Classic Chocolate Cake Recipe

Chocolate Pound Cake #3 is a dense cake that has a luscious, deep chocolate taste. This is a simple and easy recipe to make.  It comes from the 1971 Southern Living Cakes cookbook. 

Classic Chocolate Cake Recipe

A SIMPLE CHOCOLATE CAKE

This is the third of three chocolate pound cakes from Southern Living’s 1971 Cakes cookbook I have baked and will be sharing.  Here’s a link to the first, Chocolate Pound Cake #1, and second, Chocolate Pound Cake #2, chocolate pound cakes.

As with the other two pound cakes, Chocolate Pound Cake #3 deserves a better name.  What an underwhelming name for such an overwhelmingly wonderful cake.

This is a simple cake, yet it has an amazing dense texture and such a deep explosive chocolate flavor.  When serving this for dessert over Christmas, my sister in law commented on its super deep chocolate flavor.  And when it comes to chocolate there’s nothing such as being in to deep.  

As with most pound cakes, this simple homemade pound cake is very easy to throw together and prepare.  It requires simple ingredients, you probably have on hand.  Once you pull it out of the oven, and let it cool for 15 minutes, it’s ready to go.  No icing, frosting or ganache required.  Though, it would taste good with any of these also.  Bottom line, it’s delicious naked or frosted.

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Classic Chocolate Cake Recipe

CAKE INGREDIENTS LIST

  • Butter – For best results use real butter at room temperature.
  • Shortening
  • Sugar
  • Eggs – For best results use room temperature eggs.
  • All Purpose Flour
  • Baking Powder
  • Cocoa – You can use dark or regular.  I used half of each.
  • Salt
  • Milk
  • Vanilla Extract

Recommended tools for this recipe

Classic Chocolate Cake Recipe

simple chocolate cake recipe

  • Cream butter and shortening and add sugar.
  • Add eggs and vanilla.
  • Add dry ingredients alternately with milk.
  • Pour batter into large tube or bundt pan.
  • Bake at 325 for 1.25 to 1.5 hours.
  • Let cool 15 minutes.

recommended pans for this pound cake

how to freeze pound cake

It tastes just as delicious, if not more so, after serving time in the freezer.

To freeze the cake or a portion of the cake:

To freeze in slices:

  • You can wrap your slices individually in plastic wrap and aluminum foil or only aluminum foil.  Then place them in a freezer storage bag or container.
  • You can also 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.

This cake is a beautiful cake when baked in a bundt pan. It would look even more elegant presented on a lovely cake stand. I know this is how I like to show off and present cakes I’ve baked in a bundt pan.

Classic Chocolate Cake Recipe

Homemade chocolate cake recipes

Chocolate Pound Cake #3
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Easy to Bake at Home Chocolate Pound Cake Recipe

Decadent homemade chocolate pound cake that has deep chocolate flavor. Easy and simple to prepare, it's the best.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword Easy, old fashion, chocolate, glaze, best, bundt, desserts, classic, homemade, simple, frosting, recipe, amazing, pound, icing, ganache, dense
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Cooling Time 15 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 10 minutes
Servings 18 Slices
Calories 380kcal
Cost $4

Equipment

  • Stand or Hand Mixer
  • Large Bundt or Tube Pan

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Butter
  • ½ cup Shortening
  • 3 cups Sugar
  • 5 Eggs
  • 3 cups All purpose flour
  • 2 tsp Baking powder
  • ½ cup Cocoa
  • ½ tsp Salt
  • 1¼ cups Milk
  • 1 Tbsp Vanilla extract

Instructions

  • Cream butter and shortening
  • Add sugar gradually
  • Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition
  • Add vanilla
  • Sift together flour, baking powder, cocoa and salt
  • Add flour mixture to creamed mixture alternately with the milk
  • Pour batter into a large tube or bundt pan that has been greased and dusted with flour.
  • Bake at 325° for 1½ hours
  • Cool in pan for 15 minutes

Nutrition

Calories: 380kcal

11 Comments

  1. Someone may have already mentioned this but just in case no one has the instructions do not mention adding the vanilla extract.

    1. yes it dose mention vanilla when you add the eggs!

  2. CLAIRE WOOD says:

    5 stars
    I have made this cake at least 4 times a year for 37 years. It is my grandmother-in-law’s recipe. It freezes amazlingly well too.

    I have been known to melt up 2 oz of baking chocolate and add to the batter.
    Another tip I have learned: substitute 2 T of coffee for part of the milk. You can just make a little instant and add that to the milk.
    I add almond extract too maybe 1/4 tsp.

    You are gonna love this cake!

    1. Great tips on how to spice this cake up a bit. Love the coffee idea. Thanks for the comment.

  3. Angela G. says:

    This cake is delicious!

    1. Thanks for your sweet comment. I agree. This is a nice, indulgent cake. I’m so glad you enjoyed it.

  4. I made this cake it is delicious.going to make again this week

    1. This is such a sweet comment. Agreed, this chocolate pound cake is delicious. You can’t beat a simple old fashioned chocolate pound cake. One of the ultimate dessert recipes.

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