Chocolate Pound Cake

Old fashioned Chocolate Pound Cake with 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 1960s called for 1 lb. each of butter, flour, sugar, and eggs. They didn't 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 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 vanilla extract
3 cups sifted cake flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder*
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup canned evaporated milk, undiluted
*For a darker Chocolate Pound Cake add an additional 1/4 cup cocoa powder plus 2 tablespoons water.

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 vanilla

Sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt twice. Add to creamed mixture alternating with milk, starting and ending with flour.

Beat reserved egg whites until stiff. Gently fold into batter just until mixed well. DO NOT over beat.

Pour into a prepared** 10" tube pan. Bake in a preheated oven 325 F. for 1 hour and 20-25 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean and cake starts to loosen around the edges.

Remove from oven and let sit in pan for 10-15 minutes. Invert on a rack to cool.

(To remove the cake I usually lay a clean hand towel over the cake then place the rack on top.I then invert them all together onto the counter top.)

When cool, frost the top and sides with Mocha Frosting (below), Creamy Chocolate Frosting or any other favorite, if desired.



**To prepare baking pan, lightly grease bottom and sides of pan with solid shortening. Dust lightly with flour, shaking out excess.

Place a sheet of waxed paper, cut to fit the bottom of 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.)

Chocolate Mocha Frosting

1 lb. powdered sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (Use 1/2 cup for darker chocolate)
1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring
5-6 tablespoons Espresso or very strong brewed coffee
Cream together cocoa and butter. Stir in vanilla. Add sugar a little at a time, using as much coffee as needed until all sugar is incorporated and frosting is of spreading consistency.

Frost 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. It is delicious and easy to carry. It also makes a nice bake sale cake.

Old Fashioned Recipes