Glazed Chocolate Cake Recipe

Prep Time:

25 mins

Total Time:

1 hr

Servings:

10 to 12

This rich chocolate cake with chocolate glaze looks and tastes impressive but is actually simple to prepare. It’s a single-layer cake made with cocoa and sour cream. It’s finished with a decadent ganache glaze of semi-sweet chocolate and heavy cream. Even better, it doesn’t take long to prepare—it’s one of those recipes where waiting for the cake to cool and the glaze to set are the hardest parts. Cut it into thin slices and serve with whipped cream and chocolate shavings for the ultimate garnish—and every chocoholic will swoon.

Dusting the pan with cocoa powder (rather than flour) keeps the cake dark on the outside.

Directions

Preheat oven and prep cake pan:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter an 8-inch round cake pan; line bottom with a round of waxed or parchment paper. Butter paper; dust bottom and sides of pan with cocoa, tapping out excess.
Sift dry ingredients; cream butter and 1 cup sugar:

Sift together cocoa, flour, baking powder, and salt. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy.
Add eggs one at a time, then vanilla:

Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each and scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla.
Add flour mixture alternating with sour cream:

Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the sour cream and beginning and ending with the flour.
Spread batter in prepared pan and bake:

Spread batter in prepared pan. Tap pan firmly on countertop once to eliminate large air bubbles. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes.
Cool cake and glaze:

Cool 10 minutes in pan, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely (bottom-side up). Set rack with cake over a rimmed baking sheet. Pour glaze over cake, letting it run over sides; spread gently with an offset spatula or table knife to coat. Let set, about 30 minutes.
Whip cream and serve:

If desired, whip cream and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Serve cake with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

To make chocolate shavings, scrape along the edge of a bar of chocolate with a vegetable peeler.