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Chocolate Pound Cake Recipe (Rich and Moist)
This chocolate pound cake recipe makes a tall, dense and velvety Bundt cake with deep cocoa flavor and a fine, moist crumb, finished with a glossy chocolate ganache drizzle. Like a classic pound cake, it gets its rich texture from butter, sugar and eggs creamed until fluffy, and a little sour cream keeps it tender for days. It slices beautifully, travels well, and tastes even better the day after baking.
Below you’ll find the ingredients with weights, step-by-step instructions, how to keep a Bundt cake from sticking, a marble cake variation, and storage tips. The printable recipe card is at the bottom of the page.
Why You’ll Love This Chocolate Pound Cake
- Rich but not heavy: deep chocolate flavor with the classic tight, buttery pound cake crumb.
- Stays moist thanks to sour cream in the batter.
- Simple ganache with just two ingredients.
- Make-ahead friendly, since the flavor improves overnight.
- Great for gifting and potlucks: a sturdy Bundt cake travels well and slices neatly for a crowd.
Ingredients for Chocolate Pound Cake
For the cake
- Unsalted butter, 1 cup (2 sticks / 227 g), softened to cool room temperature.
- Granulated sugar, 2½ cups (500 g).
- Sour cream, ½ cup (120 g), at room temperature.
- Large eggs, 5, at room temperature.
- Vanilla extract, 2 teaspoons.
- All-purpose flour, 2¾ cups (344 g), spooned and leveled.
- Dutch-process cocoa powder, ½ cup (42 g), plus about 1 tablespoon for the pan. Dutch-process gives a darker color and smoother flavor; natural cocoa also works.
- Baking powder, ½ teaspoon, and baking soda, ¼ teaspoon.
- Fine salt, ¾ teaspoon.
- Instant espresso powder, 1 teaspoon (optional; it deepens the chocolate without tasting like coffee).
- Whole milk, ¾ cup (180 ml), at room temperature.
For the chocolate ganache
- Semisweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate, ½ cup (85 g).
- Heavy cream, ¼ cup (60 ml).
Equipment You Need
- A 12-cup (2.8 L) Bundt pan or a 10-inch tube pan
- A stand mixer with the paddle, or a hand mixer and a large bowl
- A fine sieve for the dry ingredients
- A long wooden skewer, a cooling rack, and a pastry brush
How to Make Chocolate Pound Cake (Step by Step)
1. Prepare the oven and pan
Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C) with a rack in the lower-middle position. Brush every ridge of the Bundt pan with softened butter, then dust it with cocoa powder instead of flour, tapping out the excess. Cocoa won’t leave a white coating on the dark cake.
2. Sift the dry ingredients
Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt and espresso powder into a bowl. Cocoa clumps easily, so sifting matters here.
3. Cream the butter and sugar
Beat the butter on medium speed for 1 minute until smooth. Add the sugar and beat on medium-high for 5 minutes, until pale and fluffy, scraping the bowl twice. Beat in the sour cream.
4. Add the eggs
Add the eggs one at a time, beating for about 30 seconds after each, then beat in the vanilla. Scrape down the bowl.
5. Alternate dry ingredients and milk
With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, alternating with the milk in 2 parts, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix just until combined. Finish by folding a few times with a spatula.
6. Bake
Spoon the thick batter into the pan, smooth the top, and tap the pan on the counter a few times. Bake for 65 to 75 minutes, starting to check at 60 minutes, until a long skewer inserted into the thickest part comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. The center should read about 205 to 210°F (96 to 99°C). A crack along the top is normal.
7. Cool and unmold
Cool the cake in the pan on a rack for 15 minutes, then turn it out onto the rack and cool completely, about 2 hours.
8. Make the ganache
Heat the cream in a small saucepan or the microwave until steaming (not boiling) and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for 5 minutes, then stir until smooth and glossy. Let it thicken for 10 minutes, then spoon it over the top of the cooled cake so it drips down the sides. Let it set for 20 minutes before slicing.
Tips for the Best Chocolate Pound Cake
- Use room-temperature ingredients. Cold eggs, milk or sour cream can make the batter curdle and the cake dense.
- Cream for the full 5 minutes. That’s where pound cake gets its lift and fine texture.
- Measure flour and cocoa carefully. Too much of either makes a dry cake. Weigh them if you can.
- Grease the pan thoroughly with softened butter and a pastry brush to reach every corner.
