This chocolate chip pound cake turns your favorite muffin into a simple crowd-pleasing cake. It’s the perfect combination of tender vanilla pound cake and sweet chocolate chips. Perfect with a cup of hot coffee!
Pound cakes and loaf cake are a personal favorite dessert of mine. They’re simple to make and perfect for snacking, breaking, brunch, dessert, or anytime! Orange cake, white and dark chocolate marble cake, honey cake – they’re all delicious!
This chocolate chip cake recipe is another simple yet super tasty and rich cake recipe that I love to whip up. It’s easy to make and perfect for times when you want a crowd-pleasing treat that doesn’t dirty up your kitchen.
In this recipe, buttery, soft vanilla pound cake gets loaded with chocolate chips, reminiscent of a classic chocolate chip muffin. It’s the kind of cake you can’t stop eating, since it’s not too heavy and perfect with a cup of coffee or as a midnight snack before bed. Between my husband and me, we finished off this cake in less than 2 days, neither of us resisting a slice as we passed through the kitchen.
How to get that perfect texture
If you ask me, the best chocolate chip cake has a soft, tender texture that’s light and cakey. To achieve this result, I prefer to use a mixer to cream the butter when making this cake. This adds air to the batter, giving the pound cake a lighter crumb.
For a simpler cake, I’ve also made this recipe using just a whisk instead of an electric mixer, and it’s still just as delicious. It won’t be as cakey in texture, but will resemble the soft and heavier texture of a muffin. Both options are irresistible, giving you two slightly different types of chocolate chip cakes to choose from.
Why I use both oil and butter in my chocolate chip cake
For this moist chocolate chip pound cake, I like to use both oil and butter in my batter. I like this combination because the butter adds a rich flavor while the oil keeps it moist and fluffy. Used together, you’ll get the perfect loaf cake that’s soft, tender and stays moist for days.
It is possible to use only butter or oil in this cake. I’ve made it both ways, preferring the combination for the best flavor and texture, but it still tastes delicious however you make it.
How to make chocolate chip cake
- Combine the dry ingredients. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Using either a mixer with the paddle attachment or a whisk if making by hand, combine the butter, oil and sugar. You can add in an optional teaspoon of orange zest during this step to give the cake an extra boost of citrus aroma (for more flavor you can add more orange zest).
- Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. You may need to scrape down the sides of the bowl a couple times to make sure everything is incorporated.
- Add in the eggs and vanilla extract, mixing until combined.
- In three additions, add in the flour mixture, alternating with the buttermilk, starting and ending with the flour. Lastly, mix in the chocolate chips.
- Pour into a loaf pan and bake for 45-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. You may need to cover the pan loosely with aluminum foil if the top begins to brown too quickly while baking. Cool completely on a wire rack before serving.
Can I freeze chocolate chip cake?
Yes! This cake freezes very well. Double wrap in plastic wrap and this cake will stay fresh in the freezer for up to 2 months. To thaw, place in the fridge or on the counter overnight.
What kind of chocolate chips should I use?
Any semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips will work in this recipe.
Other loaf cake recipes:
- Chocolate Vanilla Marble Cake: A beautifully swirled cake that tastes amazing.
- Lemon Blueberry Cake: Super moist and bursting with fresh flavors.
- Poppy Seed Cake: Made with orange zest and coconut flakes, this is not your average poppy seed cake.
- Coffee Loaf Cake: The best way to get your morning coffee!
This buttery vanilla pound cake is loaded with chocolate chip for a super moist and tender cake. You won't be able to stop eating it!
- 1 1/2 cups (210g) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, optional
- 1/4 cup (55g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) canola or vegetable oil
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar*
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup (180 ml) buttermilk, sour cream or heavy cream
- 1 cup (170g) chocolate chips
-
Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C. Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan. Set aside.
-
In a medium bowl sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
-
Note: In this step it’s possible to whisk the ingredients in the same order with a hand whisk instead of using a mixer. Mixing the ingredient slowly and with the paddle attachment in the mixer gives the cake a more ‘cakey’, light texture. In this case there's no need to mix for a few minutes, mix only until the ingredients are combined.
In a medium bowl using a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, oil, and sugar on medium speed for about 4 minutes, until light and fluffy.** Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary. Add eggs and vanilla extract and beat until combined. On low speed, beat in flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the buttermilk (or sour cream/heavy cream) in 2 additions, starting and ending with the flour. Mix in chocolate chips. Once all is added, be careful not to overmix the batter.
-
Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 45-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. If the top browns too quickly while baking, cover pan loosely with aluminum foil. Allow cake to cool completely on a wire rack.
-
Store cake at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 days or refrigerate for up to 5 days. Serve at room temperature.
