Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

  • February 20, 2019
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  • 3.6 from 11 votes
  • 20 comments

This is the ultimate Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Pound Cake. Super moist, buttery, and tender with the perfect amount of chocolate chips. Perfect for breakfast or dessert!

If you love making sweet bread, check out my Carrot Cake Loaf and my Cinnamon Swirl Quick Bread. They are both perfect every time!

Chocolate chip pound cake slice on a white board.

I’ve always been a huge fan of pound cake and when you add in mini chocolate chips I love it even more! This Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Pound Cake is soft and moist with just a hint of vanilla.

I tried different variations of this pound cake. I found that fewer eggs and sour cream made the best pound cake. It was light, airy, and buttery. Too many eggs made the cake spongy and dense.

One of the biggest tips I have for making a great pound cake is to bring all of your cold ingredients to room temperature. This creates a smoother batter resulting in a lighter tender cake.

This pound cake is perfect for breakfast or dessert!

Chocolate chip pound cake slice on a white board.

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Ingredients for Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

  • Butter: Nothing beats a rich & butter cake! Butter also adds tons of moisture.
  • Sugar: Sugar is added for sweetness. Also, when it is creamed together with the butter it produces air pockets resulting in a lighter crumb.
  • Eggs: Eggs bing everything together and add a little height.
  • Sour Cream: This brings more moisture and a little tanginess to the chocolate chip pound cake.
  • Vanilla: To enhance the sweetness I love to add vanilla to all of my homemade baked goods!
  • Baking powder & baking soda: These two key ingredients help the pound cake to rise, making it less dense.
  • Chocolate chips: I prefer semi-sweet chocolate chips, however, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, or bittersweet are great substitutions.

How to make Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

  • Preheat the oven: To 350°F and grease a 9 x 5″ loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
  • Cream butter and sugar: In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment cream butter until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add in sugar and mix for an additional minute. Note: This is super important! The cake will fall if the sugar is not creamed for 2-3 minutes. Creaming the butter and sugar produces air pockets which help the cake to rise. I know it’s such a simple step but this is the difference between the cake rising or not!

Butter and sugar creamed together in a white bowl.

  • Add in eggs, sour cream & vanilla: One at a time add in eggs and scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula after each addition. Next, add sour cream and vanilla and mix until combined.

Ingredients in a white bowl.

  • Combine dry ingredients: In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. On low speed add the dry ingredients to the stand mixer and mix just until combined. Do not overmix. Gently fold in the chocolate chips.

A bowl of cake batter.

  • Bake: Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown and the top is set.

Pound cake in a tin.

  • Cool: Allow the cake to cool for 15 minutes in the pan before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

A hand holding chocolate chip pound cake.

  • Store: This Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Pound Cake freezes really well. Store it in an airtight freezer bag for up to 2 months!

Tips for making The Best Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

  • Don’t over mix the batter. This will lead to a tougher bread.
  • Make sure the bread is fully cooked before taking it out of the oven. If the bread is undercooked it will sink in the middle. You can do this by inserting a toothpick. If it comes out clean, the cake is ready!
  • Resist the urge to slice into it right away. Let it cool completely before slicing it.
  • Make sure to fully cream the butter for 2-3 minutes and the sugar for 1 minute. This helps to create air pockets and helps the loaf to rise. I tested this cake with only creaming the butter and sugar for a minute versus creaming for 3 minutes and it made a world of difference. The first cake fell and the second cake rose!

What is the difference between pound cake and regular cake?

It’s all in the name! Originally pound cake was made by adding a pound each of flour, sugar, eggs, and butter, plus some baking soda and baking powder. Regular cake, on the other hand, has various quantities of these ingredients, depending on the recipe.

What is the secret to good pound cake?

My top tip for making the best chocolate chip pound cake is creaming the butter and sugar together for 3 minutes. They become light and fluffy and add air pockets to the loaf helping it to become light and less dense.

How do I make my pound cake more moist?

By adding an ingredient like yogurt, cream cheese, buttermilk, or sour cream (as I did in this recipe) your pound cake will lock in a ton of moisture while it’s cooking.

Chocolate chip pound cake slice on a white board.

Here are more sweet bread recipes to enjoy!

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Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

3.55 from 11 votes
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Servings: 10 1 loaf
Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Pound Cake. Super moist, buttery and tender with the perfect amount of chocolate chips. Perfect for breakfast or dessert!

