You probably know the feeling when the scent of freshly baked cake wafts through the kitchen and immediately evokes childhood memories. A chocolate chip cake combines precisely this warm nostalgia with the irresistible taste of delicate vanilla and chocolate chips. This beginner’s recipe is sure to transform your kitchen into a cozy little bakery.
Chocolate Chip Cake: An Easy Recipe for Beginners
Did you know that chocolate chip cookies are a U.S. classic? They were created back in the 1930s by Ruth Wakefield at her Toll House Inn, yes, that very Tollhouse! Wakefield’s recipe was an instant classic, and soon the simple recipe found its way to different desserts. Thus was born the chocolate chip muffin, pancake, and the like. Today we’re setting our sighs on the chocolate chip cake!
The ingredients for this recipe are intentionally simple: Butter gives the cake its moist texture, while eggs provide the necessary binding and flour forms the basic framework. Baking soda and baking powder ensure that the cake becomes wonderfully fluffy and sour cream makes it wonderfully moist. But the heart of the cake is, of course, the chocolate chips, which melt slightly during baking and help keep the cake delectably ooey-gooey element. Vanilla extract rounds off the taste and gives the cake a characteristically warm aromatic note.
Despite its simplicity, our chocolate chip cake is nonethless something very special. You can serve it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or enjoy it cold as an afternoon snack. You can play with texture by adding chopped nuts, for example. Feel free to experiment with different types of chocolate as well! Happy baking!
Sometimes baking can be a real cake walk, like with our red velvet cake in a jar, buttermilk lemon sheet cake, and Victoria sponge cake recipes. Try them out today!
Chocolate Chip Cake
Equipment
- 1 (9 x 9 in.) baking pan
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¾ cup granulated sugar & some more for sprinkling
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup softened unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips & some more for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line a 9×9 inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cornstarch, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
- In another large bowl, combine the sugar, eggs, butter, vanilla extract, and sour cream. Beat with a hand mixer on medium speed for a minute, until just combined. Be careful not to overmix!
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and continue beating on high speed for 2-3 minutes, until the batter lightens in color and is very well combined.
- Fold in the chocolate chips evenly.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and evenly spread it. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and a bit of sugar (about 1 tablespoon).
- Bake for about 35 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Crack open the oven door, to let some of the hot air out. Remove the cake and let it cool before enjoying.