For a stunning presentation, use the pan as a mold add a chocolate shell to your pound cake!
1 pound (4 sticks) butter, room temperature
4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
8 large eggs, room temperature
4 1/2 cups cake flour
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
Preheat oven to 325°F. Prepare Old Country Kitchenware square tube pan by brushing with pan coat (if using two piece pan, fit with a parchment paper square between the two pieces first). Beat butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer until pale, light and fluffy (about 6 minutes at medium speed). Add extracts, baking powder, salt, and 1/2 cup flour, beat until combined. With the mixer running on low, add one egg at a time, beating well after each addition until fully incorporated. Beat in 2 cups of the remaining flour until just incorporated. With the mixer running on low, gradually drizzle in buttermilk. Beat in the remaining 2 cups of flour. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl and beat for another 10 seconds. Pour batter into prepared tube pan and gently shake to settle the batter. Place on middle rack of oven with a baking sheet on the rack below it to catch any drips. Bake 1 hour 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Let cool until the pan is comfortable enough to handle. (If using two-piece pan, place it over a metal can and press down to remove the outer piece first). Transfer the cake to a wire rack in two steps: first, turn the cake up on its side, then invert fully. Let cool completely then refrigerate or freeze.
Milk Chocolate Shell
20 oz (about 4 1/2 cups) milk chocolate melts
Milk chocolate frosting (I used premade)
Clean and dry cake pan well. Melt chocolate according to package directions. Pour about half of the chocolate into the pan. Hold the pan on its side and rotate to cover the sides, making sure to come up to the top. Use the remaining chocolate in to spot-cover low areas, then pour the rest into the bottom of the pan. Place the chilled cake back into the pan and press down across the surface so that all sides of the cake touch the pan. Add more melted chocolate to the sides if you see gaps. Freeze for 45 minutes. To unmold the cake, pull both the opposite sides of the cake pan to loosen. Wiggle and twist the tube. Place over a cutting board and invert the cake. Holding the opposite sides and pulling them open again, tap one corner onto the cutting board. If the cake does not come out, don’t worry! Let it sit inverted for 15 minutes and try again. If it cracks, repeat the shell coating process. Place cake on serving stand and pipe chocolate frosting around the edges (or on any cracks) to cover. Slice cake with a sharp knife, cutting the chocolate first, then the cake.
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