Chocolate Sour Cream Pound Cake Recipe (Moist & Rich!)

If you want a chocolate cake that stays moist for days and tastes like it came straight out of a Southern bakery, this is the one. This Chocolate Sour Cream Pound Cake is my mother's recipe. A deeply chocolatey bundt cake built on real cocoa powder, full-fat sour cream, and a simple hot water trick that makes every slice impossibly tender. It's the recipe I've been making since I was a little girl, and the one I still reach for whenever I need to bring something that will disappear fast at a gathering.

Updated January 2026: Enhanced with detailed instructions, an updated title, and a refreshed expert tips section. Originally published November 8, 2013.

I've been sharing my family's treasured recipes on Simply LaKita since 2013, and this chocolate pound cake is one of my most beloved. It's my mother's recipe, passed down and perfected over the years, and it's also a wonderful choice for Valentine's Day if you're looking to impress someone with a rich homemade dessert. As a lifelong Southern baker, I know what makes pound cakes special: the right balance of ingredients, proper technique, and that signature dense yet moist crumb. Learn more about my baking journey here.

This recipe is a chocolate variation of my grandmother's famous Homemade Sour Cream Pound Cake. The addition of cocoa powder, hot water, and a few extra eggs transforms the base into a larger, more decadent cake, perfect for gatherings, potlucks, or any time you want to serve something that looks as impressive as it tastes.

Why This Recipe Works

This recipe creates an exceptionally moist chocolate pound cake thanks to several key techniques:

• The sour cream secret: Full-fat sour cream adds moisture and a subtle tang that balances the sweetness while creating a tender crumb. The acidity also activates the baking soda for a lighter texture.
• Hot water makes a difference: Adding boiling water to the batter thins it out and helps dissolve the cocoa powder completely, distributing chocolate flavor evenly throughout the cake. This technique results in a more intensely chocolatey cake.
• Room temperature ingredients: When butter, eggs, and sour cream are at room temperature, they emulsify properly, creating a smooth batter that bakes into a fine, even crumb.
• The large bundt pan: Using a bundt pan not only makes an impressive presentation but also ensures even baking, thanks to the center tube conducting heat through the middle of the cake.
• Dutch process cocoa: This type of cocoa powder (my preference) creates a darker color and smoother, less acidic chocolate flavor compared to natural cocoa powder.

Ingredients for Chocolate Sour Cream Pound Cake

1. Butter - Can use salted or unsalted. If using salted, reduce added salt to ⅛ teaspoon.
2. Sugar - Use granulated or cane sugar to add sweetness to the cake. Light brown sugar can replace up to half the granulated sugar for deeper molasses notes.
3. All-Purpose Flour - Use plain all-purpose flour with nothing added to it. You may whisk or shift before using it to smooth out any large clumps.
4. Eggs - This cake requires five large eggs to make. Try to remove the eggs before using them and allow them to come to room temperature.
5. Cocoa Powder - Helps to make the pound cake light, fluffy, and loaded with chocolate flavor. Use high-quality unsweetened cocoa powder for this recipe. Natural cocoa works, but Dutch-process cocoa creates richer color and flavor.
6. Baking Soda - Be sure to check the date of the package before adding it to the chocolate pound cake to make sure that it has not expired. Expired baking soda will prevent the cake from rising properly. No one wants their cake to fall.
7. Salt - Helps to balance the sweet flavor and prevents the cake from tasting flat. Use any that you prefer. I like to use kosher salt for baking.
8. Vanilla Extract - Use pure vanilla extract and not imitation for best results.
9. Sour Cream - One eight-ounce container of sour cream is all that is needed for the cake recipe. Adding sour cream to the cake will help to keep the cake moist and balance well with the sweetness of the cake. Use full-fat regular sour cream for this pound cake recipe with sour cream. I would not recommend substituting milk for this ingredient or using a dairy-free option for this particular recipe. Full-fat Greek yogurt works but will create a slightly tangier flavor.
10. Hot Water - Thins the thick batter so it pours easily into the pan, and blooms the cocoa powder to deepen the chocolate flavor throughout the cake. Swap in hot brewed coffee for an even richer result; you won't taste the coffee, only more chocolate.

💡 Pro Tip: Don't skip the hot water! It might seem unusual, but this ingredient is crucial for achieving the moist, tender texture and even chocolate distribution.

👉🏾 See the recipe card below for exact quantities and full instructions.

How to Make Chocolate Sour Cream Pound Cake

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and lightly flour a bundt pan. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

With an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in sour cream. Alternate adding the flour mixture and the eggs.

Add a little flour mixture, mix, then add an egg, and mix. Do this until all is combined.

At this point, the batter will be very thick.

Add in a cup of boiling water and be careful not to burn yourself. The mixture may splash out, so at this point I prefer to use a whisk. Whisk the mixture until smooth and combined. Stir in vanilla extract.

