This is not your Mama’s chocolate pound cake.
You’ll need:
- 1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup boiling water
- 1 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons milk, at room temperature
Here’s how you make it:
- Butter or spray with nonstick cooking spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a small bowl, mix the boiling water into the cocoa powder a little at a time making a lump-free paste until the cocoa powder has dissolved and is smooth. Cool.
- In a separate bowl, sift cake flour, baking powder and salt.
- With stand or hand mixer, beat butter until pale and smooth. Add the sugar and vanilla extract and beat, on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape bottom and sides of bowl as needed. Beat in the cooled cocoa mixture.
- On low speed, add the flour mixture alternating with the milk. Mix only until combined. (Do not overmix!)
- Fill the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Bake for about 55 to 65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center just comes out clean. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about 15-20 minutes. Run a knife around the inside of the pan to remove the cake. Peel off parchment paper, re-invert and cool completely on a wire rack.
Use my chocolate ganache glaze recipe or dust with powdered sugar.
Farberware Bakeware 9×5 Nonstick Loaf Pan $5.50
Heavy-duty construction resists warping and heats evenly to brown beautifully and help reduce hot spots.
