Chocolate Pound Cake
A classic Southern Chocolate Pound Cake is the perfect easy dessert for any occasion!
Servings 16 slices
Calories 367kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, softened at room temperature
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
- ¼ cup warm water
- 1 ¼ cups buttermilk, warmed but not boiling
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 6 eggs, at room temperature
- Powdered sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325° F.
- Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 10-15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a separate bowl or glass measuring cup, stir together the instant coffee granules and the warm water until the coffee granules are completely dissolved. Stir in the buttermilk and vanilla extract; set aside.
- Also while the butter and sugar are creaming, use a separate bowl to sift together the flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder. Set aside.
- Once the butter and sugar have finished creaming, scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl; mix on low speed for 5 more minutes.
- While the mixer is on low, alternately add the flour mixture and the warm buttermilk mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Mix until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl if necessary.
- Grease and flour a Bundt pan. Pour the batter into the pan, just until it is about 1-1 ½ inches from the top. Do not over-fill the pan. Tap the pan on the counter once or twice to release air bubbles.
- Bake for 75-85 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan for about 10-15 minutes, and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once the cake is cool, dust with powdered sugar just before serving.
Notes
- Properly measure the flour. Spoon flour into the cups and lightly level with the straight edge of a knife. Too much flour will result in a dry cake.
- While most cakes do best with cake flour, I recommend all-purpose flour for this recipe. That's because the chocolate cake includes cocoa powder – which already has a soft, dry texture. The combination of both cake flour and cocoa powder can result in a flimsy cake. All-purpose flour has a higher protein content and is milled to a slightly coarser consistency, which keeps this cake nice and sturdy.
- Always sift the flour for pound cake. This extra step prevents any dry lumps in the batter and helps to evenly distribute and incorporate the ingredients.
- Make sure that all of your ingredients are at room temperature so that they blend together easily and smoothly.
- Cream the butter and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. This can take up to 15 minutes! Whipping this air into the batter will help it rise during baking.
- Don't leave the cake in the pan for too long after baking -- about 10-15 minutes is plenty. After that, condensation will start to form and the moisture will negatively impact the crust.
- Make the cake about 1 day ahead of when you plan to serve it. The cake just gets better as it sits!
- Dust with powdered sugar right before serving.
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 367kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 94mg | Sodium: 255mg | Potassium: 169mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 39g | Vitamin A: 475IU | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 2mg