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.
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.
By Tracey
Glazed Chocolate Pound Cake
cake from Cook’s Country
(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.)
Ingredients:
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
Directions:
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).
