Birthdays and Sunflowers!

It was the lovely Ellen's birthday last week (yes I know, I've been lagging on my posts but my frog ECG lab was calling...) and I wanted to try out the silicone baking molds that Julia got me for Christmas! They're super cute and sunflower shaped, but they only really work for cakes and not brownies or cookies like I often make. 
It was lab report week so my cupboard was rather bare; I ran out of white flour and only had whole wheat, so I did my best to work with it. While I took the time to sift it and try to keep it from getting too heavy, it was definitely not the best consistency and actually ended up making the cake taste like cornbread...? Anyways, I think this would be a great recipe if you used white flour and made sure to load up on the chocolate chips. I didn't frost the finished product, just dusted it with some powdered sugar so you could admire the sunflowers on top! Happy birthday (again) Ellen :)
 


Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Cake
Adapted from allrecipes.com

1/2 C butter, softened
1 C white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 C sour cream
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 C all-purpose flour (sifted)
1 C chocolate chips

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9 inch pan or lightly spray a silicone mold with nonstick spray. In a small bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and chocolate chips. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light. Add eggs and mix thoroughly. Add sour cream and mix well. Add flour mixture and mix thoroughly. Pour batter into for 30 minutes or until golden brown and springy on the top (less time for cupcakes or smaller pans).