommend our other tried and true Doctored Chocolate Cake recipe.
Enjoy this Chocolate Sour Cream Cake recipe, I think you'll come back to it again and again!
Chocolate Sour Cream Cake- Doctored Mix
Nobody would believe that this decadent chocolate cake all starts with a simple mix!
Ingredients
- ** For a deeper chocolate taste you can add 1 tablespoon cocoa powder and replace the water with 1 cup hot strong brewed or instant coffee.
- 1 Devil's Food Cake Mix ( I sift the cake mix, but it is optional)
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup water (We usually replace the water with 1 cup of hot brewed or instant coffee, it enhances the chocolate flavor.)
- 3 whole eggs
- 2 ½ teaspoons vanilla
- ½ cup (108g) vegetable oil
Instructions
- In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients and stir or whisk to blend. In your mixing bowl, combine sour cream, oil, water, eggs, & flavorings. Add about ½ of the dry ingredients and blend together, then add the rest of the dry ingredients & mix on medium speed for 2 minutes.
- Pour into three 8 x 2 inch round pans that have been greased and floured. Bake at 325 degrees for 22-25 minutes or until the middle of cake springs back when touched or a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached.
- *This also works well for cupcakes! Bake cupcakes at 350 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes. Remove cupcakes from the pan immediately and cool on a baking rack.
Looking for a Scratch Version of Chocolate Sour Cream Cake?
Guess what? We have a fantastic homemade version of this Chocolate Sour Cream Cake too! It is soft, moist, and works great for both cakes and cupcakes! You can find it here!: Chocolate Sour Cream Cake from scratch. (The frosting used in the photo below is our Seven Minute Frosting- so light and fluffy!)
We have another scratch chocolate cake recipe to share. This classic chocolate cake has been a favorite over the years!
Classic Chocolate Cake from Scratch.
Thanks for stopping by! Make sure to check out our Recipes Section for a full listing of our FAVORITE tried and true cake and frosting recipes!!
If you love this Chocolate Sour Cream Cake, don't miss it's sister recipe, the fabulous White Almond Sour Cream Cake (doctored cake mix recipe)! So many cakes to try, so little time! I think that you will love them both!
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Hi Olga, I think the doctored chocolate sour cream recipe makes approximately 7 cups of batter. You could make three 8 inch round layers, each layer would be about 1 1/4 inches high. I don't think you would be happy with three 9 inch layers, too thin. Servings for a 9 inch cake would give you about 16 to 18 servings depending on the size of each serving.
You are right, I went ahead and made 1 1/2 recipe and 3 -9in layers rises to almost 2in each, which is perfect for me. Thank you!
Hi Bebe,
This recipe looks awesome! I am using it this afternoon for cupcakes. I am not new to baking, but am no where near a pro. I am testing these out on my son's high school teachers. As a thank you AND in hopes of becoming known for excellent baking in my community in order to have a home baking business to earn some additional income.
I have 2 questions I am excited to ask you about.
Above, you said cakes taste best on the 3rd day, wrapped, without refrigeration.
Would this apply to cupcakes? This would be unbelievable cool!
Second, I am OBSESSED with your beautiful, white glossy frosting you used above with the choc cupcakes. What is it? If I had to guess, would it be a vanilla meringue? It is one of the prettiest frostings (maybe the top one) I have ever seen. And we eat with our eyes first, right?
Hi Cynthia, We don't think unrefrigerated cakes taste best on the 3rd day. We think cakes frosted without perishable fillings or frostings and left unrefrigerated should be eaten by the third day, especially with an all butter buttercream. The cake will last longer if refrigerated but it should be kept under an airtight cover in the refrigerator, if not airtight it will dry out. Just remove from the refrigerator 1 or 2 hours before serving. Cupcakes will not taste fresh as long as cake. Since they are so small, they dry out more quickly. Cupcakes are best if eaten the day made or the day after baked and frosted. You can bake the cupcakes in advance and freeze them if you like. They should be wrapped in aluminum foil to be kept airtight (or an airtight container)in the freezer. Cupcakes thaw very quickly and they can be frosted while frozen.
The glossy frosting you asked about is a 7 minute frosting, here is a link
https://www.mycakeschool.com/recipes-tutorials/seven-minute-frosting/ scroll down the comments to the post made on July 26, 2018 and use that recipe ( it is posted twice there, not sure why). Let me know if you have other questions.
In case anyone else is making cupcakes, the baking times at 325 F that I experienced were:
Jumbo: 21 minutes
Standard: 16 minutes
I will try your link above for fluffier Chocolate box-doctored cupcakes. But these were still very delicious and dense!!
How long does the doctored cake recipe for Chocolate Sour Cream Cupcakes bake?
Hi Mona, 18-20 minutes is the usual baking time for standard sized cupcakes although you can peek at them a little sooner to see if they look ready. When you can lightly touch the center and they spring back, they are ready.
Chocolate sour cream doctor recipe - curious as to why it doesn’t call for oil ?
Hi Julie, Our recipe does not have oil but if you would like to add 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil, it would be fine to do so.
Both times I have made this cake, it doesnt rise in the middle. What can I do to help this?
If your cake is not rising in the center, possibly your oven is not set to the correct temperature or you have it set correctly but your oven is not reaching the needed temperature. You should get an oven thermometer (can be found at grocery stores or Target) to check if that is a problem. If your cake is rising in the oven but falls in the center when taken out of the oven, that most often means that it was not baked long enough. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached.
Will this make a three layer 8” cake?