Pour into the prepared bundt pan.

Bake at 325 degrees F. for 1 hour to 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until done and a cake tester (toothpick) comes out clean.

At this point, you can enjoy it as is, add the frosting of your choice, or chocolate ganache.

How to Make Chocolate Ganache

For a quick and easy chocolate ganache. Bring ½ cup of heavy cream to a boil and pour over 4 ounces of good-quality dark chocolate, chopped or broken into ½-inch pieces. Chocolate chips could be used. Wait 1 minute and stir until smooth and glossy.

Drizzle chocolate ganache onto the cake while it is still warm. Slice and enjoy!

Expert Tips for Perfect Pound Cake

• Use Dutch-process cocoa, and here's why it matters. Not all cocoa powder is created equal for this cake. Dutch-process cocoa (like Droste or Rodelle) has been treated to neutralize its natural acidity, which gives you a noticeably darker colour, a smoother flavour, and a less bitter finish. Natural cocoa will work in a pinch, but the colour will be lighter and the chocolate taste slightly sharper. When I tested both side by side, Dutch-process won every time.
• Don't rely only on the toothpick test. The toothpick is a starting point, not the final word. For a pound cake this size, also look for these visual cues: the edges should pull away from the sides of the bundt pan slightly, the top should feel firm when lightly pressed (not springy), and the cake should have risen above the rim of the pan. If the toothpick comes out clean but the edges haven't pulled away yet, give it 5 more minutes.
• Grease the bundt pan with shortening and dust with cocoa, not flour. Dusting with flour leaves a pale, powdery ring on the outside of a chocolate cake. Use unsweetened cocoa powder instead, it blends seamlessly into the dark crust and prevents sticking just as well. Work shortening into every groove of the pan with a pastry brush before dusting, and tap out any excess cocoa. This is the single most reliable way to get a clean release.
• For a thicker, fudgier ganache, let the cream cool slightly before pouring. If you want the ganache to pool dramatically on top of the cake and drip down the sides in thick ribbons, let the cream cool for 2-3 minutes after it comes to a boil before pouring it over the chocolate. For a thinner, glossier drizzle, pour it immediately while still very hot. Both are delicious, it just depends on the presentation you're going for.
• This cake tastes even better the next day. The flavour deepens significantly after 12-24 hours as the cocoa and vanilla settle into the crumb. If you're making it for a gathering, bake it the day before, wrap it tightly (without the ganache), and store it at room temperature. Add the ganache a couple of hours before serving so it has time to set but is still glossy.

How to Store Chocolate Pound Cake

Storage. Store any leftover chocolate cake at room temperature in an airtight container or cake storage for 4 to 5 days. Slice a serve as normal. If you prefer to store it in the refrigerator, then you may do that instead.

Reheating. If you're storing the chocolate pound cake in the refrigerator, then allow it to come to room temperature or slightly reheat it before serving. You can heat it in the microwave for just a few seconds. 

Freezing. This pound cake can be made in advance and stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. Wrap the cooled cake tightly in a double layer of plastic wrap, followed by a tight layer of aluminum foil, and place it in the freezer. When you're ready to serve, simply remove it from the freezer the night before and allow it to thaw in the refrigerator for 24 hours before serving it the next day. Once it has thawed, it can be stored at room temperature.

Recipe Variations & Substitutions

Chocolate Chip Sour Cream Pound Cake

Fold 1 cup of mini chocolate chips into the batter before baking for extra pockets of melted chocolate throughout.

Mocha Sour Cream Pound Cake

Replace the hot water with freshly brewed hot coffee. This enhances the chocolate flavor without making the cake taste like coffee.

Chocolate Peppermint Pound Cake

Add 1 teaspoon peppermint extract along with the vanilla. Top with crushed candy canes after adding the ganache for a holiday twist.

Chocolate Orange Pound Cake

Add 2 tablespoons orange zest to the butter and sugar when creaming. Replace vanilla extract with orange extract.

Gluten-Free Version

Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend (like Bob's Red Mill) in place of all-purpose flour. The texture will be slightly more delicate but still delicious.

Dairy-Free Option

This specific recipe relies heavily on sour cream and butter for texture, so I don't recommend dairy substitutions for this particular recipe. Instead, search for a dairy-free chocolate cake recipe that uses oil as the primary fat source, the fat profile of this particular recipe is too dependent on butter and sour cream to substitute reliably.

Want More Pound Cake Recipes? Try These:

• Homemade Sour Cream Pound Cake
• Easy Pound Cake Recipe
• Sweet Potato Pound Cake
• 7 Up Pound Cake
• SunDrop Pound Cake Recipe
• Greek Yogurt Pound Cake 
• Pound Cake Trifle with Berries  
• Eggnog Pound Cake 

Have any comments, questions, or other delicious ideas and ways to enjoy this Chocolate Sour Cream Pound Cake Recipe? Please share them in the comments below!