My grandmother knew what she was doing with this Chocolate Pound Cake recipe. Soft and tender with a perfectly crunchy crust, it’s a classic recipe that isn’t too chocolatey.
Thumbing through a binder of recipes Mom has kept in her kitchen for decades, I came across this Chocolate Pound Cake recipe scrawled in my grandmother’s perfectly imperfect handwriting.
Soft and tender with a perfectly crunchy crust, it’s a classic recipe that isn’t too chocolatey.
Keep in mind this recipe calls for a 10-12 cup capacity bundt pan and many of the newer, more decorative pans aren’t as big. If you opt for a different size pan, be sure to never fill it more than 2/3 of the way full. Better yet, also pop the pan on a rimmed baking sheet before sticking it in the oven just in case it overflows. It’s a whole lot easier to clean that pan than it is to clean the oven! Regardless, it’s best in bigger pan.
It’s worth noting… Pound cakes don’t always turn out perfectly. We operate in a pretty controlled environment and have some serious recipe development experience under our belts, but things don’t always turn out as planned.
In fact, we had a little trouble getting this cake to release from the pan. We tried all types of bundt pans from brand new nonstick pans to 30-year-old pans from my grandmother. I tested every tip, trick, and suggestion out there. We used baking spray with flour, shortening and flour, shortening and sugar, butter and flour, even cake goop (a homemade cake release).
How do I keep my pound cake from sticking?
In our testing, we found the newer pan that was greased with shortening and flour to offer the best results. While the grease and flour method has produced similar positive results in the past for us, I usually have better results with cake releasing from the antique pans over the new ones.
I’ve been racking my brain as to why this is the case, but can’t seem to be able to put my finger on it. Baking isn’t my strongest area, so maybe some of the more experienced bakers can chime in and help us out a bit in the comments below.
Perfect Pound Cake Tips
- Make sure your ingredients are at room temperature. This allows the cake ingredients to emulsify together.
- Make sure to measure your flour correctly. The method I recommend is to spoon the flour into a dry measuring cup and then use the back of a butter knife to level off the flour in the cup.
- Cream the fat and sugar together very well. The process typically takes about 5 minutes. Yes, five whole minutes.
- Don’t over mix after adding the eggs. Once the eggs go into the batter, you want to mix just enough to get everything combined, but not too much. Whipping too much air into the batter can cause the cake to overflow and eventually fall.
- Be sure to pick the right pan and grease and flour it well. I typically use a paper towel to smear vegetable shortening on the entire pan surface, dust the pan in all-purpose flour, and shake the excess flour out. Many have had success using homemade cake release. To do this, simply mix equal parts of all-purpose flour, vegetable shortening, and vegetable oil together until smooth and use a pastry brush to coat the pan before adding the batter. Extra release can be store in the fridge in an airtight container for several months.
- Make sure the cake is done. The cook time will vary based on the specific oven, pan type, etc. The cake should be golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean. A few moist crumbs are ok. I typically like to also temp my cakes using an instant read thermometer. I shoot for between 208°F and 210°F.
Try a few of my other pound cakes…
Recipe Card
Nana’s Chocolate Pound Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
- 3 cups sugar
- 5 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 cups milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease and flour a 10 to 12 cup bundt pan.
- Cream the butter, sugar, and shortening together for about 3 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time and beat well.
- Sift the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Add the dry ingredients alternately with milk, being sure to blend well.
- Add vanilla extract; mix well.
- Pour into the prepared pan, being cautious not to overfill the pan, and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool for about 15 minutes then invert onto a serving platter.
Notes
Nutrition
* If nutritional values are provided, they are an estimate and will vary depending on the brands used. The values do not include optional ingredients or when ingredients are added to taste. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, I recommend grabbing your favorite brands and plugging those ingredients into an online nutritional calculator.
