Recipes

Rich, chocolaty and decidedly decadent, our no-fail sour cream chocolate cake is oh-so-moist and lactose free (thanks to our Green Valley Organics silky sour cream) and begs for a fork when topped with sweet-n-tangy cherry vanilla yogurt sauce. Share a heart-shaped cake with your sweetheart for the perfect way to say “I love you” on Valentine’s Day. Going gluten free? Simply substitute your favorite gluten-free all-purpose baking mix and one teaspoon xanthan gum for the all-purpose flour.

Makes one bundt cake or 8 heart-shaped cakes (using 1/2-cup batter for each cake)

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 2/3 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2/3 cup butter or non-hydrogenated butter alternative (like Earth Balance), softened
• 2 cups Green Valley Organics Sour Cream
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. almond extract
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (optional)

Chocolate Frosting Glaze

• 3 Tbs. butter or non-hydrogenated butter alternative (like Earth Balance)
• 2 Tbs. cocoa powder
• 3 Tbs. lactose free milk or soymilk
• 1 cup confectioners/powdered sugar
• 1 tsp. almond extract

Cherry Vanilla Yogurt Sauce

• 2 (6 oz.) containers Vanilla or Wildflower Honey Redwood Hill Farm Yogurt
• 1 vanilla bean, scraped
• 1 cup chopped dark cherries (frozen and thawed is fine)
• 1/2 tsp. almond extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour bundt pan.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
3.  In a separate bowl, combine butter, sour cream and eggs, beating with a hand or stand mixer until smooth.
4. Mix wet and dry ingredients together, and beat with a hand or stand mixer for 3 minutes. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 50 to 55 minutes, until a wooden skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Cool before removing from pan.
5. While cake cools, melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in cocoa and milk until smooth. Remove from heat, add confectioners sugar and almond extract and beat using a stand or hand mixer until silky smooth. Drizzle over top of cooled cake. Allow to set before serving.

To make the Cherry Vanilla Yogurt Sauce, whisk together yogurt, vanilla bean paste, cherries and almond extract. Refrigerate until needed.

Chef’s Tip: How to Scrape a Vanilla Bean

Slice the vanilla bean horizontally down the middle. Using a paring knife, scrape out the vanilla bean seeds from inside the sliced pods. Instead of discarding the used vanilla bean pods, tuck them into a cup or two of granulated sugar in a covered container. Allow to sit for a week or so and enjoy vanilla-scented sugar in coffee, hot chocolate, baked goods, sprinkled over sugar cookies, and more.

PER SERVING: 376 CAL; 7G PROT; 12G TOTAL FAT (12G SAT. FAT); 60G CARB; 76MG CHOL; 276MG SOD; 3G FIBER; 34G SUGARS