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This easy chocolate pound cake recipe is a chocolate dream! With a tangy cream cheese swirl and chocolate chip topping, this is the best chocolate pound cake for chocolate lovers. Each slice is super fudgy!
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 pound 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.
Slicing into the cake reveals a ribbon of tangy cream cheese that makes a nice counterpoint to the rich chocolate. A scattering of semisweet chocolate chips makes the perfect topping.
Craving more pound cake? Try my old fashioned sour cream pound cake next!
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.
More chocolate recipes you’ll love:
- Dark Chocolate Sheet Cake
- Ultimate Crinkle Brownies
- Triple Chocolate Loaf Cake
- Salted Brownie Cookies
Chocolate Pound Cake
- 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
Description
This easy chocolate pound cake recipe is a chocolate dream! With a tangy cream cheese swirl and chocolate chip topping, this is the best chocolate pound cake for chocolate lovers. Each slice is super fudgy!
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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
I’ve made it over a dozen times. It always comes out perfect. I think mini chocolate chips work better than regular ones.
Hi Michelle, that’s so nice to hear! I love the mini chocolate chip idea too – yum! 🙂
For the chocolate pound cake, do you use natural cocoa (Hershey’s) or Dutch processed?
Hi Irene! I like Dutch processed cocoa for the rich flavor! 🙂
Looks so good! for the cream cheese swirl, can I replace the yogurt with milk or heavy cream?
Yes, you can use a splash of milk or heavy cream, just enough to help the cream cheese smooth out in the food processor.
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?
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.