Chocolate Glazed Pound Cake
Our family cookbook is chock full of pound cakes, but my great-aunt Elise baked "the one." The recipe has been made by family bakers for nearly a century and never fails to please. You can dress it up with chocolate glaze or leave it plain for the perfect classic pound cake.
Prep batter: 35 minutes
Bake: 53-55 minutes
Bake at: 325°
Prep glaze: 15 minutes
Makes: 10 servings
Pan: 6-cup non-stick Bundt
Difficulty: easy
Ingredients:
Cake Batter:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups (305g) granulated sugar (see "tips")
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 cups plus 3 tablespoons (232g) cake flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, room temperature
Baker's Joy
Chocolate Glaze (optional):
1 cup (112g) confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 ounce Baker's unsweetened chocolate squares
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Small pinch salt
1 tablespoon agave nectar or light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon espresso powder (optional)
2 tablespoons hot water
Directions:
Bring all cake batter ingredients to room temperature.
Pre-heat the oven to 325°.
To make cake batter: In a large bowl, use an electric mixer at medium speed to cream butter until whipped, about 30 seconds. Gradually add sugar and beat until pale yellow and fluffy, about 5-6 minutes. Add almond and vanilla flavorings and beat to combine. Add eggs one by one and beat for a few seconds until the yolk just disappears.
In a medium bowl, whisk together cake flour and salt. Working in thirds, fold in flour mixture by hand alternately with cream until almost incorporated (start and end with dry ingredients). Fully incorporate the final flour addition.
Prepare a 6-cup Bundt pan with Baker's Joy or grease and flour pan. Spoon batter into pan and level with a rubber spatula. Bake 53-55 minutes at 325°. Press gently with a fingertip near the center to test for doneness. Cake should slowly spring back. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.
Remove pan to a wire rack. As soon as cake is out of the oven, carefully loosen the edges with a knife. Let cool in pan for 15 minutes. Shake a fluted pan before turning out and then invert onto the wire rack to cool. Leave the pan over the top for 10 minutes before removing to allow cake to release. Let cool completely before glazing.
To make chocolate glaze: Sift powdered sugar into a small bowl and set aside. In the top of a double boiler, combine chocolate, butter, salt, agave nectar or corn syrup, and espresso powder, if using. Heat over simmering water until melted. Stir in hot water and powdered sugar and combine. Remove pan from heat and let cool until just lukewarm. Drizzle over top of cake, allowing glaze to run down the sides.
Wrap and store cake for 4 days and freeze leftovers for 2 weeks.
Tips:
- Pound cake is fussy. Do not substitute any other sugar for granulated sugar.
- To make cake in a 12-cup Bundt pan, double the ingredients. Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 15 minutes. You do not need to double the glaze.