Chocolate Pound Cake Recipe
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A delicious Chocolate Pound Cake with a moist, rich, velvety texture and rich chocolate flavor. A must-make pound cake recipe for the chocolate lover!
This absolutely delicious Chocolate Pound Cake has always been my sister’s signature birthday cake.
As early as I can remember, my Grandmother Verdie would make her amazing Chocolate Pound Cake topped with her fudge icing (as shown) for my sister each year. It seriously was the highlight of my sister’s birthday.
At least for me, it was. And once you try this pound cake, you’ll know why.
Table of Contents
How to Make Chocolate Pound Cake
This pound cake is super simple to make and oh-so worth it too! It’s delicious with or without the fudge icing, but do me a favor and try it with the icing. Oh mercy is it ever a cake to remember!
Ingredients
Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full listing of ingredients, instructions, notes, and estimated nutritional information.
To make this rich, moist chocolate pound cake, you’ll need the following:
- Butter – Make sure the butter is softened to room temperature so that it incorporates well into the cake batter.
- Cream Cheese – I use full-fat cream cheese in this recipe to ensure the cake’s rich, moist, velvety texture. Like the butter, the cream cheese should be softened to room temperature.
- Sugar – I use granulated sugar in this recipe.
- Flour – I use all-purpose flour in this pound cake recipe. You can also use cake flour if your all-purpose flour is of higher protein content. If you don’t have it, here’s how to make your own cake flour.
- Cocoa Powder – unsweetened
- Eggs – The eggs should be at room temperature for better mixing into the cake batter.
- Salt – I use kosher salt.
- Vanilla extract
Step-by-Step Instructions
Start by letting butter, cream cheese, and eggs come to room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 325º F. Prepare your Bundt pan or tube pan with butter and cocoa powder, shaking out the excess, and set aside.
Prep Cake Pan
Use cocoa powder in place of flour to prep cake pans when making a chocolate cake. There won’t be white specks on the final cake when transferred from the cake pan!
Using an electric mixer, cream (mix) together butter, cream cheese, and sugar until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Then add one egg at a time, mixing until just combined after each. Do not overmix.
Add flour and salt and mix at low speed until combined.
Add the cocoa powder and vanilla extract and mix on low speed until well combined. Do not over-mix.
Spread into prepared bundt or tube pan.
Bake until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. This is about 1 1/2 hours. You can follow my tips for how to tell when your cake is done.
Let the cake cool for about 10 minutes in the pan. Then carefully transfer the cake onto a rack to completely cool, about 25 minutes.
After the cake is completely cool, place it on a cake plate. It is delicious as is, but I also love to serve it with Fudge Icing or a simple dusting of powdered sugar.
Serve and enjoy!
Tips for Baking the Best Chocolate Pound Cake
- Use high-quality butter such as Kerrygold, Land O Lakes, or Plugra.
- Use cocoa powder instead of flour to prepare your cake pan for chocolate cake. To prepare the cake pan, coat the pan well with softened butter. I like to use a pastry brush to make sure the pan is well coated with butter. Then sprinkle about two tablespoons of cocoa powder into the pan, making sure that the entire interior of the bundt or tube pan is well coated with the cocoa powder.
- Cream together the butter, cream cheese, and sugar until it is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. This ensures the sugar is well incorporated into the butter and cream cheese. Do not overmix!
- Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes and then turn the cake out onto the wire rack to cool completely.
Storage Tips
To store. Store the cake under a cake dome on the counter for up to 5 days.
To freeze. Cool the cake completely. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and then store in a freezer-safe zip-top bag for up to 3 months. To serve, thaw overnight and then slice and serve.
More Cake Recipes
The Best Chocolate Cake Recipe. Ever
Cream Cheese Pound Cake Recipe
Frequently Asked Questions
Over-mixing and too much leavening will cause a pound cake to fall. Be sure to follow the recipe instructions and measure your ingredients carefully.
