Chocolate Pound Cake

For a snack around the house bake our chocolate pound cake in a loaf pan or for a special occasion bake it in a stainless steel bowl and decorate it to look like a blooming hydrangea (see DECORATE - Hydrangea Cake). For more great pound cake recipes check out our books The Whimsical Bakehouse - Fun to Make Cakes that Taste as Good as They Look and the upcoming Little Cakes from the Whimsical Bakehouse. To save time, prepare the batter ahead of time and freeze it in its prepared pan. Bring it to room temperature before baking.

Serves up to 18

If you are making loaf pound cakes, grease and flour two 4 x 8-inch loaf pans. If you are making the Hydrangea cake grease and flour one 9-inch stainless steel bowl and one 9 -inch round cake pan. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Have all ingredients at room temperature.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat at high speed until light and fluffy:

2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter

Add and beat well at high speed:

8 ounces cream cheese

Add and cream at high speed until light and fluffy:

1 1/2 cups sugar

Add and mix well at medium speed:

2 tablespoons sour cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Add one at a time, mixing well after each addition:

4 large eggs

On a piece of wax paper, sift together:

2 1/4 cups cake flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt

Add the dry ingredients to the butter and egg mixture and beat on low speed until smooth.

Fold in:

6 to 8 ounces melted chocolate at body temperature

To make loaves, divide the batter between the two loaf pans. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before turning out of the pan. Cool completely.

To make the hydrangea cake, put a scant 3 cups in the round pan and the remaining batter in the bowl pan. Bake the round pan for 25-35 minutes and the bowl pan for 30 to 40 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool the cakes on a wire rack for 15 minutes before turning them out of their pans. Cool completely.

Yield: 8 cups of batter