Chocolate Pound Cake

Old fashioned Chocolate Pound Cake with yummy Mocha Frosting made from scratch.

This light pound cake recipe made with butter, shortening, cocoa and milk has been in our family since the 1950s.

Pound cakes were popular back then because they were easy to make and delicious to eat with or without frosting.

They were taken to potluck dinners, because of the easy transporting.

Individual slices were wrapped, carried to work and shared with co-workers.

Old fashioned pound cake recipes before the 1960s called for 1 lb. each of butter, flour, sugar and eggs.

They did not call for leavening agents because eggs were used to make them rise.

They were delicious with the large amounts of butter but, they were too heavy and dense for some folks.

The new formula made a cake that was lighter and more tender while retaining it's buttery taste.

Chocolate Pound Cake Recipe

• 2 sticks butter
  
  
• 1/2 cup Crisco or other solid vegetable shortening
  
  
• 3 cups sugar
  
  
• 5 eggs, separated (reserve egg whites)
  
  
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  
  
• 3 cups sifted cake flour
  
  
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder*
  
  
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
  
• 1 cup milk

Cream butter, shortening and sugar together in mixing bowl until light and fluffy.

Add egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Stir in the vanilla.

Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt, twice.

Add to the creamed mixture alternating with the milk, starting and ending with the flour.

Beat reserved egg whites until they are stiff.

Gently fold into the batter just until it is mixed well. DO NOT over beat.

Pour into a prepared** 10" tube pan.

Bake in a preheated oven 325F. for 1 hour and 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in center of the cake comes out clean and the cake starts to loosen around the edges.


Remove the bake from the oven the and it let sit in the pan for 10 or 15 minutes.

Invert on a rack to cool.

An excellent way to remove the cake is to lay a clean hand towel over the cake then place the rack on top and invert them all together onto the counter top.

When cool, frost the top and sides with Mocha Frosting (recipe below), Creamy Chocolate Frosting or any other favorite frosting you desire.

**To prepare baking pan, lightly grease bottom and sides of pan with solid shortening.

Dust lightly with flour, shaking out the excess.

Place a sheet of waxed paper that is cut to fit the bottom of the pan and grease and dust it the same way.

I cut various sized pieces of waxed paper to fit the bottoms of all my cake pans and have them ready at a moments notice to bake a cake.

 Yummy Mocha Frosting

• 1 lb. powdered sugar
  
  
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
  
  
• 4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (Use 1/2 cup for a darker chocolate)
  
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
  
• 5-6 tablespoons Espresso or very strong brewed coffee
  
  

Cream together the cocoa and butter.

Stir in the vanilla.

Add the sugar a little at a time, using as much coffee as needed until all sugar is incorporated and frosting is of spreading consistency.

Frost the top and sides of cooled cake.

Chocolate Pound Cake, plain or frosted, makes a wonderful cake to take to a party, picnic or potluck supper.

The cake is delicious and it is easy to carry.

It also makes a best seller at a bake sale.

Related Pages

Old Fashioned Chocolate Pound Cake
With Grandma's 1 Minute Frosting

Old Fashioned Pound Cake 5 Flavors

Old Fashioned Sour Cream Pound Cake

Sour  Cream Chocolate Cake Recipe

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