This easy blueberry chocolate cake is a rich, moist chocolate cake studded with blueberries! It is generously frosted with a quick chocolate sour cream frosting.
This moist, rich chocolate cake is made more delicious with fresh blueberries baked inside! It is topped with creamy chocolate and sour cream frosting and sweet blueberry sauce.
This simple, pantry friendly chocolate cake is perfect for summer. Blueberry cake with chocolate frosting is perfect for chocolate and fruit lovers.
For more delicious cake recipes, try my chocolate persimmon cake, chocolate roasted pear cake, blueberry lemon ricotta pound cake and blueberry banana coffee cake!
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Why you will love this recipe
- This single layer cake is easy to make and decorate!
- The oil in the batter keeps the cake moist for days. Cocoa powder and hot water make the cake super chocolatey just like my heart shaped cake!
- Blueberries add pops of fresh, sweet flavor.
- This sour cream and cocoa powder frosting is luscious and slightly tangy flavor thanks to the sour cream.
- This optional blueberry sauce is super easy to make. It brings out the blueberry flavor of the cake.
Ingredients
Below are some useful notes about some of the ingredients for this blueberry and chocolate cake.
- Sour cream– Sour cream adds a slightly tangy flavor and creamy texture to cake and frosting. Use full fat, room temperature sour cream.
- Cocoa powder-Use unsweetened or Dutch processed cocoa powder. For more cocoa based treats, try my neapolitan cake and sweet potato chocolate cake.
- Hot water- Hot water brings out the flavor of the cocoa powder.
- Oil-Use a neutral oil such as canola or vegetable oil. I like oil instead of butter in this cake so that it’s more moist and spongy.
- Blueberries- Use fresh or frozen blueberries. Wash and pat dry blueberries before using. Remove any stems. Thaw and drain frozen blueberries before using. If you have leftover blueberries, try my baked blueberry donuts and lemon and blueberry muffins.
Please see recipe card below for full list of ingredients.
Substitutions & Variations
- Instead of blueberries, you can use raspberries or blackberries.
- Use unsweetened plain full fat Greek yogurt as a substitute for sour cream.
- Swap in olive oil in place of canola or vegetable oil.
- You can make this cake gluten free. Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour like King Arthur Flour or Bob’s Red Mill to make these gluten-free.
- The blueberry sauce is optional. You can leave it out or use store bought blueberry jam as a substitute.
Instructions
Here are the directions on how to bake this chocolate blueberry cake recipe!
Step 1: Pictured below. Mix the sugar and eggs with an electric mixer. Beat til mixture lightens in color.
Step 2: Pictured above. Add the oil and beat until incorporated. Mix in the sour cream and vanilla extract.
Step 3: Pictured above. Mix in the cocoa powder til incorporated.
Step 4: Pictured above. Add the dry ingredients. Beat in the hot water til combined.
Step 5: Pictured above. Fold in the blueberries until just combined.
Step 6: Pictured above. Pour cake batter into prepared pan. Bake 31-34 minutes. Allow to cool completely.
Step 7: Pictured above. Stir together the sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan. Add the blueberries and turn heat to medium low. Stir while cooking for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in the vanilla extract and cinnamon. Cool completely.
Step 8: Pictured above. Add the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Turn mixer on low and slowly turn it up to medium high. Beat 1-2 minutes until frosting is completely combined and smooth.
Step 9: Pictured below. Frost the cake. Spoon the blueberry sauce evenly over the frosting. Swirl with a toothpick or skewer.
Hint: Leave an overhang of parchment paper to make it easier to remove cake from pan.
Recipe FAQs
Store this blueberry chocolate cake in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Freeze the unfrosted cake in an airtight for up to 2 months. Defrost it in the refrigerator or at room temperature.
Expert tips
Spoon the flour into your measuring cup. If you dredge the measuring cup into the flour, the flour will become compact. This can lead to a dry cake. Check out this post on how to measure flour from Love and Lemons.
Clip the sides of the parchment paper. Use small metal (not plastic) binder clips to keep the parchment paper from touching the batter while baking.
Sift dry ingredients. Sift the powdered sugar and cocoa powder for the chocolate sour cream frosting. This will prevent lumps and make the frosting smooth.
More Chocolate Cake Recipes
Blueberry Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
Blueberry Chocolate Cake
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup oil canola or vegetable
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ½ cup sour cream room temperature
- 1¾ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup blueberries rinsed, patted dry, stems removed
- ¼ cup hot water
Blueberry Sauce
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ¾ tablespoons cornstarch
- ⅔ cup blueberries rinsed, patted dry, stems removed
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
- ¼ cup cocoa powder sifted
- 1 ¾ cups powdered sugar * sifted
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt to taste
Decoration
- fresh blueberries optional
Instructions
Blueberry Chocolate Cake
- Spray an 8 or 9 inch cake pan with baking spray. Line the pan with parchment paper. Leave an overhang on both sides to make the cake easier to remove from the pan once baked.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place the sugar in a large mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat in the eggs one at a time. Beat 1-2 minutes, until mixture lightens in color.
- Mix in the oil. Beat until oil is incorporated. Mix in the sour cream and vanilla extract.
- Mix in the cocoa powder.
- Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt just til there are no streaks of flour in the batter. Beat in the hot water til combined. Use a spatula to gently fold in the blueberries.
- Pour cake batter into prepared pan. Bake 31-34 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle of the cake.
- Remove cake from oven and place pan on a wire rack to cool completely.
Blueberry Sauce
- In a small saucepan, stir to combine the sugar and cornstarch. Add the blueberries and turn heat to medium low. Stir continuously for about 5 minutes until mixture thickens.
- Take off heat. Stir in the vanilla extract and cinnamon. Set aside to cool completely.
Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting
- Add all the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Turn mixer on low and slowly turn it up to medium high. Beat 1-2 minutes until frosting is completely combined and smooth.*
Decorating the Cake
- Frost the cooled cake with the frosting. Spoon blueberry sauce over the frosting. Use a toothpick or skewer to swirl the jam throughout the frosting. Alternatively serve the sauce alongside the cake or enjoy the cake without blueberry sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that nutritional values are created by an online calculator and should only be used as an estimate.
Nitika
How much does 1 cup measure in weight ?
Natalie
Hi Nitika, 1 cup of flour is 120 grams. Please let me know if you have any other questions 🙂 -Natalie
Andrea
wow! This cake is so delicious and the frosting on point without being too sweet. This will be going into my regular rotation of desserts.
Natalie
Hi Andrea! I’m so happy you enjoyed this cake and love to hear it’s going into your rotation of desserts! Best compliment 🙂 Thanks and have a great weekend.