Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

By Elizabeth Waterson // Sep 29, 2023 (Updated Sep 25, 2024) // 2 Comments

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This beautiful chocolate chip pound cake makes a delightful addition to any family dessert. It's simple and easier to make than you may think.

chocolate chip pound cake slices on a speckled plate on top of an orange and white linen on a light surface.

There is something so beautiful about a pound cake. This unassuming cake is perfect anytime of day. Adding chocolate chips to pound cake gives it just a little extra oomph. This cake is baked for a long time so you end up with a sort of crunchier exterior, as you can see below in the photo. We LOVE that crunch. But don't worry the interior, is soft and moist. You'll want to devour this easy chocolate chip pound cake.

hand holding a slice of cake up to the camera

Let's get to the recipe

Ingredients Needed

For this simple pound cake recipe you'll need:

Butter. You'll need the butter softened to room temperature so it can properly whip up with the sugar.
Granulated Sugar. The sugar will whip up into the butter to create really tiny air pockets for the pound cake to bake.
Large Eggs. The egg should all be at room temperature. You can get the eggs to room temperature quickly by placing them in a bowl of warm water for 5-10 minutes before cracking them.
All-Purpose Flour. Make sure you measure your flour properly. Too much or too little can drastically alter the cake. You'll also use a little bit of flour to toss the chocolate chips this helps prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the cake.
Baking Soda. We just use a small amount of this chemical leavening agent to give the cake an ever-so-slight lift while baking.
Salt. Don't skip the salt as it enhances all of the other ingredients' flavor profiles.
Pure Vanilla Extract. This simple cake is flavored with the warmth of the vanilla extract.
Sour Cream. This dairy product is an intense moisture bomb creating a soft, tender, moist cake crumb. Don't miss my simple sour cream pound cake.
Chocolate Chips. The star of the show, make sure you use good quality chocolate. I use Callebaut Milk Chocolate Callets. You can also use semi-sweet chocolate chips.

chocolate chip pound cake ingredients in small glass bowls on a light surface.

For ingredient quantities please reference the recipe card below. On the recipe card there is a button for US or M (Metric) measurements.

Instructions for Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

Preheat oven to 325F/163C and heavily grease a 1lb loaf pan and set aside while you prepare the filling.

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or large mixing bowl with a handheld electric mixer beat the butter and sugar, and mix on low-medium speed for 3-4 minutes.

on top on a light surface with a pink linen.

Once the mixture is light and fluffy make sure to scrape down the side of the bowl so everything is fully combined, then add the eggs one at a time.

flour mixture and sour cream mixture in glass bowls on top on a light surface with a pink linen.

In a small bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Then in a separate bowl mix together the vanilla extract and sour cream.

wet ingredients for cake in a small glass bowl with dry ingredients added on top on a light surface with a pink linen.

Add ⅓ of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix to combine, then add ½ of the sour cream mixture mix to combine then ⅓ of the dry ingredients and repeat with the remaining sour cream and dry ingredients, mixing until just combined. You don't want to overmix the batter.

wet ingredients added to cake batter in a glass bowl on top on a light surface with a pink linen.

In a small bowl toss the chocolate chips and one tablespoon of flour together, then gently fold them into the cake batter.

flour coated chocolate chips added to cake batter in a glass bowl on top on a light surface with a pink linen.

Pour into the prepared cake pan and use an offset spatula or butter knife to spread the batter into an even layer. Bake for 65-75 minutes, the internal temperature of the cake should be 210F/99C. Let the cake cool in the pan for 20 minutes then flip onto a wire rack to cool completely.

I chose to just dust it in confectioners sugar but you could glaze it with a chocolate ganache like I do in this chocolate pound cake recipe.

chocolate chip pound cake before baking and after baking with powdered sugar sifted on top on a light surface.

Serve with desired toppings and store leftovers in an air-tight container on the counter for up to 4 days.

chocolate chip pound cake sliced on top of a wire rack on top of an orange and white linen on a light surface.

Tips for Success

Make sure your ingredients are at room temperature do they all combine evenly
Don't rush creaming the butter and sugar together, you want them to really whip together to create some air pockets
Make sure to toss the chocolate chips in the flour to help prevent them from sinking
To freeze leftover cake, once the cake is done baking and has cooled completely wrap the whole cake or slices in plastic wrap tightly, twice then transfer to a freezer safe container. This helps prevent freezer burn. To thaw the cake place it on the counter at room temperature for a few hours, depending on the size of piece you froze will affect how long it takes to thaw.

Baking is a science and to really achieve the best results I highly recommend investing in a kitchen scale. This OXO Kitchen Scale is the one I use and is also the number one recommended kitchen scale by Cook's Illustrated. Think about it -what one person scoops into a "cup" is completely different from what someone else scoops!

More chocolate chip recipes

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Recipe Card

Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

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Print Recipe

This beautiful chocolate chip pound cake makes a delightful addition to any family dessert. It's simple and easier to make than you may think.

Total Time: 1 Hour 40 Minutes
Yield: 10-12 Slices 1x

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325F/163C and heavily grease a 1lb loaf pan and set aside while you prepare the filling.
In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or large mixing bowl with a handheld electric mixer beat the butter and sugar, and mix on low-medium speed for 3-4 minutes. Once the mixture is light and fluffy make sure to scrape down the side of the bowl so everything is fully combined, then add the eggs one at a time.
In a small bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Then in a separate bowl mix together the vanilla extract and sour cream.
Add ⅓ of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix to combine, then add ½ of the sour cream mixture mix to combine then ⅓ of the dry ingredients and repeat with the remaining sour cream and dry ingredients, mixing until just combined. You don't want to overmix the batter. In a small bowl toss the chocolate chip and one tablespoon of flour then gently fold them into the cake batter.
Pour into the prepared cake pan and use an offset spatula to spread the batter into an even layer. Bake for 65-75 minutes, the internal temperature of the cake should be 210F/99C. Let the cake cool in the pan for 20 minutes then flip onto a wire rack to cool completely. Serve with desired toppings and store leftovers in an air-tight container on the counter for up to 4 days.