Chocolate Chip Cake
This chocolate chip cake recipe is moist, buttery, and studded all throughout with chocolate chips. Easy to make, and it serves a big crowd!
Well hello there!
Sorry for the very quiet week last week. You may have noticed I have not posted any new recipes since Cinco de Mayo! I decided to lay low and take care of alllll the appointments I’ve neglected to make over the last few months. Eye roll.
I made it to all of them, and tomorrow I need to have a little biopsy done (eep!), so we shall see how I feel after that. I have lots of ideas for what I want to share, but if I’m really sore I may have to put them on hold for a bit.
But for today, I brought cake. Chocolate chip cake, to be exact! It’s moist and buttery and just so gorgeous, don’t you think?
I love this cake because it’s so fluffy and moist, the flavors are perfectly balanced, and it’s big enough to serve a crowd. You can easily get 18 slices out of this cake! Maybe even more.
It starts with my traditional pound cake recipe. I love this easy recipe so much, I’ve used it to create brown sugar pound cake, lemon pound cake, and marble pound cake too. They are all top favorites and I make them often, especially for entertaining.
But everybody loves a good chocolate chip cake too, right? So I’m really glad to be sharing this one with you today.
HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE CHIP CAKE
Most of the cake recipes on this site utilize the reverse creaming method, but when it comes to pound cakes, I always use the traditional creaming method. It’s SO important to whip lots of air into the butter, in order for the cake to rise properly. There’s no baking powder or baking soda in a true pound cake, so that step is so key!
This easy recipe has just a handful of ingredients:
- Butter
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Cake Flour
- Vanilla
- Salt
- Mini Chocolate Chips
Start with that all-important creaming step. You’re going to want to beat the butter and sugar together for a full 7 to 10 minutes!
As you can see, the mixture becomes extremely pale and very fluffy. You’re doing it right!
Next add in the eggs, one at a time. Make sure each egg is fully incorporated before the next one goes in.
Then, give the bottom and sides of your mixing bowl a thorough scrape with a silicone spatula, and start adding the flour.
I prefer cake flour for pound cake, because it makes the crumb nice and fine and it gives a lighter texture to the cake. You can read more about that here: Why Use Cake Flour?
Add in the flour about a cup at a time, while stirring on medium-low speed. Be careful not to overmix, or your cake could come out tough!
Once the flour is just barely combined, add in the vanilla and salt.
Then, toss the chocolate chips in a little flour and fold them in as well. Tossing them in flour helps them to not sink to the bottom of the cake as it bakes. I also prefer mini chips for this same reason!
When making any kind of bundt cake, it’s really critical that the pan is well-greased and floured. I usually just mist it generously with non-stick spray, and then coat the inside carefully with a layer of flour. But you can also find baking sprays that already have the flour mixed in. Here’s a good example: Baking Spray.
Just do a really good job covering every square inch carefully. There’s nothing more heartbreaking than having your pound cake stick to the pan and break! All those wasted ingredients!
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, and give it a nice long nap in the oven. This is a big boy; he’ll probably need at least 75 minutes to bake, if not longer!
You’ll know it’s done when a toothpick inserted in the thickest part comes out clean.
Allow it to cool, then drizzle with vanilla glaze and garnish with chocolate shavings.
GLUTEN-FREE CHOCOLATE CHIP CAKE
To make a gluten-free version of this chocolate chip cake, just substitute the cake flour for a gluten-free flour blend. Look for one that that subs 1:1 for regular flour. Here are a few good options:
CAN THIS CHOCOLATE CHIP CAKE RECIPE BE MADE IN A DIFFERENT SIZE PAN?
The cake you see pictured here was baked in a 10-cup bundt pan. But if you halve the recipe, it will work for a standard-sized loaf pan or a 5-cup bundtlette pan.
Just know that any time you bake a cake in a different sized pan, the bake time may need to be adjusted. Smaller or thinner cakes are likely to need less time in the oven than larger, thicker ones.
