I wasn’t going to do it. Wasn’t going to write another Valentine’s Day post. I already tackled that last week with the hot cocoa/whipped cream heart business. But then this One-Bowl Chocolate Cake appeared in my inbox from Cheryl Sternman Rule, one of my favorite food writers, and I was worried you wouldn’t see it. And it’s just the sort of thing you would want to see, and perhaps bake for your loved ones, on Valentine’s Day. Plus, the holiday will be here and gone before you know it and you won’t have a better reason to get silly with chocolate for a whole year.
As the recipe name implies, the cake is easy to make, requiring just a single bowl, but the end result belies its simplicity: it’s plainly delicious. Everything about the cake appeals: there are no exotic ingredients to hunt down, only three weensy tablespoons of butter in the whole lot, and just enough cake to dress up a Valentine’s Day table (no chocolatey leftovers staring you down for days on end). The recipe appears to be fairly forgiving, too; I used Greek yogurt instead of sour cream (I had none) and substituted some brown sugar when I fell short in the white sugar department. You can serve it bare naked, make the quick chocolate glaze that accompanies the recipe, or get your crafty on and make a stencil heart using confectioners’ sugar as your “ink”.
For Cheryl’s One-Bowl Chocolate Sour Cream Cake, go here. If you aren’t in the mood to bake a cake (seriously? cake baking is the best mood elevator I know), you can revisit past Valentine’s Day posts including Lighter Chocolate Pot De Creme or Two-for-Two Cheese Souffle (recipe links and photos below).
One-Bowl Chocolate Sour Cream Cake:
Lighter Chocolate Pot de Creme:
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Find more of my breakfast, lunch and snack recipes and “how to” cooking videos at 
Thanks for this~~easy baking is my friend! And her recipes look really interesting. Your photos encourage baking. Happy Valentines Day!
Love you “stencil!”
Looks great! Too bad I’m too busy to bake even this… Maybe this weekend.
Pam
I’d say it’s within the skill level of your lovely daughters. Delegate!