Chocolate Pound Cake
Last week, I posted a recipe for classic pound cake, which I think is an absolute staple recipe in the summertime. It’s perfect paired with fresh fruit and whipped cream. However, I have been trying to get a killer chocolate pound cake into my repertoire for quite a long time and have been disappointed with the dry, bland results that I had been encountering. My search is officially over – this is the chocolate pound cake that I’ve been dreaming of… it’s dense and buttery and still has an amazingly rich chocolate flavor.
Last year at this time, I could barely look at chocolate without feeling queasy, so the fact that I’ve posted two supremely chocolatey desserts in a row this week must be my way of making up for last summer’s chocolate shortcomings.
While I love a regular pound cake, I might not ever go back now that I’ve had this amazing chocolate version. It’s everything that a great pound cake should be – dense, buttery and moist – PLUS it has chocolate. So, in my book, it totally wins.
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While you could still certainly top the chocolate pound cake with fresh berries and whipped cream, I opted for vanilla ice cream and a cherry on top. Chocolate cake of any kind just seems like it screams for vanilla ice cream, so I oblige.
Here’s to a chocolate-filled summer!
One year ago: Peanut Butter Cup Icebox Cake
Four years ago: Roasted Banana Ice Cream
Five years ago: Buttermilk Biscuits
Six years ago: Cobb Salad
Chocolate Pound Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (64.5 g) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 2 ounces (56.7 g) milk chocolate, finely chopped
- ⅓ cup (83.33 ml) boiling water
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (55 g) light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 5 eggs, at room temperature
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour 8½x4½-inch loaf pan.
- In a small bowl, stir together the flour and salt.
- In a medium bowl, place the cocoa powder and chocolate. Pour the boiling water over the cocoa and chocolate and stir until the chocolate is melted and there are dry streaks of cocoa powder. Let cool for 5 minutes.
- Using an electric mixer, beat the butter, both sugars, vanilla and the chocolate mixture on medium-high speed until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time and beat until combined. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture in 3 additions, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Give the batter a final stir by hand using a rubber spatula (the batter may look a little curdled).
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and gently tap the pan on the counter to release air bubbles. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before serving, about 2 hours. The cake should be wrapped in plastic wrapped and stored at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
I have searched all these years for a chocolate pound cake like my Aunt used to make.
Moist, but dense. Chocolatey, but not extremely sweet. Solid, but not dry.
Thank the gods I’ve found it!
Thank You for sharing.
It is so perfectly delicious!
I serve it with fresh strawberries and fresh whipped cream.
Amazingly moist cake with the finest crumb- so yummy!!!
Is this chocolate pound cake recipe suitable to use for a lamb cake or will it not be dense enough to stand up? Also, would I need to double the recipe?
Re the problem with the 1/3 c water not being enough liquid for the cocoa and chocolate: I heated 1/3 c (I used almond milk rather than water for a little more flavor) and added it just to the chocolate. Then I added the 3/4 c cocoa with the flour and sifted them. That’s the usual way to incorporate cocoa when flour is involved, and it came out great. I also loosely tented the cake with foil the last 15 mins to hero the top from being too dry.
My family and I LOVE this recipe- always moist and full of chocolatey goodness! It has been my go-to recipe for 3 Christmasses in a row now and my family has also used it for birthday cakes too.
So GOOD- thank you Michelle! :-))
I used this to make chocolate petit fours by baking it in a 10×10 pan. Perfect!
I made this cake today…..it came out well….every one in my family liked it….As I didnt get dutch processed cocoa here i used natural cocoa. So i added half tsp of baking soda with it. For enhancing coco flavour also added 1 tsp instant coffee powder. I got the exact texture of cake as in your picture. Thank u very much for sharing the wonderful receipe.
This cake is so yummy with dense chocolate flavor.I added 1 tsp.expresso powder.Thank you!
Can I substitute butter with oil?
I do not recommend that substitution.
I had to use bitterseet chocolate as can’t go to the store, Do you think it will come out okay. It’s now in the overn. Hoping its okay.
This is the BEST chocolate pound cake I’ve ever tested. I used the 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pan (goldtouch William Sonoma 1 lb. pan) and it worked out fine with no batter running out. I used the metric measurements with a scale. Also I added 1 teaspoon of espresso powder to enrich the chocolate flavor. The crumb is tight and like velvet. Make sure your butter and eggs are at room temperature and you won’t get any curdling in the batter. Thanks Michelle.
I love this cake and have made it several times but am now unable to find milk chocolate baking bars. Can I substitute chips?
Yes, you definitely can!
I would love to make this in a bundt pan for a bridal shower I am hosting this weekend. Would you recommend doubling the recipe for a bundt pan?
Hi Christie, Yes, I would double!
The Chocolate Pound Cake recipe does not specify the size eggs used and I don’t know if it really makes a difference. I only have extra large eggs and was wondering if it would be okay to use the 5 or should I reduce it to 4 eggs? Thanks you.
Hi Dawn, If not specified here, aways large eggs. As for your question, I think using the 5 eggs would be fine.
New to baking here, how precisely should one rotate the pan while baking? My fiance has talked about certain cakes needing turned on their sides(not while baking though, I think) and I want to make sure I understand the instructions completely before I attempt the recipe and potentially mess it up.
Hi Allison, You just essentially “spin” it 180 degrees so the part of the pan that was facing the front of the oven is now facing the back. Make sense?
Hi!! I was excited to try a new chocolate pound cake recipe and made yours this morning. I planned to give it to A friend who loves chocolate pound cake. I was disappointed when I took it out of the oven after an hour to find that the top is kind of crisp, I guess, for lack of a better word. I had not expected that and had the same thing happened with a different pound cake recipe. Can you provide any suggestions to avoid this from happening?
Hi Eileen, You could try tenting it with foil after it’s been in the oven for 30 minutes or so to try to keep the top from getting crisp. And if you don’t have one already, I would recommend getting an oven thermometer just to be sure that your oven temperature is correct.
Thank you so much, Michelle. I have a new-to-me stove, so although the oven has seemed to work well so far, it’s a good idea to invest in a thermometer.
My husband loves ice cream cakes. His birthday is coming up in a couple weeks and I’m making this cake, slicing it lenghwise and putting Wegman’s Raspberry Chocolate Swirl ice cream between the layers. Anything raspberry is his favorite! Can’t wait to taste it!
Suellen, I’m just reading through all the comments because I am also looking for a chocolate pound cake to make my daughter her favorite birthday treat for which I usually use a vanilla pound cake. This year she requested chocolate hazelnut!
We’re you happy with this cake as a base for your ice cream cake? Did you follow the directions exactly?