LEMON CHOCOLATE CHIP POUND CAKE: National Pound Cake Day!

Lemon Chocolate Chip Pound Cake is perfect to celebrate today's Food Holiday: National Pound Cake Day. 

I have an abundance of Meyer lemons in my garden all year round, and I'm always looking for new recipes. Here's a great recipe that combines citrus and chocolate, a favorite combo. And, if you want to make this 'look' fancy, you can make these pound cakes in one of these three NordicWare pans. The pans will create a luscious loaf (loaves) with 3-D citrus or citrus fruit blossoms. Amazing! If you want to decorate, just add a simple glaze or sprinkling of confectioners sugar to define the design. Pans are made of cast-aluminum. Great for baking! Available at Williams Sonoma, Amazon, and other baking supply places.

NordicWare Mini Citrus Cakelet Pan

 Nordic Ware Citrus Loaf Pan

Nordic Ware Citrus Blossom Loaf Pan

Lemon Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

Ingredients
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 Tbsp grated lemon peel (lemon zest)
1/2 cups buttermilk
1 cup dark chocolate chips (use mini-chips if you're making the small pans)
1 1/2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Directions
Preheat oven to 350° F.  Butter and flour any of above pans (or regular 9 x 5 x 3 loaf pan).
Sift dry ingredients (not including chocolate chips).
In large bowl, cream butter, sugar, and lemon zest in mixer. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and lemon juice mix until blended. Gradually (on low) beat in flour mixture alternately with buttermilk.
Stir in chocolate chips.
Pour into prepared pan.
Bake for 50 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in cake comes out clean.
Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes.
Let stand for 5 minutes. Invert onto plate.

Glaze or sprinkle with powder sugar, if desired.

MILK CHOCOLATE CHIP PECAN POUND CAKE: National Pound Cake Day

Today is National Pound Cake Day. Pound Cake is so versatile. You can serve it plain or dress it up with berries and whipped cream. I like it toasted with butter for breakfast.

The name Pound Cake comes from the fact that the original pound cakes contained one pound each of butter, sugar, eggs, and flour. Made it easy to remember! No leaveners were used other than the air whipped into the batter. A cake made of one pound of each of butter, sugar, eggs, and flour would have been very large and would have been able to serve multiple families. As years went by, the portions of the ingredients used were adjusted to make a smaller, lighter cake. However, the name of the cake stuck. Pound cakes are generally baked in either a loaf pan or a Bundt pan. They can be iced or dusted with powdered sugar.

I know you're going to love the following recipe for Milk Chocolate Chip Pecan Pound Cake. I left the recipe pretty much as I originally found it on the Hershey's Kitchens website, but, of course, feel free to substitute. It's actually quite awesome with dark chocolate chips, dark cocoa and rich dark chocolate syrup.

Milk Chocolate Chip Pecan Pound Cake 
from the Hershey's Kitchens

Ingredients
 2 cups (11.5-oz. pkg.) Hershey's Milk Chocolate Chips, divided
1 cup unsalted butter, softened (Margarine in original recipe as option. I don't use margarine)
1-1/4 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup Hershey's Cocoa
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Dash salt
1 cup buttermilk or sour milk*
3/4 cup Hershey's Syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans
Powdered sugar(optional)

Directions
Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 12-cup fluted tube pan (Bundt pan).
Place 1 cup milk chocolate chips in medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at MEDIUM (50%) 1 minute; stir. If necessary, microwave at MEDIUM an additional 15 seconds at a time, stirring after each heating, until chips are melted when stirred.
Beat butter in large bowl until creamy; gradually add granulated sugar, beating on medium speed of mixer until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add melted chocolate; beat until blended.
Stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt; add to chocolate mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating until blended. Add syrup and vanilla; beat until blended. Stir in remaining milk chocolate chips and pecans. Spoon batter into prepared pan.
Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely.

*To sour milk: Use 1 tablespoon white vinegar plus milk to equal 1 cup.


Photo: Hershey's Kitchens

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE POUND CAKE: National Pound Cake Day

Today is National Pound Cake Day. Pound Cake is a dense cake, and I usually make my pound cakes in bundt pans, but a normal loaf pan will work, too. Of course, I prefer chocolate pound cake. This is a chocolate blog, after all. I have lots of recipes for pound cake, but this is an easy favorite. And, I'm all about easy.

