This pound cake is decadent and dense, perfect for chocolate lovers!
1 pound (4 sticks) butter, room temperature
2 packages (16 oz) cream cheese, room temperature
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
4 cups sugar
8 large eggs, room temperature
2 ½ cups cake flour or White Lily All Purpose Flour
1 ½ cups Dutch-processed cocoa
Preheat oven to 300°F. Prepare Old Country Kitchenware square tube pan by fitting a parchment paper square between the two pieces and brushing with pan coat. Beat butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer until pale, light and fluffy (about 6-8 minutes at medium speed). Add ½ cup flour, cream cheese, baking powder, salt, and vanilla extract and beat until combined. Scrape the bottom and sides of the mixing bowl. With the mixer running at low speed, add one egg and beat until fully incorporated. Repeat with each egg, beating well after each addition. Add the rest of the flour and the cocoa powder in 2 additions, beating on low until it just disappears. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl and beat for another 15 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 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 hours or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool until the pan is cool enough to handle. To unmold, place it over a metal can and push down to remove the outer piece. Once the tube is cool enough to touch for 4 seconds, lift or turn the cake out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Chocolate Ganache
1 cup heavy cream
1 bag (12 oz) high quality chocolate chips
Add chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl. Heat heavy cream to almost a boil. Pour cream over chocolate chips and let sit for 3 minutes. Stir to combine. If you see the chocolate hasn’t fully melted, microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between, until ganache is smooth. Pour over cooled cake.
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11 comments
Judy, yes! the cake will have a lighter color and more acidic flavor than if it were made with Dutch processed cocoa though
Can I use unsweetened cocoa instead of Dutch processed
Lori, yes! You can add the 1/3 cup water to this recipe as well as the espresso powder and it should still turn out great since cream cheese doesn’t have that much liquid in it. Let me know how it turns out!
Could I add the espresso to this mix as well? And would you reduce the cream cheese with added espresso with water?
Tina, it will! Many of our recipes were written before we had the one piece pan, I’ll have to go back through and update them all someday!