Glazed Chocolate Pound Cake

TGIF my friends, TGIF. It’s been one of those weeks, and I am mighty glad to see the weekend rolling in. We’ve been looking into switching cable providers for the past few weeks, and if you’ve ever been through that process, you probably can relate to just how much fun it is… I think we’ve finally come to a decision though, and at this time next week we’ll be welcoming the installer to get us all set up. The best part is that we’ll finally have Showtime again so I can get caught up on Dexter and be ready when Homeland starts up in the fall. The important things, right? 🙂

So, chocolate pound cake. I have to confess, I’m not usually a huge fan of pound cake. Yes, they’re classic, but also kind of boring. But when I stumbled upon this recipe for chocolate pound cake in an old issue of Cook’s Country, I was intrigued. Chocolate makes everything more exciting, plus I figured I could jazz it up even more with a chocolate glaze. In fairness, I’m always looking for an excuse to use this particular chocolate glaze – it’s so shiny, rich and chocolatey. Super versatile, it’s like the little black dress of the baking world!

At the end of the day, this chocolate pound cake didn’t really didn’t even need the glaze. It was amazing all on its own. I looked back at my notes from when I made it, and I literally wrote “like buttah!” I remember my knife sliding through it so easily! Like any good pound cake, this one is dense with a tight crumb, but also moist. It has tons of chocolate flavor, thanks to the inclusion of cocoa powder as well as chopped milk chocolate. As I sat editing the photos last night, I couldn’t help but wish that I still had a few slices left for dessert, or better still, breakfast this morning.

I wound up sharing the pound cake with Shane’s parents, and when I learned they were planning to serve it to company, I suggested slices of the cake topped with raspberries and whipped cream. That’s what they did, and I hear dessert was very well received. I think the cake would be great with strawberries too. Maybe even a scoop of ice cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce? Or you could just keep it simple and enjoy as is – you can’t go wrong no matter what you do.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Updated to add: Numerous people have told me that this cake overflowed an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch pan when they tried to bake it. As I noted below, it filled mine but I didn’t have any issues with it spilling over. If you want to play it safe, go with a 9×5-inch pan instead.

Glazed Chocolate Pound Cake
cake from Cook’s Country, December/January 2012

{Note: this cake will completely fill an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan (to the point where you might be worried it’s going to overflow in the oven). It won’t, but you could bake in a larger pan if you’d rather – just keep an eye on the baking time, it’ll probably be slightly shorter than the time for the smaller pan.}

Cake
1 cup (5 oz) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (2 1/4 oz) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
2 oz milk chocolate, finely chopped
1/3 cup boiling water
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup (7 oz) granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed (1 3/4 oz) light brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
5 large eggs, at room temperature

Glaze
3.5 oz semisweet chocolate (60% or less cacao), finely chopped
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons light corn syrup

Preheat oven to 325 F with a rack in the lower third. Spray an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray with flour.

Whisk the flour and salt together in a medium bowl. Add the cocoa powder and chocolate to a heatproof bowl, then pour the boiling water over them and stir until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is well combined and smooth. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, cooled chocolate mixture, both sugars, and the vanilla. Beat on medium to medium-high speed until very fluffy, about 2-3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until completely incorporated. With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients in 3 additions, mixing just until combined. The batter might look curdled at this point, that’s ok.

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, smoothing the top into an even layer (the batter will almost completely fill the pan). Gently tap the pan on your work surface a few times to eliminate any air bubbles. Bake for 65-70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the cake cool for 10 minutes, then turn it out of the pan and allow to cool completely.

Meanwhile, to make the glaze: add the chocolate to a heatproof bowl. Add the cream to a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Pour the cream over the chocolate and let it stand (ie don’t stir) for 1 minute. Then, gently whisk the mixture until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Mix in the corn syrup. Allow the glaze to cool completely, gently stirring it a few times as it does. The glaze will thicken as it cools.

Pour the glaze into the center of the cooled cake. Use an offset spatula to spread the glaze to the edges (it should be thick enough that it’s not running down the sides).