Making the best chocolate pound cake is a life skill that will make so many people around you happy and I am telling you just how to do that in this recipe.
I always think of pound cake when I think of baking with my grandmothers and this chocolate pound cake recipe is one I think they would be proud of. Rich chocolate and a moist crumb make it perfect to pair with fresh strawberries or raspberries and a scoop of ice cream. This is a dessert that you will return to time and time again to make for every special occasion, it can be jazzed up so easily you will never run out of ways to make it more unique.
A Chocolate Lover’s Dream
Making a perfect chocolate pound cake takes a great recipe and following the instructions carefully. Even if a step seems unimportant, do it anyway; it’s all about the chemistry.
Just like making a gooey and delicious brownie or chocolate chip cookie, making a pound cake is a labor of love that is oh so tasty!
Other Dessert for Chocolate Lovers!
- Triple Chocolate Cupcakes will have everyone reaching for more with a soft and fluffy cake and a decadent chocolate filling
- You can make you own Chocolate Covered Caramels anytime you want and they make a great gift for friends and family members
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients: This is pretty much your standard cake list – flour, leaveners, salt, and cocoa powder for some chocolatey goodness.
Wet Ingredients: Again, typical cake ingredients, but with a BUNCH of butter… because it’s pound cake. I also love the addition of sour cream for a little creamy tang to the batter.
Chocolate Glaze: Adding the glaze is totally optional, but it will make your cake look EXTRA fancy! It also tastes pretty amazing with the dense pound cake.
How to Make Chocolate Pound Cake from Scratch
STEP ONE: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and Spray the inside of a silicone bundt cake mold with non-stick spray. Then combined the dry ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl. Set everything aside.
STEP TWO: To a stand mixer bowl, add the butter and sugar and beat until it’s pale and fluffy. Then add in the butter, sour cream, and vanilla before mixing until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time while the mixer is running. (You can also do this with a hand mixer and a large mixing bowl instead.)
STEP THREE: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Then pour the cake batter into the prepared cake mold.
STEP FOUR: Bake the pound cake for 70-80 minutes until a toothpick inserted halfway between the wall and tube comes out clean. Then take the cake out of the oven and let it cool completely. Then take the cake out of the cake mold.
STEP FIVE: If you want to add the chocolate coating to your cake, melt the chocolate chips and shortening together in the microwave. Then use a pastry brush to coat the inside of the silicone cake mold with the melted chocolate. Carefully set the cake back into the mold, lining up all the grooves.
STEP SIX: Freeze the cake for 2 hours to set up the chocolate before turning it out onto a plate. I like to add some fresh berries for a little garnish.
Tips for Success
- If you don’t have a silicone bundt cake mold, don’t worry! You can use a standar bundt cake pan to make the cake. Then pour the glaze over the cake and chill it until set. The stanadard bundt cake pans don’t release the glaze like the solicone molds to and it’ll be missing sections. (Been there, tried that.)
- Don’t over mix the batter! While pound cake is a little more forgiving than a standard cake, the batter only needs to be mixed until the dry ingredients are just incorpoarted. (Be sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl and fold in any flour hiding down there.)
- If there are any holes or cracks where the chocolate glaze is too thin after freezing, you may add another layer of chocolate by brushing the mold with leftover chocolate and placing the covered cake back into it and into the freezer to chill again.
What is the difference between pound cake and regular cake?
A regular cake, from scratch or box, is a lighter and fluffier texture with lots of air bubbles, where a pound cake is dense and has a fine small crumb. Pound cake got its name because when it was first being made you used a pound of each main ingredient.
What kind of pan do you use for pound cake?
Generally, you will need a tube pan or bundt pan, but a loaf pan will work too. This is a cake that will take on every nook and cranny of the pan it is baked in, so the fun shapes and designs are great for a pound cake. You can use a sheet pan too.
Favorite Pound Cake Recipes
Ingredients
Pound Cake
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ¼ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 ½ cups butter at room temperature
- ¾ cup milk
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 6 eggs
- ⅓ cup hot water
Chocolate Glaze
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips or dark chocolate
- 1 teaspoon shortening or butter
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 F. Prep a silicone bundt cake mold by lightly spraying it with baking spray to make sure there is absolutely no chance of the cake sticking. (see note)
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar together for 1 minute until fluffy. Add in the milk, sour cream, and vanilla and mix to combine. Add in the eggs one at a time while the mixer is still running, mixing until smooth.
- Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix for 1 minute. Then add in the hot water and mix for another 30 seconds.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake mold and place it on a baking sheet to keep the mold from wobbling. Bake for 70-80 minutes or until a toothpick inserted halfway between the wall and the tube comes out clean.
- Remove the cake from the oven and let cool completely in the mold on a wire rack.
- Once your cake is cooled, add the chocolate chips and shortening to a medium microwave-safe bowl. Heat in 30 second increments, stirring in between. Repeat until the chocolate is compaltely melted, about 1 1/2 – 2 minutes total.
- Gently remove the cake from the silicone mold and wipe out the cake mold to ensure it is clean. Pour the chocolate into the mold and use a pastry brush or the back of a spoon to spread the chocolate around the entire mold as evenly as possible.
- Carefully place the cooled cake back into the mold ensuring that you line it up with its initial grooves. Place into the freezer for at least 2 hours until the chocolate glaze is firm.
- Remove the chocolate-covered cake from the silicone mold and place it onto a large plate for serving. (see note) Cut into 12 slices and enjoy!
Notes
- If you don’t have a silicone cake mold, that’s okay. Grease and flour a standard bundt cake pan. Also, I recommend pouring the chocolate glaze over the cake instead of using the pan to “dip” the cake into the glaze. A regular pan doesn’t let go of the glaze the same way a silicone cake mold does.
- If there are any holes or cracks where the chocolate glaze is too thin after freezing, you may add another layer of chocolate by brushing the mold with leftover chocolate and placing the covered cake back into it and into the freezer to freeze again.
Peter says
Can I substitute an oil and water combination for the 1.5 cups butter?