Chocolate Chip Pound Cake
This post may contain affiliate links that won’t change your price but will share some commission.
Chocolate chip pound cake is dense, buttery, and loaded with semi-sweet chocolate chips that add just enough sweetness without overpowering the cake. It’s a simple yet popular dessert. The texture is firm and tender with a tight crumb, making it easy to slice and perfect for serving as-is or with a scoop of ice cream.
Chocolate Chip Pound Cake
I started this Pound Cake Series way back in 2015 with m
The thickness of the batter and using mini-chocolate chips instead of regular chocolate chips help prevent the chips from sinking to the bottom of the cake. Therefore, each bite has a good balance of cake and chocolate.
This cake works well for everyday dessert or casual gatherings. It holds up on the counter for several days and stays moist when appropriately stored in an airtight container. Some people prefer it slightly warm so the chocolate softens, but it’s just as good at room temperature. Warm it in an oven, toaster oven, or microwave and serve with a good quality vanilla ice cream- it’s pure decadence!❤️
Though I opted for a chocolate glaze, you don’t necessarily need frosting or glaze. You could add a light dusting of powdered sugar instead of a glaze.
Use good-quality
This cake travels well, making it a smart choice for potlucks or gifting. It doesn’t need refrigeration, and it holds its shape without crumbling. You can slice it ahead of time or let people cut their own.
Chocolate Chip Pound Cake Tools & Ingredients
Equipment
Tools you’ll need to make this pound cake.
- cake release
- electric stand mixer
- silicone spatula
- measuring cups and spoons
- cake thermometer
- tube pan
- bundt pan
Ingredients
The full recipe with ingredient amounts and instructions is at the bottom of this post. You can save a tree and the recipe to your personal and private recipe box here on Call Me PMc. This way, you’ll never misplace it.
- butter softened
- granulated sugar
- eggs
- pure vanilla extract
- almond extract
- all-purpose flour sifted then measured
- baking powder
- baking soda
- sour cream
- mini semisweet chocolate chips
GLAZE:
- semisweet chocolate chips these can be mini or regular-size
- butter
- powdered sugar (aka confectioners)
- heavy cream half & half, whole, or 2% milk can be used
- pure vanilla extract
Pans and more
I bake my pound cakes on a cookie sheet. Setting the pan on a cookie sheet may affect the baking time. Also, using a light versus a dark tube pan will affect baking times. For the record, I bake my pound cakes in a dark-colored
Your
I’m not a fan of using a non-stick spray for pound cakes. Some of the sides always stick pulling off that crust that I worked so hard to create. Instead, I like to use solid vegetable shortening and follow that with a dusting of granulated sugar. (Yes, sugar. Sugar doesn’t leave any white areas on the cake.) Alternately, I like the Wilton cake release. (When I started this pound cake series, I did use non-stick spray. However, after making so many and trying other methods, I do not use non-stick spray for cakes now. I have tried to go back and update those posts, but may have missed some.)
How do you make a moist Chocolate Chip Pound Cake?
The most important thing when baking your pound cake is to make sure that you do NOT over-bake it.
Your pound cake will continue to cook for a few minutes after you remove it from the oven. To ensure a soft, tender cake, try to catch your cake slightly before it’s done. Look for the skewer to come out with a few moist crumbs and immediately remove it from the oven.
CAN I freeze Chocolate Chip Pound Cake?
Pound cake is excellent for freezing. Wrap it up tightly with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap and store it in the freezer for 4 to 6 months.
WHAT IS THE SECRET TO A GOOD POUND CAKE?
A pound cake should be rich and buttery with a dense texture and a tender crumb. With my simple tips and tricks, you can bake rich, buttery, homemade pound cakes like a pro.
- All your refrigerated ingredients need to be at room temperature.
- Use name-brand ingredients. Store brands of sugar are often more finely ground than name brands, thus yielding more sugar per cup which can cause the cake to fall. Store brands of butter may contain more liquid fat and/or water. And, store brands of flour may contain more hard wheat, making the cake heavy.
- Use real butter. The fat content in margarine can vary and dramatically change the outcome of your recipe.
- Calibrate your oven. You can do everything else right, but if your oven is not cooking at the temperature it shows on the dial, your cake will not cook correctly. Please read this post on how to Calibrate your Oven.
