Sour Cream Chocolate Loaf

Call me cliche, call me commercialized, I have also soaked up in the Valentine's Day atmosphere as my blogger baking friends have :) I thought for quite a while what to bake for Valentine's Day. I thought of red velvet and then thought about the red colouring *shrug* Then I thought of baking a cake in a heart-shaped pan *too common* ~shrug~

Finally I thought of this when I saw a blogger friend baked her loaf cake. You must have been thinking, awwww what is so special about the loaf cake?? You will find out soon enough :)

As my fingers ran through the index of cakes that I could possibly do for Valentine's Day from Carole Walter's Great Cakes, I thought of doing it the down-to-earth way by making something dependable and yummy which literally translate to tea cake :) Something that everyone can eat but yet have a pleasant surprise.

Ingredients:

2 tsp freeze dried coffee

1/4 cup boiling water

3 squares about 85g unsweetened chocolate, cut into pieces

200g sifted cake flour

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

113g unsalted butter

300g 200g caster sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

300g sour cream
1 frozen Sara Lee vanilla pound cake, sliced and cut into heart shapes with the heart shape cutter

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees celsius and butter a loaf pan.
2. Dissolve the coffee in boiling water. Set aside.
3. Place the chocolate in a small bowl and using the double boiling method, melt the chocolate over a pot of boiling water until smooth. Set aside.
4. Sift the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
5. Cut the butter into 1 inch pieces and put them in a mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Soften at low speed. Increase the speed to medium high and cream until smooth and light in colour for about 1.5 to 2 minutes.
6. Add the sugar, 1 tbsp at a time, taking about 6 to 8 minutes to blend it in well. Scrape the sides of the bowl when necessary.
7. Add the eggs, 1 at a time at 2 minute intervals, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. Reduce the speed to medium.
8. Blend in the coffee, melted chocolate and vanilla extract.
9. Reduce the mixer speed to low. Add the dry ingredients alternately with the sour cream, dividing the flour mixture into four parts and the sour cream into three parts, starting and ending with the flour. Mix only until incorporated after each addition. Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix for 10 seconds longer.
10. Spoon 1/4 of the batter into the prepared pan and arrange the heart shaped vanilla pound cake in a row. Remember to fit the heart shapes very closely so they will stay fixed. Pour the remaining batter all over the top of the heart shapes to fill the whole loaf pan to about 3/4 of the loaf pan.
11. Bake for about 40 to 45 minutes or until the cake just begins to come away from the sides of the pan and is springy to the touch.
12. Remove the cake from the oven and set it on the pan to cool completely.
13. This is luscious with sour cream chocolate frosting or even on its own.

This cake can keep up to 5 days in room temperature.

Check out my Sour Cream Chocolate Loaf. Ain't anything special, isn't it?

Wait till you see this!! Ta dah!!! Aww, a little special heart surprise for Valentine's Day!!. Happy Valentine's Day everyone!!! 

Psst, if you are curious where I got my inspiration from, this is where. Check out the link to see the step by step on how to make the cute heart in the cake.

I'm going to submit this post to Cook-Your-Books#9 hosted by Joyce of kitchenflavours.

I'm also going to submit this post to the valentine extravaganza organized by We Should Cocoa of Chocolate Log Blog and Random Recipes of Belleau Kitchen for February 2014.

I'm also going to submit this post to Tea Time Treats organized by Lavender and Lovage and The Hedgecombers hosted by Karen of Lavender and Lovage for February 2014.

I'm also submitting this to Elizabeth's Kitchen Diary for Valentine's Day Baking Inspiration and Bake Hop.

I'm also submitting this to Treat Petite organized by Cakeyboi and The Baking Explorer organized by Cakeyboi for February 2014.