I’ll admit it: I used to think sour cream belonged strictly on tacos. Then I started baking with it, and everything changed.
These 20 sour cream cakes are unbelievably tender and moist, packed with flavor. From fudgy chocolate to sunny fruit creations, you’re about to fall hard.
1. Salted Caramel Cheesecake
I can never, ever resist anything with salted caramel, and this cheesecake makes that weakness feel like a gift. Swapping heavy cream for tangy sour cream gives it this incredible depth and creaminess. Just
2. Banana Sour Cream Cake W/ Cream Cheese Glaze
Holy banana bundt cake, Batman! I’m not sure I’ll ever look at banana bread the same way. Sure, it’s fine, but why settle for fine when you can have banana cake?
3. Fresh Fig Cake with Crumb Topping
Don’t be deceived, this cake tastes nothing like Fig Newtons. Figs are a delicious fall fruit that are juicy, sweet, and have an earthy berry-like flavor. This cake has figs layered into the cake batter, so they'll really saturate the cake layers.
4. Passion Fruit Drizzle Loaf
This is the kind of cake you proudly gift to people you love. It’s simple and stunning, with that perfect balance of tender crumb and bright flavor.
You bake up a sour cream loaf, then poke it all over and slowly drizzle a sweet, tangy passion fruit glaze that seeps deep into every nook. The result is a beautifully saturated, irresistible slice of sunshine.
5. Easy Cranberry Upside Down Cake
Can we make a pact to bring this cake to holiday feasts? I’m not a fan of cranberry sauce on my turkey, but I can definitely enjoy a delicious slice of this moist, tangy, cranberry upside-down cake after a big plate of potatoes, stuffing, and gravy.
6. Apple Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Do you ever sneak a bite of dessert at breakfast, and feel a bit guilty? Well, how about you just make dessert for breakfast and call it even?
This apple coffee cake is heavenly. All of the flavor of apple spice cake, all of the moisture and richness of a sour cream cake.
7. Poppy Seed Cake with Dulce de Leche Buttercream
Poppy seed cake is quite popular in European countries, and after trying this, I can see why. I was blown away by how sophisticated this cake looked and tasted.
The textures, flavors, and layers were impressive alone and combined. The poppy seeds and walnuts in this recipe create a lovely texture paired with the soft, rich sour cream cake batter.
8. The Best Texas Sheet Cake
Is it just me, or did anyone else think these were just lighter brownies when they were a kid? Knowing what I do now about sour cream making for richer cake, it makes sense I thought this chocolate cake was a frosted brownie.
Texas sheet cake is a classic cake that calls in the sour cream and is prepped in a larger pan for feeding a crowd. The chocolate frosting is a must for topping this southern staple.
9. Sour Cream Mocha Cake
Words cannot espresso how delicious this cake is – oops I mean express! The mocha flavor of this cake is so gentle, so the espresso and bittersweet chocolate are able to work in harmony with the rich texture from the sour cream. If you’re looking for a sweeter or richer cake to serve, you could make a chocolate espresso ganache for the drizzle, or replace the bittersweet with milk chocolate.
10. Honey Vanilla Cake
If you’re looking for a less sweet, more naturally flavored cake batter, you've found it. Once the cupcakes were assembled and frosted, this recipe reminded me of warm milk and honey, and they were absolutely divine. You'll love how gently flavored these are with natural ingredients.
11. Sour Cream Blueberry Bundt Cake
Brunch is the best with a delicious blueberry bundt cake. Even better if that bundt cake is filling, light in texture, and rich in flavor.
Despite a longer ingredient list, this recipe is seriously so simple. You'll throw together sour cream bundt cakes on the regular after your first time making this recipe.
12. White Cake Recipe
If you ever plan on baking a child’s birthday cake, go ahead and bookmark this recipe now! This white cake recipe is absolutely perfect for coloring layers and customizing your cake. Kids will love how creatively you can decorate a white cake, and adult guests will love how delicious the cake itself tastes!
13. Glazed Sour Cream Gem Cakes
These gems are beautiful blossoms of the baked breakfast goods world. These are stunning personal cakes that are perfect to serve at any get-together, from breakfast to dinner. They’re a bit more tedious than other cakes, simply because of the ingredients list, but the glazes are stunning and well worth the effort.
14. Sour Cream Pecan Coffee Cake
This is a no fuss, classic coffee cake that never disappoints. You get those gorgeous ribbons of buttery pecan streusel layered through a thick, sour cream enriched batter.
And the best part? You can easily tweak the streusel ingredients to match whatever you’re craving. It’s simple and cozy, endlessly riffable.
15. Rhubarb Sour Cream Cake
Who needs rhubarb pie when you can have rhubarb cake? In all seriousness, this rustic and tart cake is a delicious summertime treat.
This cake is much less sweet than other cakes, due to the acidity of the rhubarb. This cake pairs quite well with a vanilla bean or ginger milk custard.
16. Sour Cream Chocolate Cake
I am absolutely powerless against a good chocolate cake, and this one completely owns me. It’s my go to for birthday celebrations, especially if I bake it a couple of days early because those layers stay impossibly moist.
No drying out here, just fudgy, tender crumb that makes everyone swoon. You’ll get endless compliments, I promise.
17. Cherry Sour Cream Cake
Don’t judge a book by its cover. This recipe is actually an almond sour cream cake with cherry filling and frosting.
The sour cream cake is incredibly delectable, and I enjoyed it without any frosting or filling. I imagine this would be delicious with mixed berry filling as well!
18. Norwegian Gold Cake with Sour Cream Ganache
I’m throwing you a curveball on this one. Rather than the cake itself featuring sour cream, the chocolate ganache does. The sour cream ganache is perfectly rich and smooth, and a delicious switch on traditional frostings for your cupcakes.
19. Red Velvet Sour Cream Cake
Making red velvet from scratch sounds fancy, but it’s shockingly easy. You’ll be amazed at how quickly you can whip up a showstopper.
The secret combination of cake flour and sour cream delivers layers that are light as air yet incredibly moist. Pair those ruby beauties with a luscious, sweet cream cheese frosting. You’ve got a slice of pure joy.
20. Strawberry Sour Cream Bundt Cake
I was taken aback by the delicate, gentle sweetness of this cake, in the very best way. It screams summer.
A tender sour cream bundt cake is dotted with fresh strawberries and finished with an easy powdered sugar glaze. Each bite is bright and soft, so darn good.