Sourdough Chocolate Cake

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Recipe photo
Hands-on time:
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Total time:
Yield: One sheet cake, 18 servings
Recipe photo

Chocolate cake made with sourdough starter? Don't worry; you'll never taste the sour, just the rich, full flavor of chocolate. The coffee icing, with its pretty dark chocolate drizzle, takes this … More »

Sourdough Chocolate Cake

star rating (53) rate this recipe »
Hands-on time:
Baking time:
Total time: Overnight,
Yield: One sheet cake, 18 servings
Published: 01/01/2010

Ingredients

Cake

Icing

  • 6 cups confectioners' sugar
  • 3/4 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup plain yogurt or buttermilk
  • 1 tablespoon + 1 1/2 teaspoons espresso powder
  • 1 tablespoon hot water

Drizzle

Tips from our bakers

  • Do you really need the espresso powder in the cake? Well, certainly it's not critical to the cake's structure. But we find espresso powder heightens chocolate flavor, just as vanilla does. You can't really taste either one; but each is a lovely accent to chocolate, bringing out the nuances of its flavor.
  • How do you tell when a cake is done? Start with the time it's been in the oven, certainly, but don't depend on that; ovens vary wildly in how they bake. Rely instead on the usual tests: is the cake barely beginning to pull away form the sides of the pan? Does it spring back when pressed lightly in the center (rather than your finger leaving an imprint)? And, most importantly, does a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center come out clean, or with perhaps only a few solid crumb clinging to it? Then, no matter what your timer says, the cake is done.

Directions

1) Combine the "fed" starter, milk, and flour in a large mixing bowl. Cover and let rest at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours. It won't necessarily bubble, but it may have expanded a bit.

2) Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9" x 13" pan.

3) In a separate bowl, beat together the sugar, oil, vanilla, salt, baking soda, cocoa. and espresso powder. The mixture will be grainy.

4) Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

5) Gently combine the chocolate mixture with the starter-flour-milk mixture, stirring till smooth. This will be a gloppy process at first, but the batter will smooth out as you continue to beat gently.

6) Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

7) Bake the cake for 30 to 40 minutes, until it springs back when lightly pressed in the center, and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

8) Remove the cake from the oven, and set it on a rack to cool while you make the icing.

9) Sift the confectioners' sugar into a large mixing bowl, and set it aside.

10) In a small saucepan set over medium heat, melt the butter and add the buttermilk or yogurt. Dissolve the espresso powder in the hot water, add to the pan, and bring the mixture just to a boil.

11) Immediately pour the simmering liquid over the confectioners' sugar in the bowl, and beat till smooth.

12) Pour the warm frosting over the cake. If you wait too long and the frosting stiffens up, spread it over the cake.

13) Combine the chocolate chips, milk, and corn syrup in a microwave-safe cup. Microwave till the chips soften, then stir till smooth.

14) Drizzle/drip the chocolate over the icing. You can do this while the icing is still warm, or wait till it's cooled.

Reviews

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  • star rating 05/06/2012
  • from
  • star rating 04/27/2012
  • raven7srv from KAF Community
  • Oh my goodness!! This cake is so dang good!! I followed recommendations and made 1/2 the frosting/glaze and I think it's the perfect amount. I cannot recommend it enough! Yum! :)
  • star rating 04/15/2012
  • from
  • Would definitely make this again........ I might have over-baked it by a few minutes, but it is really quite yummy!
  • star rating 04/12/2012
  • Sara S from KAF Community
  • This cake is AWESOME! So moist and flavorful, it is one of my top two favorite chocolate cake recipes. It is so dense, I have never added frosting to it - just doesn't seem to need it, and I normally would never make a 'naked' cake. But be sure to mix in your sourdough completely, or you will end up with little white bread balls baked into your chocolate cake - a bit odd, but if it happens, just pick them out and move on. ;)
  • star rating 02/21/2012
  • cmwilson from KAF Community
  • This cake gets high praise from my "tasters!" I first made it in the 9x13 pan, and it came together easily. I worried a bit that the icing/glaze would overflow, but it seemed to be fine. The second time I made it, I wanted something a little prettier than a 9x13 pan sitting on the table, so I made it in a bundt pan. I made sure to spray it well with baking spray (the kind with the flour in the spray) since my pan has lots of intricate nooks and crannies that like to hold tightly to cake batter. This turned out beautifully. I poured the glaze over it - only needed half of the glaze doing this. It still got rave reviews and looked very nice. Thanks for another great recipe, and an unexpected use for sourdough starter.
  • star rating 02/20/2012
  • sweething from KAF Community
  • I'm 9 years old and I made this awesome cake. Split the frosting part in half it is way too much. I melted the chocolate for 15 seconds, then did it again. This tastes so good. I rate it more than five stars.
  • star rating 02/11/2012
  • connierice52 from KAF Community
  • Absolutely delicious. Stayed amazingly moist for days. Every crumb was devoured by my family. It is very rich so a little goes a long way.
  • star rating 01/28/2012
  • springerledame from KAF Community
  • I love using my starter in unexpected ways. Today I made this delicious cake. My starter was thick and gloppy, so made a pretty heavy dough, with the flour and milk. It took several minutes of mixing with a wooden spoon to incorporate the chocolate mixture, and I still saw white bits of starter, when I poured the batter into the pan. I'm aware of them as bits of lighter, chewier cake, in the baked result. But they don't really detract. The cake is very moist. I made a thin ganache, using Callebaut espresso chocolate bits and cream and poured it over the top of the warm cake. It's very delicious and not too sweet. My husband is on his second helping! This is a big cake, so I plan to freeze half. An easy recipe.
  • star rating 01/19/2012
  • Goddess921 from KAF Community
  • This cake was easy to make and delicious! If you like a cake that isn't sickening sweet, this is for you. A lot of cakes made from scratch tend to be dry...not this one...it's really moist. I'll make this again.
    This recipe is a novel and delicious way to use fed sourdough starter! Happy Sourdough! Irene @ KAF
  • star rating 12/30/2011
  • anyasmifya from KAF Community
  • I really messed this one up! I mistakenly added an extra 2 cups of flour when creating the chocolate mixture. I didn't want to let all those ingredients go to waste so I added extra water and baking soda. The cake didn't come out bad, I bet it would have been delicious if I hadn't screwed it up! I will have to try again.
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