*For a less sweet cake, you can reduce the sugar to 3/4 cup (150g) if you prefer.
**You can add in an optional teaspoon of orange zest during this step to give the cake an extra boost of citrus aroma.
65 Comments
Ag
May 1, 2020 at 2:39 pmHello, is it possible to substitute little pieces of chocolate for chocolate chips? Thank you!
Shiran
May 3, 2020 at 2:28 amYes, of course!
Latifa
May 5, 2020 at 10:49 amCould i use yogurt instead of sour cream?
Shiran
May 5, 2020 at 11:37 amI’ve actually just updated the recipe and used buttermilk. I tried it a few times and it tasted better in my opinion. But sour cream and milk works as well. You can use yogurt, but personally I prefer these options better than yogurt because they give richer flavor.
Barbara
June 27, 2020 at 8:43 amThis is an awesome/delicious cake!!!
My husband said to not bother making any other cake recipe!!
I used a square 9×9 pan but either pan produces a wonderfully moist cake!!
I am 78 years old and bake almost every day.
Make this cake!!
Shiran
June 29, 2020 at 1:54 amThank you, Barbara 🙂 I’m so glad you like it!
Tigist Abebe
June 30, 2020 at 11:26 pmHi can I use maple syrup or coconut sugar instead of granulated sugar
This is an awesome cake
Tigist Abebe
June 30, 2020 at 11:26 pmHi can I use maple syrup or coconut sugar instead of granulated sugar
This is an awesome cake
Shiran
July 7, 2020 at 2:04 amYou can, but keep in mind that the flavor and texture would be different. If using maple syrup, I recommend combining it with the coconut sugar, instead of using only maple syrup.
Christy
July 4, 2020 at 3:16 pmYum!! I’ve been looking for a delicious small cake to bake with my children, and this is perfect! We made it today and it has great flavor and texture. Thanks!
Hina Chishti
August 11, 2020 at 4:19 amWhen ever I make chocolate chip cake and I put chocolate chips on the top they melt and mix in the batter during the baking why is it so?
Ella
July 10, 2020 at 5:05 pmIs it ok to use 2% milk instead of whole or buttermilk?
Shiran
July 12, 2020 at 5:10 amHi Ella, yes it’s possible, just keep in mind that the flavor and texture won’t be the same as the original recipe.
Eryn Sergeant
July 13, 2020 at 11:18 amHello! could I use round cake tins to make a layer cake? If so, what quantities would you recommend for 3 x 6” sponges? 🙂
Shiran
July 27, 2020 at 4:34 amYes you could, but just keep it mind this cake has the texture of a cookie rather than cake, so it might be a bit too heavy as a layer cake.
Laura
April 22, 2023 at 6:51 pmIs there a way to prevent the chocolate chips from all sinking to the bottom? Delicious still
Stephanie @ Pretty.Simple.Sweet.
April 27, 2023 at 2:54 pmHi Laura, you can toss them in flour before incorporating them into the batter – thanks to Amy’s lovely suggestion. Thanks!
Jonathan
July 16, 2020 at 2:22 pmTastes awesome but the batter seemed thin and the chips sank to the bottom during baking. What could I do to prevent that?
Thanks!
Shiran
July 27, 2020 at 4:40 amHi Jonathan. It’s hard for me to know why the batter was thin without being there. Try watching the video for all the steps. If it was thin it makes sense that the chips would sink.
Avanti
August 31, 2020 at 10:18 amI have made this cake several times. It always turns out yummy and great. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Sun
September 2, 2020 at 5:01 amI’m new to baking so trying to understand the chemistry of every ingredient so I wanna ask why added sour cream or buttermilk in it?
nati
September 22, 2020 at 3:52 amwhenever i try to add chocolate chips to my cakes, it comes out with a very wet, almost brownie-ish consistency at the bottom, and the top is a lot more cakey like it’s supposed to be. almost as if the chocolate weighted down the lower layer of the cake a didn’t allow it to rise. do you have any ideas how to fix that?
Sarah
March 20, 2021 at 10:38 pmMaybe use smaller/lighter chocolate chips
Prema
October 23, 2020 at 2:06 amThe best tea/breakfast cake I have ever made!!! It disappeared within 24 hours of baking. The entire family loved it. Thanks sweetie for sharing this amazing recipe.
Lina
November 1, 2020 at 5:37 pmThanks so much for posting this recipe. It is super delicious and I will definitely make again.
My only issue is that the chips sank to the bottom but that was ok by me. The batter was quite thin so maybe adding more flour would help?
Shiran
November 3, 2020 at 9:23 amIt could, but it would make the cake more dense so I wouldn’t recommend it. You can try using smaller/mini chocolate chips.
