Dark Chocolate Snack Cake

The final dish
As seen on
Sarah Kieffer
Total Time
75 minutes
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
25 minutes
Rating
5 out of 5 stars
(3)

Ingredients

20 servings
  • 3 ounces 85g bittersweet chocolate
  • 1 cup hot water (hot coffee works, too)
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 3 large eggs room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 cups (284g) all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups (396g) granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup (75g) Dutch process cocoa powder
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 8 ounces (226g) semisweet chocolate, chopped
  • 1 1/2 cups (339g) 3 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons corn syrup
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups (226g) confectioners' sugar
  • Sprinkles if desired
AmericanDessertsKid-FriendlyBaking
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Preparation

Chef’s notes

This recipe makes enough for two snack cakes, and buttercream for two snack cakes. Both the cake base and the buttercream freeze well, so if you only want to serve one, you can freeze the other one (and half the buttercream) to use at another time. I would suggest freezing the cake layer and buttercream separately, and then assembling when they have come to room temperature (you will have to rewhip the buttercream a little bit before spreading).
You can also bake this in a 9 x 13-inch pan which will give you a nice thick cake, or a half sheet pan (12 x 16 inches, with a 1-inch rim) for a thinner cake (you might want to double the buttercream if you go this route, unless you want both to be a thin layer). If using these other pans, you can frost the cakes right in the pan and serve.
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