Vanilla-Sour Cream Cake with Chocolate-Cream Cheese Frosting

I have had my eye on a couple of easy sheet cake recipes. My indecisiveness led me to combine them. 😉 It was a successful combination! This cake was moist and delicious.

The simple vanilla cake is from Food 52, from their book Genius Desserts, contributed by Jami Curl. It was proposed to serve it topped with strawberry compote & butterscotch whipped cream. I included these original topping recipes below- just to keep my options open.

The frosting recipe is from Bon Appétit, contributed by Claire Saffitz. It was originally from an easy sheet cake recipe with a “reverse creaming” technique. Of course, I’ll have to try this cake as well at some point. 🙂

For the Vanilla–Sour Cream Cake:

• 3 1/3 cups (400 g) all-purpose flour
• 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
• 1 T plus 2 tsp (20 g) baking powder
• 1 tsp (5 g) kosher salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup (227 g) sour cream
• 1/2 cup (105 g) canola oil
• 1 T (18 g) pure vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup (75 grams) boiling water

For the Chocolate-Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 6 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 sticks (12 T) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted
• 1/2 to 3/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• sprinkles, for garnish, optional

To Make the Vanilla–Sour Cream Cake:

1. Heat the oven to 350°F, preferably on convection. Line the bottom of a 9×13-inch pan with parchment paper. Spray with cooking oil spray.
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Whisk until combined.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the eggs and sour cream with a fork, mixing until smooth. Add the oil and vanilla and use the fork to mix until they’re incorporated. The mixture will be smooth and creamy.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and continue to stir until the dry ingredients are mostly incorporated. The batter will turn very thick.
5. Add the boiling water and stir until the batter is smooth and uniform with no traces of unmixed ingredients remaining.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and use a spatula to smooth it evenly into the corners.
7. Bake the cake for 35 (to be safe- check even earlier) to 40 minutes, until it’s golden, springy to the touch, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool completely.

To Make the Chocolate-Cream Cheese Frosting:

1. Make icing while cake cools.
2. Using electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Add powdered sugar, sifted cocoa powder, and salt and beat again, scraping down sides of bowl, until completely smooth.
4. Add vanilla and continue to beat until fluffy and lightened in color, another minute.
5. Smooth icing over top of cooled cake (it should not be at all warm to the touch, or else the icing will melt).
6. Top cake with sprinkles, if desired.
7. Cut into pieces and serve.

Do Ahead: Cake can be baked and frosted 2 days ahead. Chill until icing is solid, then cover with plastic wrap and keep chilled. Bring to room temperature before serving.

For the Alternate Cake Toppings:

For the Strawberry Compote & Butterscotch Whipped Cream:

• 4 cups (600 grams) frozen strawberries
• 2 tablespoons (30 grams) apple cider vinegar
• 4 cups (800 grams) granulated sugar
• 2 cups (480 grams) heavy cream
• 1/3 cup (72 grams) brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons (12 grams) pure vanilla extract

To Make the Strawberry Compote:

1. Combine the strawberries and vinegar in a saucepan and cook over medium-low heat until the fruit is soft and has released some juice.
2. Add the granulated sugar 1 cup (200 grams) at a time, stirring between additions until the sugar disappears.
3. Increase the heat to medium and bring the fruit and sugar to a boil. Boil for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Turn off the heat and let the compote cool before using.

To Make the Butterscotch Whipped Cream:

1. Chill a bowl and a whisk.
2. Pour the cream into the bowl and add the brown sugar and vanilla.
3. Whisk the cream until stiff-ish peaks form. Take care that you don’t turn it into butter by overwhipping.(You can use a mixer with the whisk attachment to whip the cream.)
4. Use immediately.

To Serve the Vanilla Sour-Cream Cake with Compote & Whipped Cream: **Two Options:

Option 1: Spoon the Strawberry Compote over the cake. Top the compote with the Butterscotch Whipped Cream, using the back of a spoon to give it some pretty swirls.

Option 2: Use the parchment paper to lift the cooled cake out of the pan. Cut the cake into 12 equal pieces. Spoon some Strawberry Compote over each piece. Top with a generous dollop of Butterscotch Whipped Cream.

Note: The Vanilla–Sour Cream Cake will keep, tightly covered at room temperature, for several days. Once assembled with the Strawberry Compote and Butterscotch Whipped Cream, plan to enjoy this cake the day you assemble it. That said, if you cover and refrigerate it, it will not disappoint the next day or the day after that. Especially for breakfast.

About Josette@thebrookcook

I live in Stony Brook, New York on Long Island. I love garlic and baking. My hobby (and love) is to try new recipes. My favorite recipe resources include The New York Times, Food and Wine, Bon Appetit, and Martha Stewart Living. Enjoy!

View all posts by Josette@thebrookcook →