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter room temperature
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs room temperature
  • 1 cup sour cream room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

Images:
  • Preheat the oven to 350 F and grease a 9 x 5 loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
    In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment cream butter until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. (This is an important step make sure to cream the butter for a full 2-3 minutes or the cake will fall)
    Add in sugar and mix for an additional minute.
  • Add in eggs one at a time and scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
  • Next add in sour cream and vanilla and mix until combined.
  • In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
    On low speed add the dry ingredients to the stand mixer and mix just until combined. Do not over mix.
  • Gently fold in the chocolate chips.
  • Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 1 hour. If the top is getting too brown cover with foil.
  • Allow the cake to cool for 15 minutes in the pan before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe Notes

Adapted from Once Upon a Chef

Nutrition Facts
Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Pound Cake
Amount Per Serving
Calories 585 Calories from Fat 297
% Daily Value*
Fat 33g51%
Saturated Fat 19g119%
Cholesterol 72mg24%
Sodium 209mg9%
Potassium 380mg11%
Carbohydrates 65g22%
Fiber 4g17%
Sugar 38g42%
Protein 7g14%
Vitamin A 498IU10%
Vitamin C 1mg1%
Calcium 83mg8%
Iron 4mg22%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Course: Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Baking, Easy Desserts, Pound Cake, Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

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Comments - page 1/2

  • Chelsea

    Followed the directions exactly. The cake looked really good when it came out of the oven, but as it cooled it sank. It was horribly under baked and gooey in the middle.

    • Kelley Simmons

      Hi Chelsea,

      Did you insert a toothpick to see if it came out clean? Sometimes when it is under baked it will cause it to drop or sag after it comes out of the oven.

      Hope this helps!

      Kelley

  • Emily

    I just made this last night and it’s delicious! However, after the first 40 minutes the loaf was completely raw inside. I’m not sure if my pan wasn’t the right size (I did use a loaf pan, but I don’t know if it actually is 9×5 or not) but my loaf required an additional 40 minutes. At first I just kept adding on an extra 5-10 minutes, but when I realized that wasn’t doing it and I was just over baking the outside crust, I dropped the temperature to 300° F and baked it for an additional 20 minutes. It was perfectly cooked by that point hahaha, and I’m even more pleased with the crust and that it’s not overly dry. Next time I do this I’m gonna bake it at 350 for 40 minutes and then drop the temp to 300-325 and bake it for another 20-30 minutes. Thank you so much for this recipe, it IS delicious ?? I had a question though, what would be some good substitutions for the sour cream? I was thinking buttermilk or crème fraîche? Thank you so much!

  • Emily

    Hi Chelsea, I just wanted to let you know how much I love this recipe! I’ve made it several times now and I wanted to let you know that when I first made this, I was using an 8×3 pan, not a 9×5 loaf pan. It still takes longer than the 40 minutes called for in the recipe, but I do have an odd oven. I haven’t tried any substitutions yet, it’s just too delicious for me to want to risk ruining it ??

  • Lisa

    I just made this and followed the directions exactly. Did the toothpick test after 40 minutes and it wasn’t quite done, so back in the oven for another 5 minutes. Second toothpick test with multiple tries came out clean and the top was a beautiful brown. However, as it cooled it fell and when I tried to take it out of the loaf pan it completely fell apart and the middle was a horribly undercooked mess. The parts that were cooked tasted delicious. Unfortunately there’s not much to salvage. Not sure I want to try this one again 🙁

    • Kelley Simmons

      Hi Lisa,

      I am so sorry this happened! Did you happen to leave it in pan for at least 15 minutes to cool? Sometimes when it’s taking out to early it can fall apart. The loaf will continue to cook as it cools. That’s my only thought. I hope this helps!

      Thank you for trying my recipe!

      Kelley

  • Sheri Datre

    Great recipe! BUT…Definitely needed to cook way longer than the recipe called for… I had it in the oven close to an hour and a half!

  • Andrea

    I just made this cake, I didn’t have a 9×5 pan so I used a 8×8 dish. 45mins at 350. It came out perfect & delicious! Thank you!

    • Kelley Simmons

      Hi!

      This recipe usually doesn’t last long in our house however it should freeze fine (just make sure to wrap it really well and get out as much air as possible). I would let the bread thaw on the counter than reheat in the microwave, oven or in the toaster oven.

      Thanks & Enjoy!

      Kelley

  • Holly Mae Jackson

    This was a wonderful recipe, very easy. I used a round cake pan and had to add 5 minutes to my cook time. The flor is toe curling. Not too sweet.
    I will make this again!

    I did want to say- I had a devil of a time trying to read this recipe (from my ipad) with all the obnoxious pop up ads. Geesh!

  • Kris

    I should have come to my senses when it said bake for 40 mins when I KNOW a pound cake takes like an hour to bake. The middle started sagging when I was cooking it in the pan so I attempted to save it by putting it back in the oven. We’ll see what happens as it’s still in there. I’m done with these online recipes. I can only trust taste of home and food network from here on out.

  • Andrew

    What is the actual recommended baking time? One part of your recipe says 40 min, while another part says 45-50 min.

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