TROUBLESHOOTING: MY CAKE WAS BURNT ON THE OUTSIDE BEFORE IT WAS FULLY BAKED IN THE MIDDLE
There are two possible causes for this problem:
- Your oven temp could be off. This is really common and it can happen gradually over time. Buy a little oven thermometer (less than $10!) to hang from one of your oven racks, so you can be sure that the temperature you set your oven to is what it’s actually baking at.
- Dark colored cake pan. Darker colored pans absorb a lot of heat, and can cause a cake to become overly brown or even burnt on the outside. For the cake you see here, I used a swirl bundt pan in what’s called a “platinum” finish. Because it’s lighter in color, it reflects heat and allows the cake to bake more slowly and evenly. If you can’t get your hands on a lighter colored pan, try decreasing your oven temp by 25 degrees, and allowing the cake to bake a little longer if needed.
CAN CHOCOLATE CHIP CAKE BE MADE AHEAD?
This is a GREAT make-ahead recipe! It needs a looong time to cool, so it’s really perfect for making the day before you plan to serve it.
Once it’s fully cooled, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap so it doesn’t dry out or get stale. It will keep for a day or two at room temperature, a week or more in the fridge, or several months in the freezer!
I hope you’ll give this chocolate chip cake recipe a try! My friends and family really love it, and it’s such a versatile dessert for any time of year!
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Chocolate Chip Cake
Ingredients
For the chocolate chip cake
- 2 1/2 cups (567.5 g) unsalted butter, (5 sticks), softened
- 3 cups (600 g) granulated sugar
- 6 (6) eggs, , large
- 3 cups (375 g) cake flour,, plus extra for the chocolate chips
- 2 teaspoons (2 teaspoons) vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons (2 teaspoons) kosher salt
- 10 ounces (283.5 g) mini chocolate chips
For the glaze and garnish
- 2 cups (240 g) powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons (2 tablespoons) milk
- 1/2 teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) vanilla extract
- chocolate shavings*
Instructions
To make the chocolate chip cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and grease & flour a 10-cup bundt pan generously.
- Place the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl, and cream together on medium-high speed until very pale and fluffy (about 7 to 10 minutes).
- Add the eggs, one at a time, allowing each one to incorporate fully before adding the next.
- Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula, then add the flour, about a cup at a time, mixing until just barely combined (do not overmix).
- Fold in the vanilla and salt.
- Toss the mini chocolate chips in a tablespoon or so of flour, then fold into the cake batter and transfer to the prepared pan.
- Bake for 75 to 85 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the thickest part of the cake comes out clean.
- Cool for 30 minutes, then remove from the pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
To glaze and garnish
- Stir the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla together in a medium bowl until smooth.
- Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake, and top with chocolate shavings.*
Can this be made into a layer cake?
Yes I think so! You’ll just have to adjust the bake times accordingly. Good luck!
Can I use all purpose flour. I don’t have any cake flour right now.
Thank you
Can this recipe be made in a silicon mold? I have a flower silicon mold that I think would be beautiful with this cake. It doesn’t have a hole in the middle like a bundt pan, would this change the baking time?
Hi Jailee! So sorry for the late reply- I’ve been traveling with my family. I think it should work but you will most likely need to adjust the bake time by quite a bit if there isn’t a hole in the middle of your pan. This is a very large and very dense cake! Good luck, I hope it turns out well for you!
I was looking for a cake recipe for the whole family and I stumbled on this article. I read and followed the instructions carefully and I made it deliciously! Every member of my family is so happy! Thanks for this!
You are welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed. Thanks so much for the 5-star rating!
I am sooo making this simple yet decadent cake today. Just confirming…no baking powder or soda??
That’s correct- as I mentioned above (just below the heading “HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE CHIP CAKE”) there is no baking powder or baking soda in this cake. It gets all its “lift” from that initial step of creaming the butter and sugar. Hope you enjoy!
Hi Allie. I made your Chocolate Chip Cake yesterday ❤ It was amazing! My chips sank though ? I realize now that I added 1 tbsp of cake flour to the chips instead of using regular flour…do you think that made the difference?
I’m so sorry that happened to you Ledys! I wonder if that could have made the difference…??
I think so, but I’ll definitely let you know after I try it again!
Can I use regular flour. I currently don’t have any cake flour.
Thanks
SO yummy!!!