Sandi's Chocolate Chip Sour Cream Cake

This sour cream cake has a sneaky layer of chocolate chips hidden in the middle. Half the batter goes into a greased tube pan, a thick blanket of chocolate chips covers it, then the rest of the batter goes on top with more chips and cinnamon sugar sprinkled over the surface.

Sour cream is what makes this cake so dense and moist. It adds fat and acidity that keep the crumb tender and prevents it from drying out even after a couple days. The batter is thick and rich, more like a pound cake than a fluffy layer cake.

That cinnamon sugar topping gives the crust a sweet, lightly spiced crackle. When you slice into it, the melted chocolate chip layer in the center is a welcome surprise.

Pro Tips

• Use room-temperature butter, eggs, and sour cream for the smoothest batter. Cold ingredients won’t cream properly and can leave lumps.
• Pack the chocolate chips almost edge to edge over the first layer of batter. Don’t be shy. A sparse middle layer defeats the purpose.
• Test with a cake tester or toothpick at 40 minutes. The tester should come out clean, not wet. A few crumbs are fine.
• Let the cake cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes before turning it out so it doesn’t break apart.

Variations

• Use mini chocolate chips for more even distribution through the batter layers.
• Add chopped walnuts or pecans to the chocolate chip layer for crunch.
• Swap cinnamon sugar for a streusel topping of butter, flour, and brown sugar for a coffee cake finish.