Our chocolate chip pound cake features a double dose of chocolate, thanks to chocolate chips in the batter and a homemade chocolate glaze on top. It’s a contest-winning recipe that’s moist, delicious and ready to please any time of day. The hardest part is turning down another slice after you’ve eaten one.
Ingredients for Chocolate Chip Pound Cake 
- Butter: Butter helps the cake rise. Let the butter soften for an hour or so before using it.
- Sugar: Sugar adds sweetness and helps make the cake soft.
- Eggs: Eggs provide structure for the batter while also making the cake moist.
- Vanilla extract: Vanilla extract adds a light vanilla flavor and a hint of vanilla aroma to the cake.
- All-purpose flour: No special flour variety is necessary for this chocolate chip pound cake recipe.
- Baking powder and baking soda: Both these ingredients help the cake rise.
- Sour cream: Sour cream makes the cake moist and tender.
- Semisweet chocolate chips: These add pops of chocolate flavor to the cake.
- Glaze: Semisweet chocolate chips, butter, confectioners’ sugar, milk and vanilla extract blend together to form a light, delicious cake glaze.
Directions
Step 1: Start the batter
Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla.
Step 2: Add the dry ingredients
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Add this dry mixture to the creamed mixture, alternating with the sour cream, beating well after each addition. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Step 3: Bake the cake
Pour the batter into a greased and floured 10-inch fluted tube pan. Bake for 60 to 65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely.
Editor’s Tip: Leave about 1/2 inch at the top of the pan for the cake to rise. If you have leftover batter, pour it into cupcake tins or mini tube pans and bake those as well.
Step 4: Make the glaze
In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate chips and butter a few seconds at a time, stirring until the liquid is smooth. Whisk in the confectioners’ sugar, milk and vanilla until you have a smooth liquid glaze. Drizzle the glaze over the cake.
Chocolate Chip Pound Cake Variations
- Add nuts: Add 1 cup or so of chopped walnuts to the pan before adding the batter. The nuts add a bit of protein and crunch to the cake. Here’s a complete recipe for pecan-chocolate chip pound cake.
- Use miniature chocolate chips: Mini chocolate chips are lighter than larger chocolate chips and tend to stay in place in the batter, rather than sinking a bit.
- Change the extract: Instead of vanilla, try almond, rum or even orange extract for a slightly different flavor profile.
- Add white chocolate: Add hunks of white baking chocolate to the batter for a white chocolate pound cake with chocolate chips. Drizzle melted white and dark chocolate over the top separately for a stunning effect.
How to Store Chocolate Chip Pound Cake
Store the cake at room temperature in an airtight container (or a covered cake plate), where it will keep for about two days. Keep it fresh a couple days longer by storing it in the refrigerator.
Can you freeze chocolate chip pound cake?
Yes, this pound cake holds up well in the freezer. Wrap it with two layers of plastic, then foil, then store it in the freezer for one to three months. Wrap small portions to bring out as needed; let them thaw on the counter for a couple of hours before enjoying them.
Chocolate Chip Pound Cake Tips
Could I make this without the chocolate glaze?
Yes, this cake tastes great even with no glaze, or you have other options. Top it with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar, or add a classic confectioners’ sugar glaze, Serving the cake with vanilla or butter pecan ice cream is another way to enjoy it without adding a glaze or topping.
Could I make this without a fluted tube pan?
Yes, this recipe for chocolate chip pound cake bakes into a lovely cake with any type of cake pan, but it’s important to consider that a fluted tube pan such as a Bundt cake pan is deep and holds a lot of batter. Using shallow cake pans might mean baking a couple of cakes instead of one. Using shallow pans will also significantly reduce the baking time, so check the cake every 15 minutes or so; it’s ready when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Does it matter what shape fluted tube pan I use?
The fun thing about fluted tube pans is the seemingly infinite number of shapes they may be! Some look like classic Bundt cake designs; others look like some art deco fantasy structure or have floral features. Any one of them will work, so long as it’s a 10-inch fluted tube pan.
