5 Steps to Moist Chocolate Cake for Mother's Day

Mother's Day is the time to pull out favorite childhood recipes and feed them to the people you love. I remember my mother extolling the virtues of sour cream in cakes, meatloaf, whatever. It gives this cake a moist texture and a slight tang that pairs brilliantly with chocolate. 

This is a great excuse to try out some organic chocolate!

Perfect Chocolate Cake

5 tablespoons lightly salted butter, melted
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon finely ground sea salt
4 "gratings" of lemon zest
1 cup sour cream
1 egg
1½ cups flour
¾ teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon baking powder
½ cup semi sweet chocolate shavings, small pieces or chips
½ cup bittersweet chocolate shavings, small pieces or chips
1 additional tablepsoon butter for greasing the baking pan


1.   Preheat the oven to 350 F.

2.    Whisk together the butter and the sugar. Add the vanilla, salt, lemon zest, sour cream, and the egg. Stir to blend.

3.    In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and baking powder. Using a strainer, sift the flour mixture over the wet ingredients and stir to blend. This will keep the batter smooth. Stir in both types of chocolate.

4.     I like this cake best in "pound cake" form, so grease an 8-cup loaf pan with the remaining tablespoon of butter. Fill with batter and tap the sides to even out the batter and remove air pockets.

5.    Place the pan in the center of the oven and bake for about 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool for about 30 minutes, then turn the cake out onto a serving platter.

Recommendations: Serve this with a dollop of sour cream or, even better, some whipped cream with a little sour cream mixed into it. And I am waiting for the first strawberries to hit the local market, to slice and serve on top!