Hiruki Wickramasinghe
November 15, 2020 at 4:11 amThe cake was really tasty and the texture was great! But my chocolate chips sank to the bottom as well (I read the comments before baking and saw that this has happened to some others as well) 🙁
I made this cake for a big family breakfast and everyone still enjoyed it and didn’t really notice the sunken chips!
Joe
November 26, 2020 at 2:28 amI’ve read on other sites that if you just toss the chocolate chips in some flour or dry cake mix before adding them to your cake mix to cook. It helps to stop the choc chips from sinking to the bottom. Hope it works! I try the theory tomorrow 😊
Jen
November 28, 2020 at 1:05 pmI noted comments about the chocolate chips sinking. Just toss the chips with some flour before baking.
Claudia Analia Collier
December 11, 2020 at 5:45 pmI’m trying to make mini loaves, can you tell me how many would come out with this recipe. Thank you
Reshma
December 16, 2020 at 4:01 amLoved this cake! It turned out so moist and soft! The chocolate chips sank at the bottom. But tghe next time I make it, I’m going to add the buttermilk bit by bit, I think about half a cup should do. One cup makes the batter consistency thin.
Renee Fisher
January 29, 2021 at 1:09 pmCan you use a sheet cake pan instead?
Shiran
February 2, 2021 at 9:37 amYou can use an 8-inch or 9-inch cake pan and reduce the baking time.
Elaine Hudson
January 30, 2021 at 9:17 amLoved this delicious cake but how to stop the chocolate chips from sinking please…I’d coated them in flour first?! I didn’t have buttermilk, so had to use milk + white wine vinegar alternative instead – would this have made the mixture to runny? Any ideas would be welcome. Thanks.
Shiran
February 2, 2021 at 9:30 amHi Elaine. I suggest coating it with just a little bit of flour and see if it helps!
Shannon Jaussi
February 2, 2021 at 2:42 pmThis cake came out AMAZING! THANK YOU for this recipe. I used sour cream instead of buttermilk since you said either/or is fine. I really think the sour cream is what made it come out so delicious.
My chocolate chips did not sink to the bottom like other people are saying. So idk what I did to prevent that.
I only only changed one direction. Instead of a loaf pan, I used a bunt pan because it’s what I had. It still baked perfectly in 45 minutes. 🙂
Sunita Pattanayak
March 24, 2021 at 3:23 amThe perfect cake I ever baked….thanks so much for the wonderful recipe ❤
Arianna Whitley
March 30, 2021 at 1:27 amThis cake was delicious!! I used milk instead of buttermilk and it worked perfectly. I would definitely recommend this as breakfast, midday snack or late night snack too 🙂
Ansuya
March 30, 2021 at 6:57 amSo we tried this and it was a superhit! Definitely tastes better with butter milk (which I made by adding apple cider vinegar to regular milk). Thanks for the recipe!
Cherie
May 2, 2021 at 8:34 amThis recipe is a keep.. the cake came out perfect.. the kids thought it was bought.
I Substituted sour cream/buttermilk with curd.
The batter was thick..so I dded a little oil and another egg.. (may be because I tried to lessen the oil n butter)
I had absolutely no sinking problem with the chocolate chips..
Thank you so much for the recipe 😘
Shiran
May 2, 2021 at 2:01 pmHi Cherie, thank you so much for the sweet comment! I’m so glad you and your family like the recipe 🙂
Ashley
May 5, 2021 at 11:38 amLove, love, love! So good! I added a teaspoon of cinnamon to the flour mixture (because we love our chocolate chip recipes with cinnamon in our house!) and used sour cream (will try in the future with buttermilk!) it turn out great! Nice and moist with a crispy crumb! So delicious 😊 thanks for a great recipe!
Artemis
June 1, 2021 at 5:47 pmAmazing recipe!!!
Wendy PC
September 21, 2021 at 9:10 pmSo delicious! Light, moist, awesome! Yummy. Thank-you
Sharon
November 24, 2021 at 5:32 pmShiran, this cake looks amazing and i would love your input on a potential modification to the recipe that I am thinking of doing because I’d like to avoid using chocolate if possible. I was thinking of replacing the chocolate chips with dried cranberries, and adding some orange zest and also a small amount (1/4 tsp.) of cardamom. Thoughts?
Wendy
March 19, 2022 at 6:01 pmShiraz, thanks for sharing this incredible recipe! I have made it twice in 1 week! This is a new family favourite. So simple to make and turns out perfectly.
I used canned coconut milk soured with juice from half a lemon, cut the sugar to 1/2 cup sugar and 1/4 cup Krisda (monk fruit blend sugar sub) and increased vanilla to 2 Tbsp.
The second time I made it I swapped out vanilla and chocolate chips for almond extract and dried cherries which also tasted incredible.
