Deep Chocolate Pound Cake

I'm always a big fan of Sara Lee's pound cakes especially the chocolate one. I love to eat them straight from the freezer and also with a glass of milk... Yum!

Now that I have been baking a lot, I have stopped buying Sara Lee's cakes and desserts. Since I love chocolate pound cake very much, I wonder if I can replicate this cake... For this reason,  I have suggested to bake this recipe from the book, Bon Appetit by Barbara Fairchild or here for our bake-along with Joyce (Kitchen Flavours) and Lena (Frozen wings). Although there are mixed reviews of this recipe at Epicurious and its app, I'm still happy to give this recipe a try. 

As mentioned in its recipe description, this chocolate pound cake is indeed comforting and chocolatey to eat but I wouldn't think that it is a good replica of Sara Lee's. This cake is slightly dry and crumbly on its outside but smooth and compact enough to be like a typical pound cake. It has a nice strong hint of honey which never exist in any Sara Lee's pound cakes. In term of its overall texture and taste, I reckon it is very different from Sara Lee's cakes .

Even this cake is not the exact replica of Sara Lee, this doesn't mean that I can't eat this cake in Sara Lee's ways... Using this and this recipe, I have adapted two simple ways of dressing and eating my chocolate pound cake. Both recipes are superb but we reckon that the one with gooey marshmallows and chocolate chips is simply the best.

Before proceeding... I want to apologize for my blog disappearance for the past few days as I had to fly back to Singapore to attend my grandmother's funeral. I'm back now at Melbourne cooking and baking soon...

Making the cake batter

Baking the cake

Happy to see and taste the nice and moist pound cake texture

Eating our pound cake with Sara Lee's pound cake dressing ideas...

Gooey marshmallow and chocolate chips on a slice of chocolate pound cake... how can I reject this?

Here's the recipe from the book, Bon Appetit by Barbara Fairchild or here
(with my notes and modification in blue)

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp coarse kosher salt
(replaced with table salt)
1/4 tsp baking soda
(replaced with baking powder)
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whole milk
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
(I used the Dutch processed one)
1/4 cup honey
2 tbsp boiling water
3/4 cup sugar
(reduced to 120g)
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
(I used 80g of the Callebaut ones with 70% cocoa)

Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 350°F. 

Butter and flour 9x5x3-inch loaf pan, tapping out any excess flour.
(I lined my 11 cm x 21 cm loaf pan with baking paper)
 
Whisk flour, baking powder, coarse salt, and baking soda (I didn't use this) in medium bowl. Whisk sour cream and milk in small bowl.
 
Sift cocoa powder into another small bowl. Whisk in honey and 2 tbsp boiling water until smooth. Cool completely.

Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in another medium bowl until light and fluffy, about 3 mins. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl. Beat in vanilla. Add cocoa mixture; stir until smooth, occasionally scraping down bowl. Beat in flour mixture alternately with sour cream mixture in 2 additions each until just blended. Stir in chocolate chips.
 
Transfer batter to prepared pan; smooth top. Bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour 8 mins. Remove cake from pan and cool.

Note: I have baked my cake at 160°C fan forced for 1 hr 10 min and reckon that I should have baked my cake 5 mins lesser.

Nice toppings for my chocolate pound cakes

Option One (adapted from here):
Sprinkle rolled oats plus brown sugar evenly over pound cake.

Option Two (adapted from here):
Sprinkle marshmallows, chocolate chips evenly over pound cake.

Preheat oven to 200°C fan forced with grill.

Line baking tray with baking paper. Place pound cake slices with toppings on the tray and bake for 5-7 mins or until marshmallows and chocolate chips are lightly toasted or melted.

Happy Baking
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Please note that the linky tool for bake-along is no longer available.