Classic sour cream cake

Step-by-step preparation

Cooking time: 1 day

1. STEP 1

   

   How to make a classic sour cream cake? For it you need to bake two biscuits. Measure out the required ingredients for the vanilla cake. Take large eggs, not lower than the first category.

2. STEP 2

   

   Be sure to sift the flour. For a classic sponge cake, the saturation of flour with oxygen is very important. This will increase the airiness of the sponge and its rise.

3. STEP 3

   

   Wash the eggs and dry them well. Carefully separate the eggs into whites and yolks. Not a drop of yolk should get into the whites, otherwise it will be impossible to obtain a stable protein foam when whipping.

4. STEP 4

   

   At high mixer speed, beat the yolks with half the amount of sugar and vanilla sugar for 5-6 minutes until a dense light mass.

5. STEP 5

   

   In a clean, dry, grease-free container, beat the egg whites with salt. Salt helps increase the stability of the protein foam. Begin beating on low speed until the whites thicken slightly. Without stopping whipping, add the remaining sugar in parts. Gradually increase the mixer speed to maximum. As a result, a stable, dense protein foam should form, which, when the container is turned over, is absolutely motionless.

6. STEP 6

   

   Fold the whites into the yolk mixture little by little. Do this with a spatula very carefully, scooping from bottom to top, to keep the whites as airy as possible.

7. STEP 7

   

   Gradually add sifted flour into the dough. I do this again through a sieve, thereby sifting the flour twice. Mix the dough carefully until it is completely homogeneous. There is no need to stir for a long time to preserve as much air bubbles as possible.

8. STEP 8

   

   The result is a homogeneous, airy dough.

9. STEP 9

   

   Cover the bottom of a baking dish (d=20-22 cm) with parchment. There is no need to grease the walls of the mold. This way the dough will rise better, as if clinging to the sides of the pan.

10. STEP 10

    

    Bake the vanilla sponge cake in an oven preheated to 180C for about 30 minutes. Do not open the oven during baking so that the biscuit does not collapse due to temperature changes. After baking, leave the biscuit in the switched off oven for another 10-12 minutes. Cooking time may vary, depending on the operating characteristics of your oven. Cool the finished biscuit and remove it from the mold.

11. STEP 11

    

    Prepare ingredients for making chocolate sponge cake.

12. STEP 12

    

    Combine flour with cocoa and sift through a sieve to increase its airiness and increase the rise of the sponge cake during baking. Then repeat steps 3-6.

13. STEP 13

    

    Using a gentle scooping motion, fold the flour and cocoa mixture into the dough.

14. STEP 14

    

    The dough turns out glossy, airy, homogeneous.

15. STEP 15

    

    Place the chocolate dough into a parchment-lined pan.

16. STEP 16

    

    Bake the chocolate sponge cake in an oven preheated to 180C for 30-35 minutes. Leave it to cool in the switched off oven for 10 minutes, then remove. Determine the exact baking time and temperature based on your oven.

17. STEP 17

    

    For the cream, use sour cream with a fat content of 15-25%. You can use sugar instead of powdered sugar, and vanillin is an alternative to vanilla sugar.

18. STEP 18

    

    Combine sour cream with powdered sugar and vanilla sugar. Stir. Leave until the powdered sugar is completely dissolved.

19. STEP 19

    

    It is advisable to allow biscuits to stand for at least 8 hours. They will become denser and will not crumble when cut. Cut off the tops of the biscuits and cut each into 2 equal layers. You can cut off the top of only one sponge cake, then the top of the cake will be convex.

20. STEP 20

    

    Start assembling the cake. Place the cake on a flat plate and brush it generously with sour cream. To keep the plate clean, I lined the edges with strips of parchment. This is not necessary.

21. STEP 21

    

    Place a different color cake on top.

22. STEP 22

    

    Assemble the cake, alternating the layers by color and generously brushing each layer with sour cream. Cover the top and sides of the cake with cream as well. Place the cake in the refrigerator for 6-8 hours to soak.

23. STEP 23

    

    Remove the strips of parchment. Decorate the sour cream cake as desired and to your taste. Cut the dessert into portions and serve. Bon appetit!