- Measure accurately. Use the spoon & level method to measure flour.
- Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. The color will be a pale yellow.
- Don’t overbeat once you add the eggs and flour.
- Make sure your pan is thoroughly greased. I recommend using either a solid vegetable shortening or butter, then follow up with a coating of flour or granulated sugar.
- Place the cake pan in the center of the oven, and keep the door closed until the minimum baking time has elapsed.
- Don’t rush baking a pound cake by increasing the oven temperature. Pound cake batter is very dense and takes time to bake.
- Hop over to this post, Bake the Perfect Pound cake, for even more details.
POUND CAKE BAKING TIPS
- Read the recipe through completely at least twice so you know what comes next.
- A stand mixer will make your life immensely easier. I can’t imagine all this mixing by hand or even with a hand mixer!
- You can use a bundt pan or a tube pan. I use a
tube pan . A good rule of thumb when baking pound cakes is to always leave 2 inches from the batter to the top of the pan to allow for rise. Also, always place your baking pan on a cookie sheet to catch any overflows. - Allow your eggs, butter, and dairy to come to room temperature before mixing.
- I also used pure vanilla extract. (Pure vanilla, not an imitation.)
- Finally, I recommend calibrating your oven at least once a year. Read all about how to Calibrate your oven in this post.
Also, try these collections of recipes.
Chocolate Chip Pound Cake Conclusion
Chocolate chip pound cake doesn’t try to be flashy. It’s solid, familiar, and always welcome. Serve it with coffee, milk, or nothing at all—it works just fine on its own.
Chocolate Chip Pound Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter softened
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- ½ tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ tablespoon almond extract
- 4 cups all-purpose flour sifted then measured
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 cups sour cream
- 2 cups mini semisweet chocolate chips
GLAZE:
- ¼ cup semisweet chocolate chips these can be mini or regular-size
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 and ¼ cups powdered sugar (aka confectioners)
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream half & half, whole, or 2% milk can be used
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Coat a 12 to 15-cup Bundt pan or tube pan with solid vegetable shortening and then granulated sugar. (If you feel better using flour instead of sugar, do that. I prefer sugar because it doesn't leave white patches.)
- In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stop the mixer and scrape the bowl. On low, add eggs one at a time, beating until it disappears into the batter before adding the next egg. Add the vanilla and almond extracts. Stop the mixture and scrape the bowl.1 cup butter, 2 cups granulated sugar, 4 large eggs, ½ tablespoon pure vanilla extract, ½ tablespoon almond extract
- In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. With the mixer on low, add flour alternately with sour cream to the mixer. Once all the flour and sour cream have been added. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Mix again until everything is incorporated – 30 seconds to a minute on low. Fold in the chocolate chips by hand.4 cups all-purpose flour, 4 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 2 cups sour cream, 2 cups mini semisweet chocolate chips
- Spoon the batter into your prepared pan. Flatten the top of the batter with the back of your spatula.
- Bake at 325℉ for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a cake thermometer reads or a wooden pick inserted into the cake comes with 'dry' crumbs. The cake will continue to cook for a few minutes after you remove it from the oven. Therefore, err on the cautious side of 'slightly' underbaked. [I bake my cake in a dark tube pan with it sitting on a cookie sheet. Both of these can affect cooking time. I recommend you test and make detailed notes on what you use and how long it takes the first time you make this cake.] Let the cake cool for 30 minutes in the pan before inverting it onto a serving platter. (I double-flip the cake so the top ends up being the top, but that's up to you.) Remove from pan and allow to cool completely. Serve warm or at room temperature.
- For the glaze, in a microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate chips and butter; stir until smooth. (Or you can melt on low on the stovetop.) Whisk in confectioners' sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth. Drizzle over cake. I took about 1/4 of regular-sized chocolate chips and sprinkled them over the cake after I drizzled the glaze.¼ cup semisweet chocolate chips, 2 tablespoons butter, 1 and ¼ cups powdered sugar (aka confectioners), 3 tablespoons heavy cream, ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Nutrition
Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are important to you, I recommend calculating them yourself.
Haven’t made yet but sure to be yummy. Making for my Bingo group this week. Happy that it will serve enough so I don’t have to adjust smaller recipe for more! WHO doesn’t LOVE chocolate?