This moist chocolate pound cake has a buttery crumb that melts in your mouth and is topped with a rich chocolate ganache.
The cake itself is dense yet tender with a velvety texture, thanks to its classic pound cake base, which ensures a moist and flavorful texture and flavor.
It is topped with a luscious and rich chocolate ganache that is made with only two ingredients, adding an extra layer of indulgence with its smooth and velvety texture.
This cake is perfect for any occasion where you want to impress friends and family without spending hours in the kitchen. It's like having a little slice of chocolate heaven that’s as delightful to make as it is to eat!
Whether enjoyed with a cup of coffee or as an after-dinner treat, this cake promises to satisfy your chocolate cravings.
For more pound cake recipes, check out my orange pound cake, lemon pound cake, and chocolate sour cream pound cake.
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Why this recipe works
- Texture- this pound cake has a tender, buttery texture, and each bite melts in your mouth with delicious richness which goes perfectly with the creamy and silky chocolate ganache topping.
- Rich chocolate flavor- this well-made chocolate pound cake has an intense chocolate flavor which comes from high-quality cocoa powder and dark chocolate in the ganache.
- Chocolate ganache topping- what sets this cake apart is its luxurious topping: a smooth, glossy layer of chocolate ganache. Made by blending cream with dark chocolate, the ganache adds an extra level of indulgence and enhances the overall richness of the cake.
- One bowl cake- it's a one-bowl cake! By combining all ingredients in a single bowl, you save time on cleanup without compromising on taste or quality.
- Easy and simple ingredients- this easy one bowl cake is made with basic pantry staples like flour, sugar, butter, eggs, and cocoa powder, and simple ingredients you may find in your kitchen.
Ingredients
Before you start to make this recipe, measure and prepare your ingredients so the cooking process will go smoothly and easily.
Full measurements are in the recipe card below.
Butter- use unsalted butter for this recipe. Only butter will work; avoid margarine and coconut oil. Margarine has an unusual taste that can ruin the cake's flavor.
Flour– I used all-purpose flour for this recipe, self-rising flour, and cake flour will work great as well.
Dutch cocoa powder– I like to use Dutch-process cocoa powder for our chocolate cake because I like the deep and rich chocolate taste, but the natural cocoa powder will also work great!
Sour cream- use either sour cream or Greek yogurt. Both will work great.
Baking powder– to allow the cake to rise. Make sure that your baking powder isn’t expired.
Espresso powder- to enhance the chocolate flavor and make it richer. You won't taste the coffee on the cake.
Granulated sugar– I like to use granulated sugar, also the most common sugar used in baking. Caster sugar will work great as well.
Eggs- to give the cake a good structure. Make sure you’re using room-temperature eggs.
Vanilla extract- vanilla extract Is an essential ingredient for chocolate cake.
Salt- I used kosher salt for this recipe. Salt doesn’t give the cake a salty taste, it helps to enhance the chocolate flavor.
For the chocolate ganache
Dark chocolate- use the best quality dark chocolate for the best flavor. I used 60% dark chocolate for a bitter taste that is not too strong. Feel free to use a higher percentage of dark chocolate.
Heavy cream- use full-fat heavy cream for this recipe. Room-temperature heavy cream is best for this recipe.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180c (350f) and prepare a loaf pan with parchment paper.
Add the soft butter, sugar, salt, vanilla extract, and espresso powder into a large mixing bowl, and cream it with an electric hand mixer for 2-3 minutes or until it's light in color.
Add the eggs and mix until smooth an homogeneous.
Add the sour cream and sift the cocoa powder to the mixture and mix until well combined.
Add the flour, and baking powder and mix until the mixture is just combined and there are no lumps of flour visible.
Pour the batter into a parchment paper-lined loaf pan and smooth the batter with an offset spatula.
Bake in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean with a few moist crumbs.
Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool to room temperature.
Pour the cream into a saucepan and heat it over medium heat until it begins to simmer gently. Be careful not to let it boil over.
While the cream is heating, chop your chocolate into small pieces. This helps it melt evenly.
Once the cream is hot, pour it over the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Let it sit for about 5 minutes without stirring to allow the heat from the cream to melt the chocolate.
After letting it sit, gently stir with a whisk or spatula until you have a smooth, glossy mixture.
Pour the chocolate ganache over the cooled cake and spread it evenly with an offset spatula. Serve and enjoy.
Expert Tips
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs and butter. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly.
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with a back of a knife.
- Cream the butter and sugar well. Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. This step is crucial for a tender cake texture.
- Don’t overmix the batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have a moist cake and not a dense and dry cake.
- If refrigerated, serve at room temperature for optimal taste. Bring the chocolate cake to room temperature before serving to ensure that the frosting and the cake are creamy and not hard and will melt in your mouth.
- Check doneness early. Start checking if your cake is done about 5 minutes before the recommended baking time by inserting a toothpick into the center; it should come out clean or with just a few crumbs attached.
- Line your baking pan with parchment paper! This step helps the cake to bake evenly, and it makes sure that your loaf cake will release easily from the pan.
- Make sure that your butter is at room temperature. An hour or two before making this cake, take the butter out of the fridge to let it reach room temperature. The butter should be soft to the touch. If it's too cold, it will be harder to mix, and lumps of butter will form in the cake batter.
- 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.
Faq's
Room temperature butter is crucial for creaming with sugar to incorporate air for a light crumb. Add eggs one at a time to emulsify them properly.
Gently fold in flour to maintain structure without overdeveloping gluten. These steps ensure a moist, flavorful cake every time.
