Chocolate Pound Cake

I made this cake for a friend of mine whose birthday is coming up.  Her birthday is the same day as my dad's. I did way too much baking for everyone else this month and did no baking for myself!  I did a taste-test of this cake because it was one of the first cakes I baked in my new oven.  I wanted to make sure it wasn't overcooked.  I was actually going to make another one but I had to make the cookies and coffee cake for my dad so I talked myself out of it.  It looks like a good cake to make again. Maybe I can do it as a "marble" loaf instead of all chocolate.  I wouldn't have made something so plain except that I was told she would prefer this type of cake to anything with frosting or glaze.  I hope she likes it!

Chocolate Pound Cake
makes one 8 x 4 x 3 inch Loaf

¼ cup unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder

3 tablespoons boiling water
3 large eggs, room temperature
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-1/4 cups sifted cake flour (~125 grams)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (175 grams)
13 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature (cut into pieces)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Butter or spray with vegetable spray, an 8 x 4 x 3 inch loaf pan.  Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.  Set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, mix together the cocoa powder and boiling water until thoroughly combined.  Let cool to room temperature.

3. Once the chocolate mixture has cooled, whisk in the eggs and vanilla extract.  Set aside.

4. In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), combine the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt and sugar) and mix on low speed for about 30 seconds or until blended.  Add the butter and half of the chocolate/egg mixture.  Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened.  Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for about one minute to aerate and develop the cake’s structure.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Gradually add the remaining egg mixture, in 2 additions, beating about 30 seconds after each addition to incorporate the egg and strengthen the cake’s structure.

5. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon.  Bake for about 50-60vminutes total or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  About twenty minutes into baking, cover the cake with a lightly oiled piece of aluminum foil to prevent overbrowning.

6. Remove the cake from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about ten minutes.  Remove the cake from the pan, reinvert, and cool completely on a lightly buttered wire rack.  Top with a light dusting of powdered sugar, if desired.

7.  Will keep, well wrapped, several days at room temperature, about one week when refrigerated, or it can be frozen for two months.

www.joyofbaking.com/ChocolatePoundCake.html

Enjoy!

The Creative Cook 

Salted Triple Chocolate Cookies

This is a difficult blog post for me to write.  I have a problem with these cookies but I can't figure out how to fix it.  I got this recipe from one of D's cooking classes.  The kids made the cookies for dessert in class.  The cookie I tried that day tasted great.  I thought they would be nice "brownieish" cookie for D to bring to a bonfire that he was invited to on Friday night.  I baked a double batch. The first batch of cookies went flat.  As soon as I took them out of the oven and they began to cool, they spread and got that weird consistency that I hate.  I did a little research and wracked my brain trying to remember any tips I had been given to resolve this problem.  I found something on the internet that said you should freeze the batter before baking it.  So, that is what I did. I put all the cookies on the cookie sheet (atop parchment paper) as the recipe suggested then I put the entire cookie sheet into my freezer for about 1 hour.  I then popped the tray into the oven for the 15 minutes at 325 degrees.  Again, the cookies spread.  I can't be sure if this is due to my oven which has never really been at the correct temperature or if I am doing something to the dough that I shouldn't.  Against my better judgement, I sent the cookies with D.  Nearly all of them came back.  The odd thing is that D said he liked them and ate a few  himself.  I am not sure if the cookies were the problem or the flake salt I put on top of them.  D asked me to leave off the flake salt next time I bake them.   Maybe by then, I'll have figured out my "spreading" problem.  I can only hope.  Try making these cookies and let me know if you have better luck than I did.

Salted Triple Chocolate Cookies

Servings: 36

½ cup all-purpose flour

½ cup whole wheat flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ cup cocoa powder, unsweetened (Dutch processed)

½ teaspoon salt, sea or flake

4 ounces chocolate, semi sweet

4 ounces butter

1-1/2 cups sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 ounces chocolate chips (2 oz milk chocolate; 2 oz dark chocolate or 4 oz semisweet)

Additional Flake Salt to sprinkle on top of cookies (optional) 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Combine the flour, baking soda, cocoa powder and salt in a bowl and set aside.

Melt the butter and chocolate in a double boiler, while stirring gently.  After the butter and chocolate have combined, blend (off heat) with the sugar, eggs and vanilla.

Add the flour mixture to the chocolate mixture in parts until it is mixed well, but do not over-mix.  Stop when everything is blended.  Fold in the chocolate chips.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Using a cookie scoop (about 3-4 tablespoons), scoop cookies onto parchment paper lined baking sheet.  Sprinkle with flake salt (optional).  Bake for 15 minutes.

Remove cookies from oven and let cool on the baking sheet.

Adapted from HonestCooking.com.

Enjoy!

The Creative Cook

Chocolate Ricotta Pound Cake

I had a hankering for some chocolate cake on Monday, which happened to be Halloween.  I think it was a backlash from all the non-chocolate desserts I have been baking lately.  This recipe looked interesting to me on a few levels.  I had some left-over ricotta in my fridge.  I also wanted some chocolate.  But mainly, the recipe looked like it could be delicious.  It turned out that I did not have quite enough ricotta for this recipe so I opened a half package of cream cheese that had been sitting in my cheese drawer for a few days and used that up as well.  I probably shouldn't do stuff like that but I can't help it.  I have the need to use what is in my fridge.  So, sue me!  At first, when D tried the cake he said it had a "funny taste".  In fact, he said, all my recent cakes and baked goods have it.  I realized that it is the "eggie" taste that comes from pound cakes.  When you use more than two eggs in a recipe, they tend to have that taste.  The next day, the cake tastes great.  My mom loved it.  She praised it to the heavens.  And this is from a woman who does not really love chocolate all that much.  So try this cake if it appeals to you or if you have some extra ricotta in your fridge that needs to be used up.  I didn't have the Dutch processed chocolate, so I used a substitute of 3 tablespoons of regular chocolate with 1/8 teaspoon of baking soda as recommended on many websites.  It seems to work just fine.  

Chocolate Ricotta Pound Cake
makes one 6-cup fluted cake mold

4-1/2 Tbsp Dutch-processed cocoa powder (or 3 Tbsp Dutch-processed + 1-1/2 Tbsp black cocoa)
4 Tbs boiling water
3 eggs
1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups All-Purpose flour (~220 grams)
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
13 Tbs butter, at room temperature
1 cup ricotta (300 grams)
1 cup sugar (210 grams)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease and flour the cake mold.  Set aside.
2. In a bowl, mix together the cocoa powder and boiling water until thoroughly combined.  Let cool to room temperature.
3. Once the chocolate mixture has cooled, whisk in the eggs and vanilla extract.  Set aside.
4. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
5. In a mixer bowl, cream together on medium to medium high the butter, ricotta, and sugar until light and fluffy, about three minutes.  Add the egg mixture and dry ingredients in three stages, alternating wet and dry.  Mix until combined.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.  Bake for 40-50 minutes total.  About twenty minutes into baking, cover the cake with a lightly oiled piece of aluminum foil.  Continue to bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Remove from oven and let cool, turning the cake out onto a wire rack after about ten minutes.  Let cool completely.  Top with a light dusting of powdered sugar.

Enjoy!

The Creative Cook