Chocolate Pound Cake with a Soft Crumb

Set out unsalted butter, sugar, and light brown sugar before you start Chocolate Pound Cake with a Soft Crumb. The batch is written for 24 people.

Count on 20 minutes of prep, 1 hour of cooking, about 1 hour from the first measurement to the plate.

Ingredients Method

What goes in the bowl

• 1 ½ cups unsalted butter
• 2 ¼ cups sugar
• ¾ cup light brown sugar
• 6 eggs
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup Dutch processed cocoa powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons water
• confectioner’s sugar for dusting

How the cooking goes

Make cake batter

1. Heat the oven to 325°F (convection or standard) and prepare your pan. Spray it with cooking spray and then dust it with flour, tapping the flour around until every inch is covered.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients: flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. In a different bowl, whisk together sour cream and water.
3. In the large bowl of a electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together softened butter and sugars until a thick paste forms. Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as you go.
4. Switch the mixer to low, and alternately add the flour mixture and sour cream mixture. Mix until it is just combined before the next addition.
5. Put in the vanilla. Turn the mixer speed up so everything incorporates. Your batter will be silky and smooth.

Bake

1. Pour into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake in a preheated oven until a cake tester or cake tester comes out with a few clinging crumbs. Mine took 70 minutes. Yours could take anywhere between 60-85 minutes depending on your oven.
2. Allow the cake cool for 20 minutes in the pan, and then loosen the edges with a paring knife and turn it out onto a wire rack. Allow the cake to cool until it is no longer warm.
3. Once the cake is cooled, dust with powdered sugar or drizzle a glaze over the top. After the glaze has set, slice and enjoy!

After it comes off the heat

Let the pan settle before you slice, so the crumb stays together. Cover leftovers once they are cool.

If you want another plate from Cakes, open Individual Strawberry Shortcake with a Soft Crumb and Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake Baked Until the Center Springs Back.