Chocolate Pound Cake recipe is dense, moist, and lightly chocolate flavored. This classic cake recipe has a tender texture and small crumb and is perfect for chocolate lovers!

Until now, I’ve made somewhat traditional Pound Cake recipes in my series for testing Pound Cakes. I shared Whipping Cream Pound Cake, Cream Cheese Pound Cake, and Sour Cream Pound Cake. Today I’m sharing a unique, but equally as good. I have a Chocolate Pound Cake recipe for you today.

This Chocolate Pound Cake is buttery, dense, moist, and lightly chocolate flavored. It’s not a dark, fudge chocolate confection like a brownie. Think more like ‘milk’ chocolate with a tender, small crumb texture. It’s flavored with cocoa powder, not melted chocolate. The cocoa gives it a subtle chocolate flavor perfect for non-chocolate lovers (gasp!) and chocolate lovers alike!

Surprisingly, cocoa tends to dry cakes out so you have to compensate with extra liquid and/or fat. The addition of butter and shortening and a close eye when baking will keep this cake moist. I also added a small amount of strong coffee to the cake recipe. Coffee makes chocolate deeper more complex tasting and you cannot detect coffee in the recipe. If, however, you are really coffee adverse, add one cup of milk instead of the 3/4 cup of milk and 1/4 cup of coffee to the recipe.

Table of Contents

Chocolate Pound Cake

I made this cake 3 times for you! Seriously, I was about to give up on sharing it. The first time I made it for the blog (I’ve made it dozen of times in the past.) I put it in the oven, set the timer, and started cleaning the house. After 45 minutes I checked on it and it sat there just like I had put it in. I didn’t realize that my oven element burned out after I had cooked biscuits that morning. The oven would only get to 200 degrees.

It was a sad day.

Then I made it and it stuck to the pan because I picked up a cheap non-stick spray! Lesson learned.

Alas, the third time was a charm and I present to you Chocolate Pound Cake!

tada!!!!

This Chocolate Pound Cake is hard to compare to the other pound cake recipes that I’ve shared. They have all had a butter vanilla flavor. This is like comparing apples and oranges. This is a very good cake and I make it a lot. It’s good with strawberries or raspberries and whipped cream. I still like the traditional vanilla pound cake, but this is fantastic for a change. I do recommend giving Chocolate Pound Cake a try!

If you like my Chocolate Pound Cake recipe, you may also like my other Pound Cake recipes

Whipping Cream Pound Cake

Citrus Bundt Cake

Strawberry Pound Cake

Amaretto Pound Cake

Blueberry Swirl Pound Cake

50+ Pound Cake recipes

Chocolate Pound Cake

Dense and moist, this Chocolate Pound Cake recipe has a tender, small crumb and a lightly delicate chocolate flavor.

Author: Paula

4.81 from 21 votes

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Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 1 25

Total Time: 1 45

Servings: 16 servings

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Equipment

Ingredients

1 cup butter at room temperature
½ cup Crisco shortening *Crisco
3 cups granulated sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour sifted then measured
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder sifted then measured
6 large eggs at room temperature
¾ cup whole milk at room temperature
¼ cup strong coffee at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Instructions

Coat a 10-inch bundt or tube pan with solid vegetable shortening then coat with granulated sugar (pour the extra sugar out) or coat with Wilton Cake Release.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In the bowl of your electric mixer beat butter, shortening and sugar together until creamy and fluffy. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides.
Add eggs, one at a time mixing until the yolk disappears before adding the next egg. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides.
In another bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking powder, and cocoa.
Mix coffee and milk together.
With the mixer on low, add flour mixture alternately with milk, mixing well after each addition.
Add vanilla and mix well.
Bake at 1 hour 15 to 25 minutes. Cake will be done with a wooden pick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean or with dry crumbs.
Cool on a wire rack 20 minutes before inverting on a serving tray.
Serve and enjoy.
Seal in an airtight container after cake is completely cooled.
Store on the countertop for 3 days or in the refrigerator up to 7 days in an airtight container. Cake freezes well.
For the chocolate drizzle, I halved this recipe: Chocolate Frosting

Notes

I have only tested this with Crisco, I trust only it for a solid vegetable shortening.
Use real butter, no substitutions
All cold ingredients need to be at room temperature

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.

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50 Comments

Susan Riedle says:

07.05.25 at 11:50 am

I have gotten away from all seed oils including Crisco so I will try with “Lard” / tallow and definitely give it a try! Sounds like a great recipe.

1. Paula says:
  
  07.06.25 at 8:07 am
  
  You could alos sub butter if that’s in your diet.