Wendy
March 19, 2022 at 6:03 pmSorry for the typo in your name Shiran!
Stephen
April 27, 2022 at 6:02 pmThis is a delicious cake, I’ve baked it twice now.
I love using your recipes and taking what I make into work with me. Someone suggested I make this cake again but with added coconut. Would that work without changing the taste or texture to much? And how would I go about adding the coconut?
Christine Millane
July 27, 2022 at 6:50 amOmg!! Super easy and downright delicious cake!! I made it after work tonight and my husband can’t stop eating it! Thank you so much! I don’t usually rate recipes but just had to for this one!!
Victoria
August 10, 2022 at 8:54 pmLOVE this recipe! Looking to incorporate a brown sugar flavor, how would you recommend dividing up the granulated white & brown sugar to maintain a fluffy cake?
Jessica
January 29, 2023 at 9:00 amI’ve made those twice now and everytime, it’s till uncooked in the middle at 45mins, wobbling bur brown edges close to burning. I placed the foil once from 45mins 60mins and it Still was still wet in the middle so ended up at 70mins with a dry, dense cake. Second time I dropped to 175° and still took 70mins but ended up dry and burnt around the edges. What could I be doing wrong??
Talia @ Pretty. Simple. Sweet.
January 29, 2023 at 9:37 amHi Jessica, sorry to hear you’ve been having trouble with the recipe. I understand the frustration! If you’re following the recipe correctly, my guess is your oven temperature is off. I recommend getting a thermometer to test it so you can get an accurate reading.
Marion
February 18, 2023 at 3:26 amI made this with heavy cream and bourbon vanilla. Best cake ever! My grandson wants it for his birthday cake.
Talia @ Pretty. Simple. Sweet.
February 21, 2023 at 4:08 amHi Marion, I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Amy
April 23, 2023 at 10:28 amGreat cake! This is the second recipe of yours that I made (the Spice Cake recipe was a HUGE hit and shared around the family to be their “go-to” Spice Cake recipe).
I converted this cake recipe to an 8×8 without issue. Baked for 35 mins., checking first at 25 mins., since my oven runs hot and to make sure the top wasn’t getting too brown (and checking with toothpicks), then adding 5 min. increments until I got to 35 mins. – which was perfect!
The cake came out lovely – great color to it and moist, light, and delicious. I had no issue with the chocolate chips sinking (I lightly tossed them in some flour before incorporating into the luscious batter). I also didn’t have buttermilk on hand so I used whole milk splashed with white vinegar to curdle it for a few minutes before adding to the batter. No problems at all!
I frosted the cake with one of my ol’ chocolate frosting recipes and everyone LOVED it!
We’ll be making this one again soon. Thanks for sharing!
Stephanie @ Pretty.Simple.Sweet.
April 27, 2023 at 2:53 pmYum! Thank you, Amy!
SG
April 26, 2023 at 9:21 pmThis recipe has been my go-to since two years now and I realized I never left a review. The cake always comes out so moist and delicious! I’ve baked it for my parents several times and they absolutely love it. I toss the chocolate chips in a bit of flour always and don’t have an issue with them sinking. Thanks for this wonderful recipe!
Stephanie @ Pretty.Simple.Sweet.
April 27, 2023 at 2:50 pmThank you for the kind comment!
Denis Penrod
August 26, 2023 at 12:06 pmThis looks like a good recipe and I am trying it but I had to alter it because unlike you I don’t have a kitchen mate it’s nice you put that in but you should of put in other methods too
NS
November 4, 2023 at 12:23 amGreat Recipe. I have been baking for my kids and wife for about a decade now. Have baked everything from Pies to cakes to Breads over the years. Most times I use cake mixes but only last 2 years have started making cakes from scratch.
Yesterday my wife said this is the cake she like the most from everything else I have made.
Thanks for your Recipes am gonna try other recipes from your site now. 😋
Stephanie @ Pretty.Simple.Sweet.
November 4, 2023 at 3:38 pmThank you so much for your kind words! I find that scratch made baked goods are well worth the extra little bit of time, too. Enjoy.
Edirin
November 5, 2023 at 7:39 amI love your recipe, I used lemon for flavor and made my own buttermilk with lemon juice as well. Came out lovely made two loaves and a dozen cupcakes ❤️
Stephanie @ Pretty.Simple.Sweet.
November 5, 2023 at 9:19 amAwesome! That sounds amazing!
Laura
November 21, 2023 at 2:25 pmI loved this recipe, I have made this cake many times now.
thank you for sharing it.
Love from Brazil!
Stephanie @ Pretty.Simple.Sweet.
November 21, 2023 at 2:34 pmThank you for your kind words, Laura! Glad you enjoy this recipe!