Buttery Chocolate Chip Pound Cake with Sour Cream

This chocolate chip pound cake is buttery, rich, and filled with melty chocolate chips in every slice. I've found sour cream is the secret to creating a soft, tender crumb, while the long bake gives the outside a beautifully golden crust that contrasts perfectly with the moist interior. The milk chocolate chips add little pockets of sweetness without overpowering the classic vanilla pound cake, making this an easy dessert that's just as welcome with an afternoon cup of coffee as it is after dinner.

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.

Don't miss my simple sour cream pound cake.

The Chocolate Chip Pound Cake Dream Team

For this simple pound cake recipe you'll need:

• Sour Cream: While testing cakes recipes over the years, I've found sour cream keeps the crumb incredibly soft and moist while giving the cake a rich, bakery-style texture.
• Butter: Butter is the star of any pound cake, creating the rich flavor and beautifully golden crust that makes this recipe so special.
• Pure Vanilla Extract: Since this is a simple cake, good-quality vanilla really shines and gives the cake its warm, classic flavor.
• Flour-Tossed Chocolate Chips: Tossing the chocolate chips with a little flour is one of my favorite tricks for helping keep them evenly distributed throughout the loaf instead of sinking to the bottom.

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.

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 chips and one tablespoon of flour together, then gently fold them into the cake batter.

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.

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

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!

★★★★★ Please let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a star rating and comment below!

Make sure to join our Newsletter and follow us on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter.

Recipe Card

Buttery Chocolate Chip Pound Cake with Sour Cream

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

No reviews

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

This chocolate chip pound cake is buttery, rich, and filled with melty chocolate chips in every slice. I've found sour cream is the secret to creating a soft, tender crumb, while the long bake gives the outside a beautifully golden crust that contrasts perfectly with the moist interior. The milk chocolate chips add little pockets of sweetness without overpowering the classic vanilla pound cake, making this an easy dessert that's just as welcome with an afternoon cup of coffee as it is after dinner. 

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

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 6oz (¾ Cups) Butter, softened to room temperature
• 250 grams (1 ¼ Cup) Granulated/ Caster Sugar
• 3 Large Eggs, at room temperature
• 188 Grams Grams (1 ½ Cups) All-Purpose Flour
• ¼ Teaspoon Baking Soda
• ¼ Teaspoon Salt
• 1 ½ Teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
• 4oz (1 Cup) Sour Cream
• 170 grams (1 Cup) Milk Chocolate Chips + 1 Tablespoon Flour

Optional Toppings

• Powdered Sugar
• Fresh Berries
• Whipped Cream
• Ice Cream
• Lemon Curd

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325F/163C and heavily grease a 1lb loaf pan and set aside while you prepare the filling.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.

• Author: Elizabeth Waterson
• Prep Time: 15 Minutes
• Cook Time: 65 Minutes
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Bake
• Cuisine: American

Recipe Card powered by