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A hot cocoa-flavored pound cake made with heavy whipping cream. It is easy to make and has a light, fluffy, and moist texture.
What is whipping cream pound cake?
A heavy whipping cream cake is a twist to the traditional pound cake that is usually made with butter. The texture is usually moist and dense. The American version of whipping cream pound cake still uses both butter and heavy cream. This whipping cream pound cake without any butter has been popular in recent years, especially in South Korea. It is made entirely using just heavy cream. The result is still very moist, but the texture is light and fluffy, unlike the traditional pound cake made with butter.
What is heavy whipping cream?
Heavy whipping cream is also known as whipping cream or heavy cream in the U.S. Heavy whipping cream typically contains around 36-40% milk fat, making it thicker and richer than other types of cream.
Why you’ll like this cake
1. Flavor
I love the smell of this cake when it’s baking. It smells so milky and rich (yes, heavy cream makes butter and I guess that’s why the cake smells so good). The aroma of hot cocoa is amazing too!
2. Texture
The cake has a thin crust on the outside but moist, soft and fluffy crumbs on the inside
3. Taste
The cake is not cloyingly sweet, making it so perfect for breakfast and afternoon tea/coffee break
Ingredients and substitutions
1. Heavy cream
You can use any whipping cream available where you are with that fat percentage. In the U.K, there is double cream, but the fat percentage is much higher, about 48%. So, be careful not to overwhip if you use double cream. DO NOT use half and half (I supposed similar to U.K’s single cream, 10.5-18% fat percentage) as a substitute. It won’t whip up well and it turns runny very quickly because of its lower fat content. Also, DO NOT use already whipped cream sold at the store, it won’t work with this recipe.
2. Hot cocoa mix
I used Swiss mix rich hot cocoa mix. You can use any hot cocoa mix you like. Just pay attention to the sugar content and adjust the amount in the recipe according to your taste.
3. Large eggs
I usually use large eggs, about 58-60 grams when weighed with the shells
4. Cake flour
I like to use cake flour because it gives a soft and fluffy texture. You can also use all-purpose flour (or flour with medium gluten content), the cake won’t be as soft but it’s still acceptable
5. Baking powder
This is used to leaven the cake. Do not omit or substitute with other
6. Sugar
I use granulated sugar. You can also use caster sugar. Do not cut down sugar more than 15% of the original recipe
7. Salt
I use fine sea salt
Easy Whipping Cream Hot Cocoa Pound Cake
Ingredients
- 250 g heavy whipping cream see notes 1
- 140 g sugar see notes 2
- 150 g eggs (room temperature) from 3 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Dry ingredients:
- 230 g cake flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
Hot cocoa mix:
- 38 g hot cocoa mix I used Swiss mix rich hot cocoa pack
- 15 g hot boiling water
Instructions
Prepare hot cocoa mix:
- Line a 9 x 5 x 2.5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper. This makes a shorter wider cake. You can also use 9 x 4 x 4-inch Pullman loaf pan. This makes a taller cake. Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C) for conventional oven, 330 F (165 C) for convection oven
- Empty the hot cocoa mix into a heat-proof glass or bowl. Add the hot boiling water and stir the mixture dissolves
Prepare the cake batter:
- Combine the dry ingredients and set aside
- Whisk 3 eggs with vanilla using a hand whisk to combine and set aside
- Place whipping cream in a large mixing bowl or a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Start with a low speed and continue to whip on a low speed until the cream has just thickened and not forming any peak yet. It is important not to overwhip because we still have eggs and sugar to add
- Add all of the sugar and continue to whip over low speed, speed 2 on my KA for about 1 minute.
- Add 1/2 of the egg mixture and continue to whisk on low speed for about 30 seconds
- Add the rest of the egg and increase the speed to 4 and continue to whip until it forms a soft peak. We are trying to be careful not to overwhip the cream because it turns grainy if you do. You can also switch to a hand whisk instead if you are concerned about overwhipping the cream
- Sift in 1/2 of the dry mixture
- use a rubber spatula to cut down in the middle and fold over to combine. Rotate the bowl as you fold the flour into the mixture. Add the rest of the 1/2 of the flour mixture and repeat this motion and fold to combine until you don't see any more dry pockets of flour. Make sure you get the bottom of the bowl too, sometimes the flour gets trapped down there.
- It's going to be a very thick batter
- Remove about 1/3 of the cake batter (about 250 grams if you weigh it) to another mixing bowl. Add the hot cocoa mixture and use a spatula to cut in the middle and fold over to combine evenly
- Transfer 1/2 of the plain batter to the prepared pan. Spread them evenly using a spatula.
- Spread 1/2 of hot cocoa batter on top
- Then spread the rest of the plain batter on top.
- Finish up with the rest of the hot cocoa batter. Smooth the surface with spatula
- Smear the batter on the two sides of the loaf pan
- I use a toothpick to draw about 1/2-inch deep line in the middle of the batter so the cake can follow this line to crack as it rises in the oven later
Baking:
- Bake in a preheated oven on the middle rack for 50-55 minutes if you use 9 x 5 loaf pan (check at 50-minute mark) and about 60-65 minutes (check at 60-minute mark) if you use 9 x 4 x 4 Pullman loaf pan. Test the cake by inserting a skewer into the center of the cake. It should come out clean with a bit of crumb, but it shouldn't be wet. If it is, bake another 5 minutes and check again
Cooling:
- Remove the pan from the oven and let it sit on the cooling rack for 5 minutes. Then grab the parchment paper to pull the cake out from the pan, gently peel the parchment paper on the side of the cake and let it cool down completely on the cooling rack at room temperature
Serving:
- I highly recommend letting this cake cool down for at least 12 hours and cut it after. The cake's flavor is so much better. It will be moist, flavorful, yet light and fluffy.
How to store:
- Leftovers can be kept in an air-tight container for 3 days at room temperature. For longer storage, store them in the freezer. Here's how, once the cake has cooled down completely, you can slice the cake. I usually put 4 slices together (one for each person in our household), wrap them in a cling wrap and another layer of aluminum foil, then I put them inside a freezer-friendly bag to prevent freezer burn. They can be kept frozen for no more than 1 month for the best quality. Simply thaw at room temperature before serving
Marv’s Recipe Notes
- You can use any whipping cream available where you are with that fat percentage. In the U.K, there is double cream, but the fat percentage is much higher, about 48%. So, be careful not to overwhip if you use double cream. DO NOT use half and half (I supposed similar to U.K’s single cream, 10.5-18% fat percentage) as a substitute. It won’t whip up well and it turns runny very quickly because of its lower fat content. Also, DO NOT use already whipped cream sold at the store, it won’t work with this recipe.
- I don’t recommend cutting down sugar to more than 15% of the original amount if possible. This cake is not overly sweet and I have taken into account the amount of sugar in the hot cocoa powder.
*Nutrition facts are just estimates and calculated using online tools*
Tips for success
1. The most important part of making this cake is not to overwhip the heavy cream. It can turn grainy and start to clump together. If you overbeat it further, it will separate and turn into butter. Use a hand whisk if you are concerned about overwhipping
2. Do not overmix
Don’t dump all the flour mixture in there all at once. Sift in half and then fold them to combine. Then add another half and repeat. This way we can be assured that all flour is mixed in properly while not overmixing the cake batter
Did you make this whipping cream hot cocoa pound cake without butter recipe?
I love it when you guys snap a photo and tag it to show me what you’ve made. Simply tag me @WhatToCookToday #WhatToCookToday on Instagram and I’ll be sure to stop by and take a peek for real!