- Don’t open the oven early. Wait at least 55 minutes before the first check so the cake doesn’t sink.
- Don’t taste the raw batter. The FDA advises against eating raw batter, since raw flour and eggs can carry harmful bacteria. See its guide to handling flour safely.
Easy Variations
Marble pound cake
Make the batter without the cocoa and espresso. Transfer half of it to another bowl and stir in ⅓ cup (28 g) cocoa mixed with 3 tablespoons hot milk. Spoon the vanilla and chocolate batters into the pan in alternating dollops, swirl once or twice with a knife, and bake as directed.
More ideas
- Mocha: increase the espresso powder to 2 teaspoons and add a pinch to the ganache.
- Chocolate chip: toss 1 cup (170 g) mini chocolate chips with 1 tablespoon flour and fold them in at the end.
- Two loaf cakes: divide the batter between two greased 9×5-inch loaf pans and bake for 55 to 65 minutes.
- Powdered sugar finish: skip the ganache and dust the cooled cake with powdered sugar.
Prefer a citrus pound cake? Try our 7 Up pound cake with lemon glaze, or the rich cream cheese pound cake.
Common Chocolate Pound Cake Mistakes
- Butter that’s too soft. If it’s greasy or melting, it can’t hold air when creamed, and the cake turns heavy. It should be cool and hold a fingerprint.
- Skipping the sifting. Lumps of cocoa or baking soda can leave bitter pockets in the cake.
- Overmixing after the flour. Mix on low just until combined to keep the crumb tender.
- Using a 10-cup pan. This batter needs a 12-cup Bundt or 10-inch tube pan, or it may overflow.
- Glazing a warm cake. The ganache will run off. Wait until the cake is completely cool.
What to Serve With Chocolate Pound Cake
- Fresh raspberries or strawberries and whipped cream
- Vanilla or coffee ice cream
- A cup of coffee or a glass of cold milk
- Toasted slices with a little butter for an indulgent breakfast
Leftover slices that have gone a little dry make an excellent chocolate bread pudding; use them in place of bread in our bread pudding recipe.
How to Store and Freeze
- Room temperature: cover the cake with a cake dome or plastic wrap and keep it for up to 3 days. The ganache stays soft at room temperature.
- Refrigerator: wrapped, it keeps up to 1 week. Let slices come to room temperature before serving for the best texture.
- Freezer: wrap the unglazed cake or individual slices in plastic wrap and then foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the wrapping at room temperature, then add the ganache.
Chocolate Pound Cake FAQs
Why is my chocolate pound cake dry?
Usually it baked too long or had too much flour or cocoa. Weigh the dry ingredients and check with a skewer from 60 minutes on.
Why did my pound cake sink in the middle?
It was probably underbaked, or the oven door was opened too early. Bake until a skewer comes out clean and the center reaches about 205°F (96°C).
Can I use natural cocoa instead of Dutch-process?
Yes. The cake will be slightly lighter in color and a little more tangy. The baking soda in this recipe works with either.
How do I keep a Bundt cake from sticking?
Brush every ridge with softened butter, dust with cocoa, and turn the cake out after 15 minutes of cooling, not much sooner or later.
Can I make chocolate pound cake ahead?
Yes. Bake it up to 2 days ahead, wrap it well once cool, and add the ganache on the day you serve it. It also freezes well for up to 3 months.
What’s the difference between pound cake and regular chocolate cake?
Pound cake is made with butter and a high proportion of eggs and sugar, giving it a dense, fine crumb. Regular chocolate cake, like our one-bowl chocolate cake, is lighter and fluffier.
Chocolate Pound Cake Recipe Card
Here is the full chocolate pound cake recipe in a printable card. Calories are an estimate per slice (1/16 of the cake, with ganache) based on USDA FoodData Central values. Find more ideas in our cake recipes.
Chocolate Pound Cake with Ganache
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Butter a 12-cup Bundt pan and dust it with cocoa.
- Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt and espresso powder.
- Beat the butter 1 minute, add the sugar and beat 5 minutes until fluffy. Beat in the sour cream.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla.
- On low speed, add the dry ingredients in 3 parts alternating with the milk in 2 parts, just until combined.
- Spread in the pan and bake 65 to 75 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs (about 205 to 210°F / 96 to 99°C inside).
- Cool 15 minutes in the pan, turn out, and cool completely, about 2 hours.
- Pour hot cream over the chocolate, wait 5 minutes, stir smooth, thicken 10 minutes, and drizzle over the cake.