Elizabeth
Cake was delicious! Only thing, I had to bake it for 1 1/2 hours before toothpick came out remotely clean. I used a 2 piece tube pan. My oven temps are ok, as I make other cakes, breads and cookies.
Great flavor and texture, just had to adjust time considerably. Next time I’ll raise temperature some.
So glad to hear you enjoyed it! And thanks for the note about using the tube pan. Was it a light-colored or dark-colored pan?
Jackie Clifton
I made this tonight for my birthday. I was looking for the chocolate pound cake my mom made when I was a kid in the 60s. This is really close! Hers was a bit denser, but this cake has that same gentle chocolate flavor and lovely crust. I used a thin chocolate glaze on top and added some fresh strawberries on the side with some vanilla ice cream. What a perfect birthday treat!
I’m so glad you found something to give you a taste of nostalgia, Jackie! Happy Birthday!
Dawn Hovis
I made this chocolate pound cake last night after a day of making other types of pound cakes. And this was the best one! It came out of the pan perfect! And the taste was great. This will definitely be a go to recipe from now on. Thank you!
This is beautiful, Dawn! So, so happy to hear it turned out so well for you!
Crystal
Question for ya before baking..do you combine and cream together only the sugar and butter for “5 minutes” as mentioned in details in the post, or do you combine and cream together the sugar, butter, AND shortening for only “3 minutes” as mentioned in the recipe card? Thanks so much!
Butter, shortening, and sugar all get creamed for 5 minutes. Hope that helps!
Angela Bailey
Can you add chocolate chips?
I’ve not done that, but I don’t see why not.
Mona
Wondering if I could use buttermilk instead of regular milk??
I don’t see why not. If you’re using whole buttermilk, it can be a bit thicker, so you might need a little more.
Nancy Moore
This is the only recipe I use for chocolate pound cake. If you keep it wrapped in aluminum foil it will stay moist for a long time. However, if anyone knows you have this cake on hand, it will be joyously eaten in the blink of an eye!
Ha! Thanks so much, Nancy!
Robin Thompson
Any recommendations for making this at 6000 feet of elevation?
I’ve got zero real-world experience with high-altitude baking, but at 6,000 feet in a Bundt pan, my best guess is to cut the baking powder back a bit, I’d try 1 1/2 teaspoons instead of 2, bump the oven temp up about 15 to 25 degrees, and start checking for doneness a little earlier than usual. If it seems a tad dry up there, add 1 to 2 tablespoons extra liquid to the batter next time.
Theresa Hurst
Hi there! I’m making this today and wanted to ask which cocoa powder to use? Regular Hersey, special dark Hershey or a Dutch Process like Valhrona? I have all three but wanted it to taste like an old fashioned version., which I think it lighter in color. I made a mile high PC that called for 1-1/2 cup Dutch process and it was too dark! But I think I could use 1/2 cup and be ok?
Hey, Theresa! If you’re aiming for that old-fashioned flavor, I’d suggest going with the regular Hershey’s cocoa powder. It’ll give you that classic taste and lighter color. Using 1/2 cup of Dutch process could work too, but it might still lean a bit darker. Good luck with your baking!
Deborah Sammons
I’ve been searching for a good chocolate pound cake recipe. I’ve found it in this one thanks so much
That is a beaut, Deborah! So glad you found “the one”!!
Renee
Hi Stacey I meant to ask if I could use this recipe but omitt the chocolate and about how much vanilla flavor? because I figure that using the shortening will make a moist cake and by the way love this recipe.
I’ve only made this particular recipe this way, so I just can’t say for sure. If I were to guess, I’d say you’d want to replace the 1/2 cocoa powder with 1/2 cup additional flour and use about 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract.
Renee
Love this recipe but how can I do a plain vanilla pound cake
This is my favorite pound cake. It calls for almond and vanilla, but you can just use all vanilla, if you’d like.
Denise Davis
Great recipe! Followed the directions and my cake turned out perfect. I used PAM with flour to coat my pan, release was easy after 15 minutes out of the oven.
