Indulge in this decadent chocolate pound cake made entirely from scratch. With simple ingredients and easy instructions, this recipe is a must-try for any chocolate lover. This decadent Chocolate Pound Cake Recipe has a slightly dense, classic, velvety pound cake texture and pure butter flavor.
Enjoy this taste treat with a simple dusting of powdered sugar and a scoop of vanilla ice cream, fresh berries, or chocolate ganache. If you like this recipe, try my chocolate banana bread, chocolate zucchini cake, chocolate cream pie, and chocolate cherry cake.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
See the complete list of ingredients below on the recipe card.
- Flour: all-purpose or cake flour
- Cocoa: Use high-quality baking Dutch-process cocoa like Ghirardelli or Guittard. You can use regular baking cocoa for this recipe if needed, but the Dutch-process cocoa elevates it to the next level.
- Unsalted butter: Use good-quality unsalted butter, such as Land O Lakes, Kerrygold, or Challenge butter. If using salted butter, eliminate the added salt.
- Eggs: large ones, please
- Buttermilk: You can save money and make your buttermilk at home by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or 1 tablespoon of white vinegar to a cup of milk and letting it sit for about 5 minutes.
- Vanilla extract: use the pure stuff
Preparation Tips
This is the summary version; see the recipe card below for the complete list of ingredients and the instructions.
- Grease the pan well with butter and dust with flour or cocoa powder. Cocoa powder does not leave those white splotches on your gorgeous chocolate cake as flour does, but it can make your cake appear very dark, depending on the cocoa you are using.
- Pound cakes are easy to overbake. They are done when they reach an internal temperature of 210 degrees. An instant-read thermometer is an inexpensive kitchen gadget and a lifesaver for many recipes.
- Cool the cake in the pan for 25-30 minutes before inverting.
- Once inverted, fully cool before dusting it with powdered sugar.
- I like the simple powdered sugar dusting, but you can top it with chocolate ganache or a chocolate glaze.
How to Make Chocolate Pound Cake
Start by whisking the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt together. Then, set it aside for a few minutes. Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a hand electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium until pale yellow, fluffy, and light. This can take several minutes.
Turn the mixer to low and add the eggs one at a time, beating until incorporated. Add the dry ingredients and the milk in increments, alternating between the two. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beaters with a spatula when needed. Mix in the vanilla extract.
Pour the cake batter into a well-greased and floured Bundt pan and bake for about an hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool on a rack for 20-30 minutes before inverting it on a plate or cake stand. Let it cool for several hours before sprinkling it with powdered sugar. Slice and serve a la mode or with fresh whipped cream.
Store and Freeze
Store the well-wrapped cake on the counter at room temperature for 3-4 days. Storing the cake in the refrigerator dries it out.
To freeze, cool the cake thoroughly and double-wrap it in plastic wrap, followed by a layer of aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months, then defrost on the counter overnight.
More Cake Recipes
Chocolate Pound Cake
Ingredients
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- ¾ cup Dutch processed unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups unsalted butter softened
- 2 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 5 large eggs room temperature
- 1 ¼ cups buttermilk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10 inch bundt pan.
- Whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Set it aside for a few minutes.
- Using a stand or hand mixer beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until pale yellow, fluffy and light. This can take several minutes.
- Turn the mixer to low and add the eggs one at time beating until incorporated. Add the flour mixture and milk alternating between the two scraping down the bowl and beaters when needed. Mix in the vanilla.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 20 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack.
Notes
- Grease the pan well with butter and dust with flour or cocoa powder. Cocoa powder does not leave those white splotches on your gorgeous chocolate cake as flour does, but it can make your cake appear very dark, depending on the cocoa you are using.
- Pound cakes are easy to overbake. They are done when they reach an internal temperature of 210 degrees. An instant-read thermometer is an inexpensive kitchen gadget and a lifesaver for many recipes.
- Cool the cake in the pan for 25-30 minutes before inverting.
- Once inverted, fully cool before dusting it with powdered sugar.
- I like the simple powdered sugar dusting, but you can top it with chocolate ganache or a chocolate glaze.
Nutrition
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Catherine
This chocolate pound cake was absolute perfection! It was so rich, moist, and full of chocolatey goodness. I served it with a dollop of whipped cream, and everyone was impressed.
Beth Pierce
Thank you, Catherine! I love that cake, too!
LuAnn
I’m excited to make this recipe. Can it be made in a loaf pan instead?? TIA.
Beth Pierce
A 9×5 loaf pan holds 8 cups of batter and a 10 inch bundt pan holds 10-12 cups of batter. You can but you will have left over batter.
Cara
I’m not a pro baker but this turned out great! Instructions were easy to follow and love the tip about using a thermometer to avoid overbaking
Beth Pierce
Thank you Cara! I am so glad that you liked it!
Shannah
I love the richness of the chocolate in this pound cake. Using this recipe, mine came out perfectly.
Beth Pierce
Thank you, Shannah!
Janie
I never knew how easy this was to make! My cake came out moist and delicious. Brought it to work and they all finished it. Definitely a request for me to make again for the coworkers.
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Janie! I am so glad that your co-workers liked it!
Mylissa
This turned out delicious! I added a 1/2 Tsp of Espresso though. I haven’t glazed it yet but that’s going to added the extra sweetness I love!
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Mylissa! I am so glad that you like it! I love it too!
Margie McGee
What kind of salt do you recommend using…table, kosher, fine sea salt, Himalayan pink?
There are so many kinds now.
Beth Pierce
Just kosher salt or table salt.
Emma
Hi! Could I make this recipe as cupcakes instead? And do you happen to know a good recipe for a glaze to go on top? Thank you!
Beth Pierce
I have not tried this as cupcakes. I always hesitate to recommend something like that on a pound cake unless I have tried it.
Nancy
Has anyone made this recipe and baked in the mini Bundt pan from Nordic ware ? Wondered how many it would make and it cook temp/time would change
Marina Glava
I made this with GF flour and it was amazing. I will definitely make it again.
Beth Pierce
Thanks for the tip, Marina! So glad that you liked it!
Diana
I am looking for the perfect recipe to make mini bundt cakes. Have you ever tried it with this recipe? It looks so good! I have a vanilla pound cake I use for mini bundts. I was hoping I could bake this one the same way. Thanks.
Beth Pierce
I have never tried that, but I am sure it would work. Watch your baking time so as not to overbake.
Diana
So I went ahead and made 1/2 the recipe using my Wilton 12 cake mini bundt pan. Half the recipe made 18 mini cakes. They turned out delicious! So moist! I followed the recipe exactly, baked them for 15 minutes and they were done perfectly. This will definitely be my go to recipe for chocolate pound cake and the one I use for my party next week.
Beth Pierce
Awesome! I love the look of those mini bundt cakes. They are so elegant. I am so glad that it turned out well!
Lexi
This was amazing! Question: Do you use a glass or a metal bundt pan? And does it effect bake time?
Beth Pierce
I use a metal bundt pan. The standard advice for baking in glass is to lower the oven temperature by 25°F from what the recipe calls for and bake up to possibly 10 minutes longer.