Chocolate Dump-It Cake
My mother has many specialties, but her Chocolate Dump-It Cake is most beloved in my family. My mother used to do all of her baking late at night, after we were in bed. Around 1 in the morning, the aroma of this cake would begin wafting up to our bedrooms. Then we’d watch her frost it while we ate breakfast. My mother kept this cake in the fridge, and it is sublime even when cold. I wrote about this cake in my second book, Cooking for Mr. Latte, but wanted to celebrate it here as well.
My mother has many specialties, but her Chocolate Dump-It Cake is most beloved in my family. My mother used to do all of her baking late at night, after we were in bed. Around 1 in the morning, the aroma of this cake would begin wafting up to our bedrooms. Then we’d watch her frost it while we ate breakfast. My mother kept this cake in the fridge, and it is sublime even when cold. I wrote about this cake in my second book, Cooking for Mr. Latte, but wanted to celebrate it here as well.
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
- 1/4 pound unsalted butter morã© for greasing the pan
- 2 cups all purpose flour more for dusting pan
- 1 1/2 cups sour cream at room temperature
- 1 1 /2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- Carbohydrate 34.6018045910273 g
- Cholesterol 38.3235898992867 mg
- Fat 24.3873197151199 g
- Fiber 3.29726445128643 g
- Protein 9.76460946886799 g
- Saturated Fat 14.8253422989909 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (209g)
- Sodium 18244.2791686197 mg
- Sugar 31.3045401397409 g
- Trans Fat 1.75717807725155 g
- Calories 374 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, and place a baking sheet on the lowest rack, to catch any drips when the cake bakes.
- Put the sugar, unsweetened chocolate, butter and 1 cup of water in a saucepan.
- Place over medium heat and stir occasionally until all of the ingredients are melted and blended.
- Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
- Meanwhile, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
- In a small bowl, stir together the milk and vinegar.
- Grease and flour a 9-inch tube pan.
- (If you prefer, you can grease it, line it with parchment and then grease and flour it.
- This is not necessary, but parchment does make getting the cake out easier.)
- When the chocolate in the pan has cooled a bit, whisk in the milk mixture and eggs.
- In several additions and without overmixing, whisk in the dry ingredients.
- When the mixture is smooth, add the vanilla and whisk once or twice, to blend.
- Pour the batter into the tube pan and bake on the middle rack until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 to 35 minutes.
- Let the cake cool for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and cool on a rack.
- (This can be tricky – if someone is around, enlist them to help.
- Place a ring of wax paper on top of the cake so you have something to grab onto when turning it out.)
- Let cool completely.
- Meanwhile, melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler, then let cool to room temperature.
- It is very important that the chocolate and sour cream be the same temperature, otherwise the icing will be lumpy or grainy.
- (Test it by stirring a little of the sour cream and chocolate together in a bowl; if it mixes smoothly, it’s ready.)
- Stir in the sour cream, 1/4 cup at a time, until the mixture is smooth.
- Taste some!
- It’s good.
- When the cake is cool, you may frost it as is or cut it in half so that you have two layers (when I do this, I use 2 cups chocolate chips and 2 cups sour cream).
- My mother uses any leftover icing to make flowers on top.
- She dabs small rosettes, or buttons, on top, then uses toasted almond slices as the petals, pushing them in around the base of the rosette.
Temperature Parity
Achieving a smooth sour cream frosting requires bringing both melted semisweet chocolate chips and sour cream to an identical room temperature before combining them. Mixing ingredients at mismatched temperatures causes the cocoa butter to seize into hard, grainy granules rather than an emulsion. Test the blend by stirring a small spoonful together first; if the mixture remains glossy and uniform, proceed to add the sour cream in quarter-cup increments.
Storage and Aging
Resting this baked dessert in the refrigerator overnight transforms its texture, firming the crumb and deepening the cocoa flavor as fats resolidify. Cold storage benefits butter-heavy cakes by tightening the internal structure without drying out the crumb, provided the pastry is wrapped tightly to block refrigerator odors. Serve slices straight from the cold environment for a denser, fudgier mouthfeel.
Dietary Adaptations
Substituting standard dairy items requires careful fat matching to maintain the proper crumb density in the batter. Whole milk yogurt can replace sour cream in the icing if matched carefully for moisture content, though the acidity level may alter how the baking soda reacts. Ensure any liquid milk substitutions match the fat percentage of whole milk to keep the chocolate emulsion stable during the melting stage.