Thanks so much, Denise! It looks absolutely perfect!
Susan
Is there a substitute that can be used for the vegetable shortening?
You *can* use all butter, but the texture will be a bit different.
Dianne Moody
Hi Stacey, I’ve made a few pound cakes following your recipes, and they turned out great. . Now, I want to get a little more creative. I want to put a white swirl in it, do you think that’s possible?
Thanks, Dianne! I suppose you could! I’d mix up the batter minus the cocoa powder, reserve some batter out, then add the cocoa powder to the remainder, then swirl the two batters together. Let me know if you try it!
CLAIRE BREAKFIELD WOOD
This was my husband’s grandmother’s “signature cake”. She often sent it to her grandchildren for their birthdays and Christmas when they were living away from home.
I inherited this recipe and have made this cake at least 4 times a year since 1989. It is a wonderful recipe! I usually add 2 squares of baking chocolate to it for extra chocolate oomph.
Great tip with the extra chocolate! Thanks for sharing!
Michelle
I’ve made this twice now in less than a month. The first time, the family devoured it, and my daughter asked for it as her birthday cake. This is amazing! I added additional vanilla (Watkins pure vanilla), and I substituted 2 cups of white sugar for 2 cups of packed, dark brown sugar. I think the dark brown sugar takes this to a whole new level. I’m serving with a little drizzle of chocolate ganache, strawberries and ice cream. Mooo! I would recommend serving warm, if possible as soon as you flip out of bundt. Thanks for a fantastic recipe, it’s a definite keeper!
So glad you’ve gotten some great use out of this one!! The brown sugar sounds great!
Shannon
Hi, two questions
1. Can I increase the cocoa to 3/4 cup and if so should I reduce the flour by a 1/4 cup?
2. Can I use heavy cream or half and half in place of the milk?
Yes and there’s no need to reduce the flour amount. And you can use half and half in place of the milk. Hope it turns out great for you!
Becky Smith
I have is salted butter, do you think I could omit or cut back on the salt that you add with the flour mixture? Like back to 1/4 tsp? Making this for a Christmas church bake sale…I may have to buy it myself since I love pound cakes!
It’ll be fine, Becky. Maybe a little less sweet, but there’s no sense in having to go to the store just for that.
Marcia
Could I use half cup of avocado oil instead of Crisco Thank you !!!
I’ve not tried that so I can’t say for sure.
Jeanette Whitfield
Oh my goodness! I bet it would be especially good with some caramel icing =)
Melissa Souther
The cake blew up in my oven. I have never had this happen before and pride myself on my baking. I think the 2 teaspoons of baking powder is too much. However, several folks have written in that it was great, so maybe my baking mojo is off. The other recipes use call for 1/2 teaspoon. I also measure my flour 2x . Oh well, live and learn! I’ll bake another tomorrow. Merry Christmas!
What do you mean by “blew up”?
Shirley Young
I cooked this cake for my husband at thanksgiving. Of course I had to get a piece or two. It is awesome
So glad y’all enjoyed it, Shirley!
Lisa
I hesitate to use shortening and have eliminated it from all my recipes. My mother passed down a pound cake recipe that called for shortening & I just used butter instead with success. I suppose I could do the same here, yes? Thank you.
I’m not sure. Butter has a water content that shortening doesn’t, so usually you’d have to use more butter than shortening if swapping it out. What’s your hesitation in using shortening?
Angie Jenkins
Real butter?
Yeah, I think that’s best.
Jan
It says to add the dry ingredients alternately with the milk. Do you mix the dry ingredients together first?
Yep!
Jennifer
Go Nana! This is the best cake ever!
Thanks!
Ha! I’ll pass that along! Glad you enjoyed it!!
Holly
Are you sure it’s just 1/2 cup of cocoa? I’m making this now, and it doesn’t look as chocolatey the picture shows.
It bakes much darker.
