Mile High Dark Chocolate Pound Cake

Dark Chocolate and Mile High Pound Cake lovers, this recipe is especially for you. This pound cake is 18 cups of rich chocolate pound cake!

This Mile High Pound Cake is for the Chocolate lovers. The Dutch processed cocoa powder gives this cake a special richness, but you can also use regular cocoa powder if you like. This cake is super rich between the cake and the glaze, but not overly sweet. For a sweeter pound cake, cut out maybe ½ c of the cocoa powder. If you aren't interested in double chocolate, see the glaze used in my Million Dollar Pound Cake recipe.

Pound Cake recipes ---> Shirley Temple Pound Cake, Pina Colada Pound Cake, Pineapple Pound Cake, German Chocolate Pound Cake, Sour Cream Cream Cheese Pound Cake, Sour Cream Pound Cake, Cream Cheese Pound Cake, Honey Bun Pound Cake, Butter Vanilla Pound Cake, Cinnamon Roll Pound Cake, Blueberry Lemon Bundt Cake

Ingredients needed for the Pound Cake:

• All Purpose Flour
• Granulated Sugar
• Unsalted Butter - room temperature
• Eggs - room temperature
• Buttermilk - room temperature
• Baking Powder
• Salt
• Vanilla Extract
• Dark chocolate Dutch-processed cocoa powder

Ingredients needed for the Chocolate Ganache:

• Powdered sugar
• Milk
• Dark chocolate Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• Vanilla Extract

(Note: The full ingredient list is provided in the recipe card below.)

How to make the Pound Cake:

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt and sit to the side.

Then, using a hand or stand mixer, beat the butter together then slowly add in the granulated sugar. Mix on medium speed until light and fluffy approximately 5 minutes).

Add the vanilla to the batter. Then add the eggs to the bowl one at a time, mixing well after each addition before adding the next egg. Add the cocoa powder to the batter.

Mix in the flour 1 c at a time, alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour.

Spray a 18-cup bundt pan with non-stick spray. Pour the batter into your bundt pan and spread it evenly. Bake the pound cake for about an hour and 30 minutes.

The cake is done once a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool for 20 minutes before removing it from the pan. Allow the cake to cool completely before adding the glaze.

How to make the Chocolate Glaze:

Using a hand or stand mixer, blend the powdered sugar, cocoa, milk, and vanilla until combined. Pour the glaze over your pound cake as desired. Allow the glaze to set before serving.

Helpful Guides for Beginners:

If you're new to baking I got you covered! Here are some helpful guides to help you along the way!

• How to make a moist Pound Cake
• Pound Cake Essential Tools
• Mistakes to avoid when baking a pound cake
• How to prepare Pound Cake ingredients
• How to Make a Pound Cake for Beginners

Helpful Baking Tools

• Bundt Pan
• Stand Mixer
• Hand Mixer
• Basting Brush
• Sifter
• Silicone Spatula
• Oven Thermometer
• Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl
• Baker's Joy
• Cake Keeper
• Measuring Cups
• Measuring Spoons

Pound Cake Tips + Tricks

Whether you are a beginner or have been in the baking game for a while, I hope these tips are helpful in making sure that your pound cake comes out great!

⇢ Always use room temperature ingredients – Standard pound cake ingredients include butter and eggs which should always be at room temperature to ensure that they properly blend into the batter and do not cause any clumping. Other common ingredients such as milk, cream cheese, etc should also be at room temperature. Make sure to allow enough time before baking to remove the ingredients from the refrigerator and sit them on the counter to allow them to come to room temperature. 

⇢ Properly measure your ingredients – Always measure each ingredient before adding it to the cake to make sure that you have the accurate amount of each ingredient for the recipe. Baking requires exact measurements for the cake to come out correctly. 

⇢ Properly cream the butter and sugar together– Once blended the texture should be light and fluffy. Blend the ingredients together at a moderate speed for at least two to three minutes.

⇢ Add the eggs one at a time– Eggs must be added one at a time blending well after each addition. Once you’ve added an egg to the batter and no longer see any yellow, then you can add another egg to the batter.

⇢  Don’t overmix your batter–  Aside from creaming the butter and sugar together, once done adding an ingredient, immediately start adding the next ingredient. If you are not quite ready, stop the mixer until you're ready to add the next ingredient. After you have added the last ingredient, just mix until blended. If the batter still requires mixing, for example, if there is any unmixed batter on the side of the bowl, finish the mixing process using a spoon. 

⇢ Spray the hell out of your bundt pan - My favorite method is using a baking spray such as Baker’s Joy which includes the flour and oil all in one can. It's always a no-fail method for me and the cake comes right out of the pan. You can also grease the pan with oil (solid or liquid) then dust the pan evenly with flour if you prefer that method.

Frequently Asked Questions: