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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 350Ā°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.
Hi. Do you have a recommendation of which gluten free flour to use for this recipe?
Hi Jane! I would try a measure-for-measure GF flour blend. I know King Arthur Baking has one!
Hi! Can you make this using regular plain yogurt if you donāt have greek yogurt? Iām pretty sure it would work the same, but I wanted to ask! Iād love to try this, it looks so delicious! Thank you! š
Hi Uzma! Yes you can, regular plain yogurt will work perfectly too! š
I don’t have a food processor – what if I just use mixer to combine cream cheese, yogurt, sugar, and vanilla?
Hi Ayna! Yes you can use also use a mixer to make the cream cheese ribbon. š
Can I make this as a layer cake?
Hi Denise! I have a chocolate layer cake recipe that will be perfect for you: https://tutti-dolci.com/classic-chocolate-layer-cake/
Happy baking! š
This looks amazing! I want to make it tonight. I have everything on hand, except the Greek yogurt. Could I substitute with sour cream? Thank you!
Hi Cheryl! Yes you can sub in sour cream for the Greek yogurt. Happy baking! š
Thank you!
Can this be done without the cream cheese? This would probably change the baking time.
Hi Barb, yes you can omit the cream cheese ribbon and start testing for doneness after 45 minutes. š
Does this freeze well?
Hi Anne, yes you can freeze this pound cake. I usually like to slice loaf cakes or breads, and let the slices freeze on a baking sheet for an hour before wrapping the slices individually and placing them in a freezer bag for longer storage. Hope that helps!
Can this be made without the cream cheese layer? My husband doesn’t eat cream cheese, what a bummer. He loves chocolate though and this looks delicious. Could I substitute nutella in the center?
Hi Karen, yes – you can absolutely leave the cream cheese swirl out. And Nutella sounds delicious! I’d use about 1/3 cup Nutella in place of the cream cheese layer. Let us know how it turns out! š
YUUUUMMMMM!!! ššš
Great cake. Wonderful chocolate flavor. Almost like a brownie–but better. I made it without the cream cheese ribbon-just wanted chocolate flavor–and it was delicious. Also, since it didn’t have that layer, I also decreased the baking time to around 45 minutes.
Thanks for the recipe–I’ll be making this one again soon!