Chocolate Pound Cake

There are days we need chocolate. Not bold in your face chocolate, but a luscious nudge of chocolate. If today is that day let your nudge come in the form of a delicate bite of chocolate baked into tender pound cake.

Pound cakes admittedly take a bit of time and preparation but the rewards are worth the effort. They date back centuries and originally made using a pound each of the four common ingredients – butter, sugar, flour and eggs. Inspired by the youngest members of our family, this version is an old recipe incorporating many of those familiar ingredients but with a chocolate twist.

Start by blending butter – for that richness that only butter can bring – with shortening adding a light, cloudlike texture to the cake. A handful of eggs and a helping of sugar are creamed into the butter and shortening followed by flour, kosher salt, baking powder plus buttermilk for a tender crumb.

The addition of cocoa powder turns the flavor profile from a traditional pound cake to soft tones of chocolate, enhanced by a generous addition of pure vanilla extract and a splash of pure chocolate extract. Then semisweet chocolate rounds out the chocolate profile.

The baking process is a bit unusual. The cakes are baked at a slightly lower temperature with the cakes placed on the lowest rack in your oven. A pan of warm water is placed on the top rack of the oven for a portion of the baking time. This creates additional moisture in the oven leaving you with a beautiful airy, texture in the cake.

This recipe makes two large pound cakes. So you’ll have one to freeze for later or one to share with a friend. Add a dollop of whipped cream and indulge yourself!

Chocolate Pound Cake

1 cup butter, room temperature

½ cup shortening

5 extra-large eggs, room temperature

3 cups sugar

3 cups flour, measured after sifting

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ cup cocoa powder

4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

1 cup buttermilk

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

½ teaspoon pure chocolate extract

Preheat the oven to 325-degrees. Spray or grease and flour 2 large loaf pans (9”x5”). You can additionally line the pans with a sheet of parchment paper making it easy to remove the cakes.

Pour about 4 cups of warm water into a large pan (I use a metal baking pan, 9”x13”). Place the pan with the water on the very top rack of the oven. Place the other rack on the lowest position in the oven for the cakes. Combine the butter and the shortening in a large mixing bowl. Beat together on medium speed for 3 minutes then add the sugar, beating until light and fluffy.

Add eggs one at a time, blending into the butter mixture on medium speed, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.

In a separate bowl sift together the flour, kosher salt, baking powder and cocoa powder three times. Don’t skip this step, it will make a difference in the texture of your cakes.

Blend the flour in on low speed, about ½ cup at a time alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour.

Stir in the vanilla and chocolate extracts on low speed.

Add the chopped semisweet chocolate and continue blending in on low speed just until the chopped chocolate is mixed into the batter.

Divide the batter between the prepared loaf pans. Place the loaf pans on the second to lowest rack in the oven and bake for 40 minutes then carefully remove the pan of water.

Continue baking the cakes for an additional 20 minutes or until the pound cakes start to gently pull from the sides and test done in the center. Cool the cakes in the pans on a rack for 15 minutes then remove them and cool completely on a wire rack.

Makes 2 chocolate pound cakes. These cakes freeze beautifully.