This Chocolate Sour Cream Pound Cake is rich, moist, and full of deep chocolate flavor. The tender crumb comes from sour cream, while a luscious chocolate ganache glaze adds the perfect finishing touch. Elegant yet easy to make, it's a decadent dessert for any occasion.
This Chocolate Sour Cream Pound Cake is rich, moist, and incredibly decadent. Made with cocoa powder and sour cream, it has a tender crumb, deep chocolate flavor, and just the right balance of sweetness. The sour cream keeps the cake moist for days while adding a subtle tang that enhances the chocolate.
To make it even more indulgent, it’s often topped with a smooth chocolate ganache.Perfect for holidays, special occasions, or simply as an afternoon treat with coffee, this pound cake is a classic recipe you'll want to bake again and again.
For more delicious pound cake recipes try my carrot cake pound cake, pumpkin pound cake or cranberry orange pound cake.
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Deep Chocolate Flavor: Cocoa powder adds bold, rich chocolate flavor.
- Unbelievably Moist: The sour cream and buttermilk work together to give this cake a tender, moist, and dense texture that stays fresh for days.
- Simple & Versatile: This cake is incredibly easy to make with basic ingredients. It’s delicious on its own, dusted with powdered sugar, or topped with a simple chocolate glaze.
- The Perfect Crumb: This pound cake bakes up with a dense yet tender crumb that is firm enough to slice beautifully but soft enough to be truly decadent.
Ingredient Notes
- Unsalted Butter: Creates a rich, tender texture. Make sure it's softened before mixing.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar provides sweetness and structure.
- Eggs: Add richness and help the cake rise. Use room temperature eggs for best results.
- Flour: All-purpose flour keeps the cake sturdy but soft.
- Cocoa Powder: Use unsweetened cocoa for a deep chocolate flavor. Dutch-processed cocoa powder will give a darker color and smoother taste.
- Baking Powder: Helps the cake rise
- Salt: Enhances all the flavors.
- Sour Cream: Adds tang and moisture, keeping the cake soft for days. Make sure to use full-fat sour cream.
- Vanilla Extract: Balances and enhances the chocolate flavor.
- Heavy cream: Make sure to use heavy whipping cream with atleast 35% fat.
- Dark chocolate chips: You can use semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips as well.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here is how to make this chocolate sour cream pound cake recipe. You can use a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer. Preheat Oven to 325°F (160°C). Grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan and line the bottom with parchment paper (leaving a bit of overhang to make it easier to pull the cake out). Set aside.
Step 1. Cream Butter & Sugar: In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat softened butter and sugar together on high speed until light and fluffy, about 4-5 minutes. Do not rush this step as this what gives the cake a tender crumb.
Step 2. Add Eggs: Mix in eggs one at a time, beating well for 1 minute after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract.
Step 3. Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.
Step 4. Combine dry and wet Ingredients: With the mixer on low speed Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in three additions, alternating with the sour cream. Begin and end with the dry ingredients. Mix just until combined. Do not overmix the batter.
Step 5. Bake: Pour cake batter into prepared pan. Bake for 55-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs.
Step 6. Cool: Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then carefully invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Step 7. Optional Chocolate ganache Glaze: In a small saucepan, bring the heavy cream to a simmer (or about 190 degrees F), then remove from heat, add the chocolate, and mix until smooth. Drizzle over the cooled pound cake before serving.
Tips & Tricks
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Make sure all the ingredients are at room temperature to ensure smooth mixing and even baking.
- Grease and Flour Your Pan Properly: This is a crucial step! Use a pastry brush to apply a thin layer of softened butter to all the nooks and crannies of your pan. Then, add a spoonful of flour and shake it around to coat the entire pan, tapping out any excess. For a chocolate cake, you can use cocoa powder instead of flour to prevent a white, dusty look on the finished cake.
- Do Not Overmix: Once you’ve added the flour and cocoa mixture, mix only until the flour streaks have just disappeared. Over mixing develops gluten, which can lead to a tough, dry cake.
- Check for Doneness: The cake is done when a wooden skewer or toothpick inserted into the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached, but no wet batter.
- Cool Properly: Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 15-20 minutes before carefully inverting it onto the rack
FAQ's
Yes, you can use a 10-cup Bundt pan. The baking time will be about the same. Just be sure to grease and flour the pan very well.
Absolutely. Fold 1 cup of chocolate chips into the batter for extra richness.
Natural cocoa is lighter with a slightly acidic taste, while Dutch-processed is darker and smoother. Either works, but Dutch-processed will give a richer color.
Full-fat Greek yogurt can be used as a substitute for sour cream, as it has a similar texture and fat content.
Yes! The cake would still be delicious without it. You can use a dusting of powdered sugar as well.
Storage & Freezing
- Room Temperature: Store any leftover chocolate pound cake tightly wrapped at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Bring to room temperature before serving.
- Freezing: Wrap cooled cake (without glaze) in plastic wrap, then in foil. Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
More Cake Recipes You Will Love
Recipe
Chocolate Sour Cream Pound Cake with Ganache Glaze
Equipment
- 1 9*5 Loaf Pan
- Stand Mixer
Ingredients
For the chocolate pound cake:
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 ½ cups white sugar
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup full-fat sour cream room temperature
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder preferably dutch-processed
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
For the glaze:
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°/160C. Butter an 9×5 inch loaf pan. line with parchment paper, leaving a generous overhang on long sides.
- Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, 5-7 minutes.
- Add eggs one at a time, beating to blend between additions.Beat until mixture is very light and doubled in volume, 5-8 minutes. Add the vanilla extract.
- Reduce mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with sour cream in 2 additions, beginning and ending with dry ingredients (do not overmix).
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pan.
- Bake the cake for 60-65 mins, until a tester inserted into the center comes clean. Transfer pan to a wire rack. Let the cake cool in the pan for 20 minutes before taking it out to a wire rack to cool completely.
- For the ganache glaze, melt the chocolate and cream in a medium sized bowl in the microwave in short bursts until its well combined
- When the cake is cooled.Pour the ganache over the cake making sure to cover the top. Slice and serve!
Notes
- Use room temperature ingredients (butter, eggs, sour cream, and milk) to ensure a smooth batter and even baking.
- Cool completely before ganache: Let your pound cake cool completely on a wire rack before pouring ganache over it to avoid melting or thinning out too much of it on contact with heat.
- Don’t Overmix: Don't overmix once the dry ingredients are added-this helps keep the crumb tender.
- This cake tastes even better the next day as the chocolate flavor deepens.
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