A pound cake differs from a regular cake due to its ingredient proportions and dense texture. Traditionally, it includes a pound each of flour, butter, eggs, and sugar, resulting in a rich flavor and denser crumb compared to lighter cakes with leavening agents.
A dry chocolate pound cake often results from overbaking, incorrect measurements, or insufficient moisture. Even a few extra minutes in the oven can cause dryness.
Not using enough butter or liquid ingredients like milk or eggs also affects moisture. Precise measurements and checking for doneness at the minimum baking time ensure a moist texture.
Storing
Cover tightly with plastic wrap or place in an airtight container. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate for up to 5 days. If refrigerated, bring to room temperature before serving.
Freezing
First, cool the cake completely to prevent condensation. Then, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap to avoid freezer burn.
Since the loaf is topped with ganache, freeze it uncovered for an hour first to harden the topping before wrapping.
For slices, chill the loaf, cut portions, wrap each slice in plastic wrap, and store them together in a container or freezer bag.
This way, you can thaw only what you need while keeping the freshness intact. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw portions at room temperature or in the fridge before serving.
Substitutions
Gluten-free - if you want to make this recipe gluten-free, simply replace the flour with gluten-free flour.
Dairy-free- you can make this cake dairy-free by replacing the butter with vegan butter or using your favorite dairy-free chocolate ganache.
Variations
Bundt cake pan- if you want to make this cake in a bundt cake pan, you will need to make 1.5 of the recipe. You can adjust the amount in the recipe card below. Also, add an additional 10-15 minutes in the oven.
Frosting- use your favorite chocolate frosting instead of chocolate ganache like dark chocolate frosting, chocolate whipped cream frosting, stabilized chocolate whipped cream frosting, chocolate cream cheese frosting, etc.
Nuts- add ½ cup of toasted and chopped hazelnuts, walnuts, or almonds to the batter for a crunchy texture.
Chocolate-orange- incorporate 1 teaspoon of orange zest into the cake batter. Top with candied orange peel for a citrusy twist.
Serving Tips
Whipped cream- top each slice of cake with a dollop of whipped cream.
Vanilla ice cream- add a large scoop of ice cream next to a slice of this cake.
Berries- top each slice of cake with fresh berries of your choice like raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, etc.
Equipment
- Mixing bowls- best glass mixing bowls.
- Whisk set- my favorite copper whisk set.
- Loaf pan
- Offset spatula
- Rubber spatula
- Electric hand mixer
More chocolate recipes
Chocolate Tres Leches Cake- This chocolate tres leches cake is a chocolate cake soaked in a chocolate three-milk mixture and topped with chocolate whipped cream.
Chocolate Espresso Cake- This decadent chocolate espresso cake is made with four chocolate espresso cake layers, and frosted with espresso ganache frosting.
No Bake Chocolate Cheesecake- This no bake chocolate cheesecake is made with an Oreo crust, chocolate filling, topped with chocolate ganache, and chocolate whipped cream.
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If you liked this recipe
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Pound Cake w/ Chocolate Ganache
Ingredients
For the cake
- 1 cup Butter room temp, unsalted
- 1 cup Granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon Espresso powder
- ⅓ cup Sour cream
- ¾ cup Cocoa powder Dutch processed
- 4 Eggs
- 1 teaspoon Baking powder
- 1 cup Flour
For the chocolate ganache
- 3 oz Dark chocolate
- 3 oz Heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180c (350f) and prepare a loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Add the soft butter, sugar, salt, vanilla extract, and espresso powder into a large mixing bowl, and cream it with an electric hand mixer for 2-3 minutes or until it's light in color.
- Add the eggs and mix until smooth an homogeneous.
- Add the sour cream and sift the cocoa powder to the mixture and mix until well combined.
- Add the flour, and baking powder and mix until the mixture is just combined and there are no lumps of flour visible.
- Pour the batter into a parchment paper-lined loaf pan and smooth the batter with an offset spatula.
- Bake in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean with a few moist crumbs.
- Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool to room temperature.
- Pour the cream into a saucepan and heat it over medium heat until it begins to simmer gently. Be careful not to let it boil over.
- While the cream is heating, chop your chocolate into small pieces. This helps it melt evenly.
- Once the cream is hot, pour it over the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Let it sit for about 5 minutes without stirring to allow the heat from the cream to melt the chocolate.
- After letting it sit, gently stir with a whisk or spatula until you have a smooth, glossy mixture.
- Pour the chocolate ganache over the cooled cake and spread it evenly with an offset spatula. Serve and enjoy.
Notes
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs and butter. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly.
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with a back of a knife.
- Cream the butter and sugar well. Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. This step is crucial for a tender cake texture.
- Don’t overmix the batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have a moist cake and not a dense and dry cake.
- If refrigerated, serve at room temperature for optimal taste. Bring the chocolate cake to room temperature before serving to ensure that the frosting and the cake are creamy and not hard and will melt in your mouth.
- Check doneness early. Start checking if your cake is done about 5 minutes before the recommended baking time by inserting a toothpick into the center; it should come out clean or with just a few crumbs attached.
- Line your baking pan with parchment paper! This step helps the cake to bake evenly, and it makes sure that your loaf cake will release easily from the pan.
- Make sure that your butter is at room temperature. An hour or two before making this cake, take the butter out of the fridge to let it reach room temperature. The butter should be soft to the touch. If it's too cold, it will be harder to mix, and lumps of butter will form in the cake batter.
- 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.
Dolly says
Love this twist on pound cake!