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE POUND CAKE

Ingredients
6 ounces unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 tsp water, room temperature
2 tsp espresso powder
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsifted dark Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup whole milk (or buttermilk), room temperature
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
Powdered sugar (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Spray bundt pan (or loaf pan) with non-stick cooking spray.
Cream butter and sugar in bowl of stand mixer on medium-high until light – almost white - in color, 7-8 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl with spatula.
In small bowl, stir together water and espresso powder until smooth. Add eggs and whisk to blend. With mixer running on medium, add eggs to butter mixture a few Tbsp at time, allowing each addition to completely blend in before adding next.
About halfway through, turn off mixer, and scrape down sides of bowl, then continue adding eggs. Scrape down bowl again.
With fine-mesh strainer, sift flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt into medium bowl and whisk to blend. With mixer running on low, add flour mixture and milk or buttermilk alternately, beginning with one-third of flour mixture and half of the buttermilk; repeat, then finish with flour mixture. Scrape down bowl and finish blending batter by hand if necessary.
Fold in chocolate chips.
Put batter into prepared pan and smooth top.
Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until firm to touch and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
Transfer to rack to cool completely.
Optional: Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Milk Chocolate Pecan Pound Cake

Today is National Pound Cake Day. Pound Cake is so versatile. The name Pound Cake comes from the fact that the original pound cakes contained one pound each of butter, sugar, eggs, and flour. Made it easy to remember! No leaveners were used other than the air whipped into the batter. A cake made of one pound of each of butter, sugar, eggs, and flour would have been very large and would have been able to serve multiple families. As years went by, the portions of the ingredients used were adjusted to make a smaller, lighter cake. However, the name of the cake stuck. Pound cakes are generally baked in either a loaf pan or a Bundt pan. They can be iced or dusted with powdered sugar.

I know you're going to love the following recipe for Milk Chocolate Chip Pecan Pound Cake. I left the recipe pretty much as is since I did originally find it on the Hershey's Kitchens website, but, of course, feel free to substitute. It's actually quite awesome with dark chocolate chips, dark cocoa and rich dark chocolate syrup.

Milk Chocolate Chip Pecan Pound Cake 
from the Hershey's Kitchens

Ingredients:
 2 cups (11.5-oz. pkg.) HERSHEY'S Milk Chocolate Chips, divided
1 cup unsalted butter, softened (Margarine in original recipe as option. I don't use margarine)
1-1/4 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Dash salt
1 cup buttermilk or sour milk*
3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans
Powdered sugar(optional)

Directions:
Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 12-cup fluted tube pan (bundt pan).
Place 1 cup milk chocolate chips in medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at MEDIUM (50%) 1 minute; stir. If necessary, microwave at MEDIUM an additional 15 seconds at a time, stirring after each heating, until chips are melted when stirred.
Beat butter in large bowl until creamy; gradually add granulated sugar, beating on medium speed of mixer until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add melted chocolate; beat until blended.
Stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; add to chocolate mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating until blended. Add syrup and vanilla; beat until blended. Stir in remaining milk chocolate chips and pecans. Spoon batter into prepard pan.
Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely.

*To sour milk: Use 1 tablespoon white vinegar plus milk to equal 1 cup.


Photo: Hershey's Kitchens

Double Chocolate Pound Cake

Today is National Pound Cake Day. Pound Cake is a dense cake, and I usually make my pound cakes in bundt pans, but a normal loaf pan will work, too. Of course, I prefer chocolate pound cake. This is a chocolate blog, after all. I have lots of recipes for pound cake, but this is an easy favorite. And, I'm all about easy.Y ou can make this is a regular sized loaf pan, but I love bundt pans.

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE POUND CAKE
Recipe fits 6 cup bundt pan

Ingredients
6 ounces sweet butter, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 tsp water, room temperature
2 tsp espresso powder
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsifted dark Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup whole milk (or buttermilk), room temperature
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
Powdered sugar (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Spray bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray.
Cream butter and sugar in bowl of stand mixer on medium-high until light – almost white - in color, 7-8 minutes. Scrape down sides of the bowl with spatula.
In small bowl, stir together water and espresso powder until smooth. Add eggs into bowl and whisk to blend. With mixer running on medium, add eggs to butter mixture a few Tbsp at time, allowing each addition to completely blend in before adding next.
About halfway through, turn off mixer and scrape down sides of bowl, then continue adding eggs. Scrape down bowl again.
With fine-mesh strainer, sift flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt into medium bowl and whisk to blend. With mixer running on low, add flour mixture and milk or buttermilk alternately, beginning with one-third of flour mixture and half of the buttermilk; repeat, then finish with flour mixture. Scrape down bowl and finish blending batter by hand if necessary.
Fold in chocolate chips.
Put batter into prepared pan and smooth top.
Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until firm to touch and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
Transfer to rack to cool completely.
Optional: Sprinkle with powdered sugar.