Brownie Swirl Pound Cake
Classic buttery vanilla pound cake swirled with fudgy, rich chocolate brownie batter.
Years ago I shared this pound cake brownie recipe: it’s quite evenly divided between the pound cake and brownie so that each bar gets a good dose of both. That recipe was likely inspired by The Danni Rose’s brownie batter pound cake: she bakes a bundt cake and swirls it with boxed brownie mix. For years I’ve been wanting to more closely capture what Danni had done; a pound cake with a brownie swirl though with my own homemade brownie recipe and a pound cake recipe I’d worked on earlier.
Recipe Origins
Getting a pound cake recipe to hold up a brownie batter turned out to be a bit difficult. This recipe took a few tries: early in testing the brownie batter was falling to the bottom. I was also trying to have the brownie layers to stay gooey, rather than turn cakey.
What this meant was getting the pound cake portion to be thick but not dry. I think it got pretty close to an old fashioned pound cake which actually works perfectly in contrast to the gooey brownie bits. It doesn’t rise much – this helped with stabilizing the filling layers – so it’s a short loaf cake with a tighter crumb. The brownie filling is directly pulled from my most accessible brownie recipe but with double the chocolate – for the goo =)
Recipe Ingredients
Butter: unsalted butter, at room temperature for the pound cake. Cold butter is fine for the brownie batter as it will be melted.
Sugar: fine granulated.
Salt: fine sea salt. If using table salt, halve the amount.
Vanilla: pure vanilla extract.
Eggs: large eggs. At room temperature.
Sour cream: full fat.
Flour: cake flour for the pound cake and all purpose flour for the brownie batter.
Baking powder: we aren’t using much baking powder because while we want to aid the pound cake to rise a little, we aren’t looking for a big rise nor an open crumb. Traditional pound cakes don’t have chemical leavening, as they mostly rely on air whipped into the batter for some rise but not much.
Cocoa: dutch process cocoa powder.
Chocolate: dark or semi-sweet, chopped finely. This will help keep the brownie swirls gooey.
How to make a brownie swirled pound cake
Preheat the oven and prep a loaf pan (9×5) by greasing it and lining it with parchment paper.
First the pound cake batter
Add the sugar with the softened butter to the bowl of a stand mixer and affix the paddle attachment. Set the speed to medium low and beat until light and creamy, about 3-5 minutes.
While it’s creaming, add the salt and vanilla.
Make sure the eggs are at room temperature – otherwise they will cause the batter to split.
Add the eggs and work up the mixer to medium speed.
Once the eggs are well blended in, sift in the flour and add the baking powder.
Add the sour cream and mix on low, until just combined.
Second the brownie batter
We need to make the brownie batter second otherwise it will thicken and be difficult to spread.
Set the butter in a microwave safe bowl, add the sugar and warm it in the microwave for 1 minute – to melt the butter.
Whisk the butter and sugar together very well, then set the bowl back in the microwave for 30 seconds.
Add the cocoa and whisk until the batter starts to clump together.
Whisk in the egg, the batter will loosen again.
Stir in the flour and the finely chopped chocolate until smooth.
Layer the batters
Start with the pound cake batter, add over ⅓ of it so that it’s about an inch high in the pan.
Add half the brownie batter on top of this, smoothing it into an even layer.
Now add another third of the pound cake: dollop it evenly then spread so it covers the brownie batter.
Spread the rest of the brownie batter and smooth.
Add that last bit of pound cake batter on top, smoothing it to cover the brownie batter.
Bake the cake until a cake tester comes out clean, about an hour or so.
Brownie Swirl Pound Cake Recipe
Brownie Swirl Pound Cake
Ingredients
Vanilla Pound Cake
- 226g or 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 200g or 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 250g or 2 cups cake flour or a low protein all purpose flour, sifted if using cup measurements, shake the flour into the cup then level (don't pack it in)
- 1 teaspoons baking powder
- 120g or ½ cup sour cream
Brownie Batter Swirl
- 57g or ¼ cup butter unsalted
- 100g or ½ cup fine granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons dutch process cocoa
- Pinch fine sea salt
- 1 large egg
- 45g or 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 50g chocolate chopped finely
Method
- Set the oven to preheat to 350 F. Grease then line a standard size loaf pan (9x5 inches) with parchment paper.
- Make the pound cake batter: add the softened butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer. Affix the paddle attachment and set the speed to medium low. Cream until several shades lighter, and airy - adding the salt and vanilla while it beats. This will take at least 3 minutes but up to five. Add the room temperature eggs and beat until smooth. Sift in the cake flour and add the baking powder. Add the sour cream and beat on low until smooth.
- Make the brownie batter: set the butter and sugar in a microwave safe bowl and heat until the butter has melted, about 1 minute. Whisk well then return the bowl to heat for an additional 30 seconds. Add the cocoa and whisk until the batter starts to clump together. Crack in the egg and whisk until smooth. Add the flour and stir. Chop the chocolate very finely and stir until incorporated.
- Layer the batters: add about a third of the pound cake batter into the pan, smoothing it into an even layer. Add half of the brownie batter and use an offset spatula to spread it into one layer. Add another third of the pound cake batter, smooth it over. Add the remaining brownie batter and spread evenly. Dollop the rest of the pound cake batter on top and carefully, covering the brownie batter completely (it will burn if exposed) spread it.
- Bake the cake until a cake tester comes out clean, about an hour. The cake is not a high riser. Once baked, let cool briefly in the pan then transfer to a cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. Store leftovers in an airtight container.
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