Overmixing the butter and sugar can cause gummy streaks to form in your final baked cake. Make sure the butter and cream cheese are at room temperature and are mixed on low speed with the butter just until light, creamy, and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
So, here’s my Chocolate Pound Cake recipe. I hope it makes it to many of your favorite celebrations.
Chocolate Pound Cake Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (369 g) butter, room temperature
- 1 (8-ounce) package (227 g) cream cheese, room temperature
- 3 cups (594 g) sugar
- 6 large (300 g) eggs, room temperature
- 3 cups (360 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (42 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon (2.8 g) kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon (14 g) vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325º F. Prepare bundt or tube pan by brushing with homemade chocolate cake goop (pan release) or with butter and cocoa powder and set aside.
- With a mixer, cream together the softened butter and cream cheese with the sugar until it is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing each until it is just incorporated.
- On slow speed, stir in the flour and salt and then the cocoa powder and vanilla extract. Do not over mix.
- Spread the cake batter into the prepared bundt or tube pan.
- Bake until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean, about 1 1/2 hours, or until the cake reaches 210º F when checked with an internal digital read thermometer.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
I noticed there is no baking powder in this recipe, is this correct?
Yes, the recipe is correct, Angel. I hope you enjoy it – it’s been a family favorite for many, many years. Thanks!
How long do you mix the cake at the end? Should flour, salt and coco be sift together one or two times? The cake has a very good taste, when I took it out and let it cool the cocoa was at the bottom of the cake like it was done, I will try it again, I not sure what happen.
Just make sure the dry ingredients are thoroughly mixed together – there won’t be any cocoa or sugar on the bottom – it will be mixed together. Thanks!
Upon first reading THIS recipe I could not believe the amount of each ingredients. My curiosity resulted in using THIS specific recipe. OMGosh…you would not believe how delicious THIS bundt cake is! THANK YOU for posting!
I’m so glad you gave this a try and enjoyed it Danette! It’s been a family favorite for generations – in fact it is the cake my sister always requested my grandmother make for her birthday growing up. It’s amazing with the poured Fudge Icing over it too in case you want to give that a try sometime too. 😉
Thanks! xo
If not using a bundt pan, which is bigger. What size tube pan would you recommend? I’m dying to make this, I just don’t anything to overflow.
Thanks!
You know I have been struggling to make a chocolate cake I have a lot of attempts, bit they have not been successful. After trying this recipe, it was a hit. And I rate it to be the best number 1 thankyou.
I’m so excited it was a hit for you Henry! It’s a special family favorite for us! Thanks!
How many cups of cake mix does this make? I am making a 3d cake in a mold and need 6 cups of pound cake batter how many batches should I make?
Are you using unsalted butter since you are adding salt?
Do you not use any kind of liquid in this cake? It sounds good but sounds like it would be dry!!! Just wondering….i want to make this and make it my favorite go to!!!!
Hi Debbie!
There is no liquid added to this recipe. With all the ingredients – such as cream cheese, butter and all the eggs, it is definitely not dry. It is delicious when made according to the recipe and the ingredients listed. We’ve enjoyed this cake for many generations in my family and I hope you love it as well!
Thanks! xo
I made this for my church fellowship meal and it was very yummy despite my fudge disaster. Also, the cake looked deceivingly dry, but it was moist and dense. The fudge icing took longer than expected and really set up fast when done. I made the mistake of spooning it on and that was a huge mistake. What I ended up with was a volcano looking cake due to the uneven masses of fudge. I will use a candy thermometer next time and there will be a next time. This cake is a winner. Thanks Robyn 🙂
I’m so glad you liked it Morgan! This is one of my Grandmother’s delicious cake recipes that has always been one of our favorites! This is the one Grandmother made for my sister’s birthday most often.
As for the icing next time, I think if you start out pouring the icing onto the cake, that will help.
I hope you continue to enjoy it! It’s a special cake.
Thanks so much! xo
Hi, i love your recipes, it seems you make them with pleasure and love.
But i’ve an important question for this pound cake. Because i saw that you didn’t add baking powder or baking soda is that correct? i don’t need for this one! Thanks and have a good nighr.