Comments on the recipe

Irina

17.08.2023

4.6

I’d like to start with a little backstory on how I came across this cake: my mother’s birthday was approaching and my little sister (she’s 9 years old) decided that we should bake something. Before this, I had only ever cooked cookies and muffins. But my sister wanted to please her mother so much that she raised the bar - let’s make a cake! There are a lot of recipes on the Internet “for beginners” that don’t look like that at all, with decorations, painting, and smudges. Despair was already starting to overtake us. Suddenly we came across this recipe! It seemed to us quite simple, but at the same time interesting in execution and design. To be honest, the first (light) cake did not turn out because of my mistake, because they forgot to add the second part of sugar (step 5), which is why I had to add it in step 7 and work with a mixer, after which the dough did not rise in the oven. I took this point into account when baking the second (dark) cake layer. It has doubled! My sister and I put together a cake and decorated it like in the picture. Mom was pleasantly surprised, she didn’t expect this from us, and the guests asked if we bought this cake. We made it in the morning, by the evening it had time to brew and soak. Despite the mistake made in preparing the first cake layer, the cake turned out tender, not greasy, and moderately sweet. The berries added a pleasant sourness. We also added vanilla sugar with real vanilla extract to the light cake, so it turned out to be a small black dot, which looked quite interesting. Almost the entire cake was eaten. The piece that remained sat overnight and became even more tender, melting in the mouth. Thank you so much for such a simple but delicious dessert!

•Ludmila•

17.08.2023

4.7

One of my favorite cakes! Check out this recipe for sour cream in a slow cooker!

Natalia M

17.08.2023

4.9

I love sour cream cakes and have always wanted to make a classic sour cream cake myself. Usually I bake one tall sponge cake and cut it into cake layers, but in this cake the cake layers are of different colors, I had to bake them separately) The composition is well balanced, the chocolate cake turned out to be as soft as the vanilla one. I didn’t have time to age the biscuits, so I assembled the cake as soon as the cakes had cooled. At the same time, they did not crumble, the knife easily cut the crumb. I cut off the tops for evenness, dried them in the oven and ground them in a blender. I used this crumb to sprinkle on the sides of the cake. For the cream I specifically chose fresh sour cream with a smooth consistency. I didn’t beat it for a long time so that the sour cream wouldn’t separate. I added a teaspoon of gelatin, previously swollen and melted, to the cream. I just like a denser texture, not much, just a little) I collected the cake in a ring from the mold and sent it to soak in the refrigerator for almost a day. I was very pleased with the result! The cut turned out smooth, clear, beautiful. It tastes great too. I like the combination of vanilla, chocolate and light sour cream) My guests also liked it, so much so that I didn’t even have time to take a photo of the cut) Excellent cake! I recommend!

Julia

17.08.2023

4.5

In order to bake a classic cake, it is enough to bake 2 biscuits and make sour cream, but I am not looking for simple ways and decided to complicate my task. I really love tall cakes with frosting and delicious cream and filling layers. In my recipe, I also used 2 Korzhs day and night, but added coconut flakes and 5 eggs to the light one. The cream in my recipe is different. The first is thick sour cream with boiled condensed milk and sour cream (it turned out very tasty), and the second with coconut flakes and cinnamon. A layer of cake made from chopped nuts and fruits (I use canned pineapple). I am new to cake baking and didn’t really believe in a good result, but in the end I surpassed myself. The taste is simply amazing. And the cream especially with condensed milk, it’s like eating delicious candy. I was inspired to bake a cake by this recipe and by chance I ended up on a confectionery website, where everything is explained in detail on how to do everything. The most important thing that I noted for myself is to understand the cooking process itself and be patient and everything will work out. Do not judge strictly. I'm still learning and I hope to do good work over time.

Julia

17.08.2023

4.9

Now I use these cakes as a base. They turn out very well for homemade cake. I made this option and a little other filler, everything turned out just fine. I really love tall cakes and I was looking for a cake like this for a long time and found it with you

Lyalya Turk

17.08.2023

5

I love this recipe so much, I’m making it for the second time. But I can't make it that tall. Everything is whipped up perfectly, whites and yolks, but perhaps you need a double portion or 4 cake layers? I remember my grandmother always baked biscuits from 6 eggs. Your opinion is important to me, please.