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This easy chocolate pound cake recipe is a chocolate dream!

Last week I realized I was lacking a go-to chocolate pound cake recipe, so I baked one twice. In three days. Oh, the life of a food blogger! Fortunately, this chocolate loaf cake is lightened up with buttermilk and Greek yogurt, yet its decadent taste (think devil’s food chocolate!) will satisfy even the most devoted chocoholics.

Chocolate Pound Cake
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Slicing into the pound cake reveals a ribbon of tangy cream cheese that makes a nice counterpoint to the rich chocolate. A scattering of semisweet chocolate chips is all the adornment this cake needs.

Chocolate Pound Cake

The best chocolate pound cake

Unsweetened cocoa powder gives this cake the rich chocolate flavor that you expect from a chocolate cake. The addition of melted chocolate chips (or melted chopped chocolate) bumps up the decadence even further!

How to make a lighter pound cake

Creamy Greek yogurt replaces some of the fat in this recipe, creating a moist chocolate cake that’s tender and flavorful. We also use buttermilk to make each slice springy and light.

Make your own buttermilk

If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, it’s easy to make your own buttermilk substitute: Mix 3/4 cup room temperature milk with 1 teaspoon acid (lemon juice or white vinegar). Stir, then let stand for 10 minutes before using.

Chocolate Pound Cake
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Chocolate Pound Cake

Chocolate Pound Cake

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 8 reviews
  • Author: Laura Kasavan
  • Prep Time: 25 minutes
  • Cook Time: 50 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
  • Yield: 1 cake, 12 slices
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: American
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Description

This easy chocolate pound cake recipe is a chocolate dream! With a cream cheese swirl and chocolate chip topping, this is the best chocolate pound cake.


Ingredients

Cream Cheese Ribbon

  • 3 oz reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
  • 1 Tbsp plain fat-free Greek yogurt, at room remperature
  • 1 Tbsp sugar
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Cake

  • 1 1/4 cups flour
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 large egg, at room temperature
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt, at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk, at room temperature
  • 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted and slightly cooled

Topping

3 Tbsp semisweet chocolate chips


Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F and spray an 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray. Combine cream cheese, yogurt, sugar, and vanilla in a food processor and process until smooth.
  2. Whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Beat butter and sugar in a large mixer bowl at medium speed until light and fluffy; beat in egg and vanilla. Combine yogurt and buttermilk in a small bowl. Reduce speed to low and add half of flour mixture, beating just to combine. Add yogurt mixture, then finish with remaining flour mixture. Fold in melted chocolate.
  3. Pour half the batter into prepared pan; tap pan sharply to reduce air bubbles. Dollop with cream cheese mixture and swirl layers together with a knife or wooden skewer. Top with remaining batter, smooth with an offset spatula, and tap pan sharply. Sprinkle the batter with chocolate chips.
  4. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few crumbs attached and cake springs back to the touch. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes; carefully remove cake from pan and cool completely on wire rack. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days.

More chocolate recipes you’ll love:

Dark Chocolate Sheet Cake
Ultimate Crinkle Brownies
Triple Chocolate Brownie Cups
Salted Brownie Cookies

Meet Laura

Hi, I'm Laura and I'm so happy you're here! Welcome to Tutti Dolci Baking Recipes, a baking blog celebrating all things sweet! I share approachable baking recipes and elevated classic desserts for every home baker. My goal is to inspire you to bake from scratch with kitchen-tested recipes you can count on.

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84 Comments

  1. I’ve made it over a dozen times. It always comes out perfect. I think mini chocolate chips work better than regular ones.






  2. Made this last night! So yummy and moist, and the cream cheese ribbon put it over the top!! I’m so happy I found your blog. All your pictures are so pretty and inviting. You should be so proud of your hard work. Every time I receive a new post, I can’t wait to open it up and see what you’ve posted. Thanks for being such an inspiration!






    1. Yes, you can use a splash of milk or heavy cream, just enough to help the cream cheese smooth out in the food processor.

  3. Hi Laura, I came across your recipe on Instagram and knew I had to make it! It was absolutely as delicious as you described it to be. Thank you for sharing the recipe 🙂
    I was wondering if I were to make it in mini loaf tins, how much lower should the the temperature and baking time go?






    1. I’m so glad you tried this recipe! 🙂 The baking temperature will remain the same. The baking time will depend on the size of the mini loaf tins, so it’s hard to give an exact time. I would say approximately 25-35 minutes (depending on pan size), until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few crumbs attached and cake springs back to the touch.

  4. Hi! Can you make this using regular plain yogurt if you don’t have greek yogurt? I’m pretty sure it would work the same, but I wanted to ask! I’d love to try this, it looks so delicious! Thank you! 🙂