Martha Stewart's Secret To Perfectly Moist Chocolate Cakes

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

With scores of cookbooks, magazines, and an active social media presence, domestic goddess and iconic TV personality, Martha Stewart, is teeming with tips for home chefs who want to take their cooking to the next level. Mastering chocolate cake is a great first step for those learning how to craft desserts, and Stewart's website features an easy chocolate cake recipe that makes quick work of the confection. The secret to her perfectly moist cake? Sour cream. Though "sour" seems counterintuitive to a sweet treat, this ingredient provides the right moisture and acidity for a fudgey chocolate cake with a spectacularly soft crumb.

This is one of Stewart's best tips for baking cakes because it's simple and effective. Per the video on her website, you can also try swapping buttermilk or plain yogurt in place of sour cream if you don't have it. The fat and acidic content of either is similar to sour cream and will also promote the same moisture and tender texture.

When combining wet and dry ingredients in your mixing bowl, it's important to alternate between adding flour and sour cream and ending with the flour mixture before proceeding. Much like making a flavorful substitution for the water in a boxed cake mix, adding sour cream or similar ingredients is a must for your scratch-made chocolate cake. The chocolate will mask the tartness of the sour cream while staying moist and delicious.

In addition to following Martha Stewart's number one secret for a perfectly moist chocolate cake, it's worth considering some of her other tips and tricks to dress up this easy recipe. For one, Stewart's chocolate ganache glaze is the ideal finishing touch on a moist and tender cake. Her two-ingredient recipe calls for half a cup of heavy cream and four ounces of semi-sweet chocolate, like Baker's Semi-Sweet Chocolate, and comes together in less than five minutes.

Additionally, her easy chocolate cake recipe calls for using chocolate shavings for serving. This will certainly give it a fancier aesthetic and level up both the overall taste and texture of the finished product. Stewart's recipe also notes that the shavings can be pressed into the cake to cover up any areas that the glaze doesn't perfectly coat.

With such a tender cake crumb and plenty of moist, chocolatey goodness, the dessert is sure to satisfy. A slice of Stewart's chocolate cake would go perfectly with a scoop of ice cream or a dish of fruit compote. It's also an ideal pairing with a cup of espresso as an after-dinner treat.