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The combination of cocoa, rye flour, brown sugar, and sour cream, infused with brewed coffee makes a rich rye chocolate sour cream cake. Full of deep chocolate flavor, this cake stays moist without being overly heavy. This versatile recipe can be baked as a single layer cake or a smaller three layer version, finished with a soft, not too sweet chocolate cream cheese frosting.

A three layered chocolate cake with chocolate frosting on a metal plate with a slice being pulled out in a pie server.

Serve this 6-inch layer cake at a small gathering of friends or dinner party where you don’t need a large multi layer cake. Impress you guests by serving a slice of cake with a couple scoops of my Homemade Salted Honey Ice Cream , the flavor combo is perfection.

Key Ingredients & Test Notes
cake pan sizes
Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
How to Make Chocolate Sour Cream Cake
Jenn’s Tips
Storage & Leftovers
Rye Chocolate Sour Cream Cake Recipe

Key Ingredients & Test Notes

All Purpose Flour: I use a flour with a lower protein of 10.5-11% for a tender crumb and moist cake.
Rye Flour: Adds a touch of earthiness that deepens the chocolate’s richness, creating a more complex flavor profile.
- Test Note: Its slightly lower gluten content compared to wheat flour gives the cake a tender crumb. If you can’t find rye flour, buckwheat flour offers a similar nuttiness, though it may result in a denser texture.
Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder: Alkalized to neutralize acidity, giving a deeper chocolate flavor to the cake.
- Test Note: Always sift your cocoa powder for even distribution and to prevents clumps from forming in the batter.
Dark Brown Sugar: Rich in molasses, dark brown sugar creates a cake crumb with more moisture and hints of caramel.
Fresh Strongly Brewed Coffee: Blooms the cocoa powder enriching the cake with chocolate notes.
Sour Cream or Crème Fraîche: Enriches the batter with extra fat and acidity, for a cake that stays moist for days.
Cream Cheese and Unsalted Butter: Whipped together with cocoa powder, honey, and confectioners (powdered) sugar, full fat cream cheese and European butter make a light creamy chocolate cake frosting.

Overhead view of two cake pans on a wire cooling rack filled with baked chocolate cake.

cake pan sizes

This chocolate cake recipe can be made as a single 9-inch cake or a three-layer 6-inch cake. I love the flexibility, it’s perfect for when you want a smaller cake or a simple one-layer option that serves a small group of friends, without a having a bunch of leftovers.

Three Layer 6-inch Cake

Divide the batter evenly between three 6-inch cake pans that are 2-inches deep.
The baking time is around 35-38 minutes in my oven at 325F (160C). Check for doneness at the 30 minute mark and adjust time as needed.
I first tested the batter in two 6-inch cake pans, which gave me two thick layers with domed tops. But since you’d need to trim those domes to stack the layers evenly, I found it easier to divide the batter into three pans instead. That way, the layers bake up flatter, and you don’t have to waste any cake by cutting off the tops.

Single 9-inch Cake

A 9-inch cake pan that is 2-inches deep will yield a medium thick single layer cake.
The baking time is around 38-40 minutes in my oven at 325F (160C). Ovens are different, so check for doneness at the 30 or 35 minute mark and adjust accordingly.

Slice of chocolate layer cake with chocolate frosting on a metal plate with a knife smeared in chocolate.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Since the bold chocolate flavor in this cake comes from Dutch-processed cocoa powder, enhanced with hot coffee, I wanted the frosting to be light and complementary. A dense ganache would possibly overpower the subtle rye flour notes. Chocolate cream cheese frosting that’s lightly sweet on the other hand is the perfect topper for our cake.

Make sure the butter and cream cheese are softened at room temperature so they’ll cream together without any chunks.
I always weigh my powdered sugar to be exact.
Honey is used instead of additional powdered sugar and to add a little liquid to make the frosting easy to spread.
Weigh and sift the cocoa powder for a smooth frosting.
If you would like a thinner frosting add a teaspoon of milk or cream at the end.
Taste your frosting and then add a pinch of salt, mix and taste again. Add more salt if needed to adjust the level of sweetness.
Cream cheese frosting will soften if it gets warm. Store frosting cake in the fridge before serving and don’t place it in the sun.

How to Make Chocolate Sour Cream Cake

A large bowl pouring wet cake ingredients into a bowl of dry ingredients.

Pour the wet ingredients mixture (eggs, sugar, oil, vanilla) into the dry ingredients (flour, rye flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, salt, baking soda, baking powder).

A hand mixing chocolate cake batter with a spatula.

Fold together using a silicone spatula to create a think chocolate paste.

A jar of coffee being poured into a bowl of wet cake batter.

Whisk in the hot coffee slowly to form a smooth batter.

A hand whisking sour cream into cake batter.

Stir in the sour cream or crème fraîche until smooth.

Chocolate cake batter being poured into a parchment paper lined cake pan.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans and bake.

A hand mixer beating chocolate cake frosting in a bowl.

Whip the softened butter and cream cheese together until fluffy. Add in flavorings, then powdered sugar until smooth.

A spatula smoothing cake frosting onto a single chocolate cake layer.

Spread chocolate frosting on the first cooled cake layer.

A three layer chocolate cake with chocolate frosting in between each layer, sitting on a metal plate.

Repeat with the next two layers of cake and frost the top and sides of the cake.

A three layer chocolate cake with chocolate frosting between each layer and not on the sides. The cake is sitting on a metal plate next to a chocolate covered knife.

Jenn’s Tips

Weigh the cake batter for even layers and tap the pans on the counter to release any extra air bubbles from the batter.
I always use baking strips to wrap around my cake pans for even heat distribution and more level tops.
Avoid overbaking the cake layers to keep them from becoming dry and crumbly! The cakes are done when the center sets and the edges start turning golden brown. Lightly press your finger on the center of the cake to test—if it feels slightly firm or offers a bit of resistance, it’s ready.
Allow cake layers to completely cool before assembling or the frosting will melt.
Bake cake layers the day before, once cooled wrap in plastic wrap and store them in the fridge until ready to assemble the next day.

Storage & Leftovers

Unfrosted Cake: Baked cake layers can be wrapped in plastic wrap and kept in the fridge or at room temperature for 1-2 days before assembly.
Frosted Cake: Is fine at room temperature for a couple of hours, but the cream cheese frosting will softened if it gets warm. Store frosted cake and sliced cake in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.