SUSIE STUBBS
I baked this cake this past weekend and it was a huge hit with everyone that had a piece.
I followed the directions exactly as posted and it turned out beautifully!!! No flops or explosions as stated in some of the other comments. Bake this cake ….. it is absolutely awesome.
Susie
Thanks, Susie! I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it! You know, there are so many things that can go wrong when baking a cake and folks seem to always blame the recipe first. 🙂
T. Black
How much vanilla. It says in the instructions but not in the ingredients.
It’s 1 teaspoon
Laurie Fancy
Hello, Stacey:
How much is 2 sticks of butter? Is that 1 cup or 1/2 pound?
Thank you!
It’s 1 cup. Enjoy!
Helen
Stacey you have the patience of Job. Good job!
🙂
Denise
Can you make this in a regular loaf pan?
Yes, but it will take several pans. Make sure not to fill them anymore than about 2/3 full.
Kimi
Thank you for sharing your Nana’s recipe! It is currently in the oven! A couple things I wanted to share about my experience so far:
A little specification on the butter would be nice–softened? Salted/unsalted? I noticed the vanilla extract dropped off the list on the printable recipe summary. I almost forgot it! Luckily it was listed previously in the post so I just referenced that for the amount of vanilla to use.
The recipe states a “large” bundt/tube pan, but I think it would be a good idea to share the dimensions of the pan (9″/10″/etc.) you personally use. I used a 9″ tube pan and I am currently keeping a close eye on it because there’s 25 mins left and it looks like it may spill over. It’s kind of doing a “soufflé” thing right now—it’s actually pretty cool lol.
I couldn’t help but to taste the batter and it tastes amazing!!! I cannot wait to eat a slice!!!
I may or may not have licked the extra batter out of the mixing bowl 😀
Totally agree. We’ll get those adjustments made. Hope you enjoy!
Diana
If I use cake flour, do I need to change anything else?
No, it should work just fine.
Leonard Overton
I, love to bake I added this one to my collection of Choc.pound cakes.I baked in Toffee bits.And drizzle with brown sugar Carmel.Thank You.
That sounds amazing!
Melanie Turtletaub
My mother made this cake every Christmas,, it’s a family favorite! The only thing is she said to use Swans Down floor. So yummy!
Yum! 🙂
Amy
can I use this recipe and bake in 2 8″ round pans instead of a bundt? Thank you.
It might be a bit too much batter for 2 pans. You might need 3.
Cindy
2 tsp of baking powder? The cake exploded in my oven! Talk about a mess and a waste.
Oh no! I hate to hear that happened! Definitely something off there. We’ve been making this recipe for decades and haven’t had that happen. Did you use a Bundt pan? If so, was it the larger size?
Melanie Turtletaub
My mother made this cake every Christmas,, it’s a family favorite!
It’s a favorite for us, too!
Zena G.
What type of glaze would you recommend?
I love a simple powdered sugar glaze or even a chocolate ganache.
Jeanne
I followed recipe step by step. The cake did not rise over and inch and a half and did not have any flavor to it. I was so disappointed. I have no idea what went wrong. Any suggestions. I pride my baking skills, but this has really stumped me 🙂
That is bizzare! Is your baking powder fresh?
Judy
Dear Stacey,
Before I bake what I know will be another one of your fabulous recipes, for the shortening do you mean a solid shortening (like Crisco)?
Thank you!
Exactly!
JANET
can you use self rising flour in this pound cake and if so what would you omit………
Yes. Simply omit the baking powder and salt.
edgar
I made this over the weekend and it was the best chocolate pound cake ever – usually they are on the dry side, but the shortening made this one moist and delicious!!!!!! Thanks!
oooh no! Yep, 1/2 cup!
Mary
Hey Stacey! This cake looks so GOOOOD! I will definitely be making this very soon! Just one question – I take it that it calls for 1/2 cup shortening? Thanks for the recipe.