Chocolate Sour Cream Pound Cake

The following recipe comes from bakingcircle.com, where it was posted by Maddie. She says, “ This is one of my favorite pound cakes, and if I don't make at least once a month, my neighbor won't speak to me!” Exactly like its vanilla counterpart in texture— moist and dense—it’s deeply chocolate, though adding a vanilla glaze demonstrates the affinity of the two flavors for one another.

1 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
One 8-ounce container sour cream
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

GLAZE
1/4 cup cocoa, natural or Dutch-process
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon espresso powder (optional, but good)
pinch of salt
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla

Note: Maddie didn’t call for King Arthur, but that’s what we tested the cake with. We also used our dark Double-Dutch cocoa, which was wonderful.

CAKE: In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Set the mixture aside.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 to 2 minutes after each addition. Add the cocoa, beating until it’s incorporated. Beat in half of the flour mixture, scrape the sides of the bowl well, then beat in the sour cream and vanilla. Add the remaining flour mixture, beating just until blended.

Spoon the batter into a lightly greased 9-cup bundt-style pan or 9-inch tube pan, and bake for 50 to 55 minutes. The cake will look somewhat moist on top, but a cake tester inserted into the center should come out clean. Cool the cake in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes, while you’re making the glaze.

GLAZE: In a small saucepan, whisk together the dry ingredients, then stir in the water. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove it from the heat, and carefully stir in the vanilla, watching out for splatters. Note: The longer you boil the glaze, the stiffer and more “crackly” it’ll become. We like to bring it just to boiling, then remove it from the heat.

Turn the cake out onto a wire rack, and poke it all over with a cake tester. Brush or drizzle it with the glaze. Allow the cake to cool completely before slicing. Yield: 1 cake, about 16 servings.

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