You guys probably noticed, I’m on a bit of a pound cake kick right now. I’m not sorry.
Today, we’re venturing into chocolate pound cake. Just a twist on the classic, but similarly simple, lightly sweet, dense cake. Don’t forget that a great pound cake has that dark, sugary crust and this is no exception!
This makes a lot of pound cake. It’s a full 10 cup tube pan, or you can make it into two large loaf pans (but note that they should take a bit less time to bake).
What you should know about me is that I’ll eat cake in any form really. But pound cake is maybe the BEST form as far as I’m concerned, and you can do a million things with it. I’ve got recipes for a confetti version, chocolate chip pound cake, cookies & cream pound cake, and the classic on the blog, and I’m telling you right now, more will come.
Anyways, so back to this recipe. It’s really similar to most pound cake recipes, and I use dark cocoa powder for a chocolate flavor that really shines through. A bit of instant espresso powder and vanilla extract also bring out that chocolate flavor!
This is a great recipe for a crowd, and I think you’re really going to love it. Enjoy!
Chocolate Pound Cake
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups butter, softened
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 3 cups sugar
- 6 eggs
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 3 1/2 cups flour
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder, scant
- 1/2 tsp. instant espresso powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 cup dark cocoa powder
- 3/4 cup milk
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and grease a 10 cup tube pan or two large loaf pans. Set aside.
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In a large bowl, beat together the butter, sour cream, and sugar until smooth. Add in the eggs, two at a time, and then the vanilla, beating until the mixture is fully combined.
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In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, instant espresso powder, salt, and cocoa powder. Add the flour mixture in several additions to the butter mixture, alternating with the milk, mixing well between each addition. Beat until the mixture is smooth- the batter will be fairly thick.
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Pour the batter into your prepared pan(s) and spread evenly. Bake in your preheated oven for 60-65 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. (Note that loaf pans will take slightly less time to bake, start checking at 45 minutes) Cool and enjoy!
Hello and welcome! My name is Nicole, and Dough-eyed is a food blog for people who want to bake for their family and friends in high-altitude areas. Think of me as a friendly voice there with you in the kitchen, here to give you confidence when you’re baking, and to help you with the struggles of baking at high-altitude. Come back every week for new recipes, tips, and advice on high-altitude baking!
This was really good, thank you for the recipe! I used Dutch cocoa, but am just wondering what kind you used?
Hi Shelly! I'm glad you liked the recipe!! I always use Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder- It's my understanding that it is a blend of dutch and normal cocoa powder. Basically it's just widely available in grocery stores where I'm at, and the darker flavor makes chocolate baked goods taste a lot more chocolatey!
Would I need to adjust the temp if I’m not in a high altitude area? I’m in Alabama
Hi there- you will likely want to reduce the flour by 1/4 cup, and increase the leavening slightly, by about 1/4 tsp. As for the temp, I would not adjust, but your cake may bake faster (or slower) so keep an eye on it!
Did you use plain flour or self-driving flour in the cho.pound cake
Hi Mary!! This recipe uses all purpose flour!
I’m glad I kept reading to the end, I was about to use cake flour.
Did you adapt this for high altitude baking? I'm at 7600 feet.
Hi Patricia! All my recipes are high-altitude as I live in Denver! This should work well for you, but since you are a little higher up than me, you may want to add another couple tablespoons flour!
Hello! I want to make this recipe, I live here in Colorado.
I tried to make a similar recipe for a butter chocolate cake and I had it cave in a lot.
I did read that it can be affected by the altitude.
I was just wondering if this recipe can be used to make layered cakes?
Hi there! You should be able to make these as layers, though I've never done it myself. I would just watch the bake time closely as it will take less time to bake these, but I also live in Colorado so it is already adjusted for altitude for you!
I live in Virginia so not high altitude like Denver. Should I use less flour in this recipe?
Hi there- You would want to reduce the flour by 1/4 cup, increase the baking powder to 1 tsp, and reduce the milk by 2 tbs. Hope that helps! I am not at sea-level, so I can't test recipes for this, but that would be my recommendation.
How long do you let it cool in the pan before you turn out?
Hi there- I usually let the cake cool in the pan for 30 minutes before removing from the pan.