Double Chocolate Pound Cake Without Shortening – Simple Recipe

A simple chocolate pound cake recipe with mini chocolate chips.

This cake is a lovely moist chocolate pound cake from Southern Living’s 1971, Homemaker’s Cookbook, Cakes. I took the liberty of adding some mini chocolate chips.

This is the first of three chocolate pound cakes from this cookbook I will be baking and sharing.  

In the cookbook it’s referred to as Chocolate Pound Cake #1.  Thank goodness bland cake name doesn’t equal bland cake taste.

Here are links to other two mis-titled cakes from this cookbook

• Easy, Old Fashioned Chocolate Pound Cake – Chocolate Pound Cake #2
• Easy Homemade Chocolate Pound Cake – Chocolate Pound Cake #3

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Better than grandma’s Chocolate Pound Cake

Possessing a nice, but not overly rich chocolate flavor, it is one of the best chocolate pound cakes you’ll try.  It’s as good as, or better than, grandma’s chocolate pound cake.

I have made this moist cake with both a simple chocolate ganache glaze and an easy cream cheese glaze; however it’s every bit as good naked.

INGREDIENTS IN THIS OLD FASHIONED CHOCOLATE POUND CAKE

• Unsweetened baking chocolate I used Bakers or Ghirardelli Chocolate
•  All purpose flour 
• Cream of tarter
• Baking soda
• Salt
• Sugar
• Butter – for best results use room temperature.
• Milk – for best results use room temperature.
• Vanilla
• Eggs – for best results use room temperature.
• Egg yolk
• Chocolate chips – Optional – I used mini chips dusted with flour.

RECOMMENDED TOOLS FOUND ON AMAZON

• Zulay 3 Cup Stainless Steel Flour Sifter – Helps get all the lumps out of your flour.  Made with high-quality rust-resistant polished stainless steel that is lightweight, durable, & long-lasting.
• Nordic 13 inch Round Cooling Grid  – Gorgeous copper-plated circular steel wire grid.  Perfectly sized to fit Bundt cakes, layers and other goodies.
• Nordic Bundt Cleaning Tool – If you own a bundt pan you need this.  Gets in those pesky, impossible to clean crevices and makes cleaning a bundt pan easier. 

HOW TO MAKE DOUBLE CHOCOLATE POUND CAKE WITHOUT SHORTENING

• Melt Chocolate
• Sift flour, cream of tarter, soda, salt and sugar together.
• Work the butter to the very soft and creamy stage and add cooled chocolate
• Stir in small portions of the sifted dry ingredients. 
• Stir in milk and vanilla until flour is dampened.
• Beat 2 minutes at low speed with mixer.
• Add unbeaten eggs and yolk to batter and beat 1 minute with mixer.
• If using chocolate chips, dust with flour and fold into batter.
• Pour mixture in a greased tube or bundt pan.
• Bake at 350° for 60 to 70 minutes.
• Let cool for 15 minutes.

WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO MELT CHOCOLATE?

This dark chocolate pound cake recipe calls for melted chocolate.  If you haven’t used baking chocolate before,  below are two of the best ways I know to melt baking chocolate. 

RECIPE FOR MELTING CHOCOLATE IN THE MICROWAVE

To melt chocolate in the microwave (the video below calls for shaved chocolate; however, you can break an unsweetened chocolate bar into medium to large pieces):

• Microwave for 30 seconds (Use low heat setting.  If using high heat setting microwave for 20 seconds) and remove. 
• Give chocolate a stir and put back in for another 30 seconds. 
• Repeat this process of microwaving 30 seconds and stirring until chocolate is melted.

MELTING CHOCOLATE IN A DOUBLE BOILER

To melt chocolate in a double broiler: 

• Add about 1 to 2 inches of water in the bottom pan of a double broiler.
• Turn stove to medium heat and heat until water starts to steam. 
• Place the chocolate in the top pan and place top pan on the bottom pan. 
• Make sure top pan is not touching water in bottom pan. 
• With a spoon or rubber spatula stir constantly until it melts. Do not stop stirring for long. 
• If you think it’s melting to fast or afraid it will burn turn heat down.  

If you don’t have a double broiler, you can place a glass, ceramic, or metal bowl over a sauce pan of steaming water and follow the steps above.

HOW DO YOU KEEP YOUR CHOCOLATE CHIPS FROM SINKING IN A CAKE?

How many times have you cut into your freshly baked cake and found the chocolate chips, nuts or fruit have sunk to the bottom.  

To prevent this, simply toss them in a little flour before folding them into the batter.  This works for baking chips, nuts and fruit.

CAN YOU FREEZE CHOCOLATE POUND CAKE?

Yes, yes, yes.  Pound cakes are the best cakes to freeze.  Freezing them allows the flavors to really mold together.  I think pound cakes are actually better after serving some freezer time.

HOW TO PROPERLY FREEZE POUND CAKE

You can freeze the whole cake or a portion of the cake or you can freeze it in slices.  Freeze it in slices if you want to sneak a piece.  A slice is simple to warm up and enjoy. 

HOW TO FREEZE A WHOLE CAKE OR LARGE PORTION OF CAKE

• Completely cool the cake.
• Wrap the cake 2 or 3 times in plastic wrap and then cover with aluminum foil.  
• Put in large freezer storage bag or container and place in freezer.  If you don’t have a large enough freezer bag or container, freeze it wrapped well in plastic wrap and aluminum foil.

HOW TO FREEZE POUND CAKE IN SLICES

• Wrap your slices individually in plastic wrap and aluminum foil,  place them in a freezer storage bag or container and then place in the freezer.
• Slice the cake and put slices of parchment paper  between the slices.  Then wrap the sliced cake just like wrapping the whole cake or portion of the cake above, with plastic wrap and aluminum foil.  Place in freezer.

FINAL THOUGHTS ON SOUTHERN LIVING’S MOIST DOUBLE CHOCOLATE POUND CAKE

Calling for all butter and no shortening for this cake’s fat, is what the truly original pound cakes from the 1700s did.

This is not an extravagant cake, but if you’re a fan of baking a simple cake with rich, but not overly rich, chocolate flavor, this cake’s for you.

MORE OLD FASHIONED TRADITIONAL POUND CAKE RECIPES

• Chocolate Chip Pound Cake Southern Living
• Chocolate Syrup Cake
• Vanilla Bean Cake
• Whipping Cream Pound Cake
• Oreo Pound Cake
• Chocolate Cake With Chocolate Chips