Chef Gigi Gaggero

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. In a separate bowl, sift cake flour, baking powder and salt.
4. 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.
5. On low speed, add the flour mixture alternating with the milk. Mix only until combined. (Do not overmix!)
6. 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.

KitchenAid Classic Nonstick 9x5x3 Loaf Pan $14

The nonstick coating is easy to clean.