Photo courtesy of Jen Page :)Last Saturday we were invited over to the Pages', along with another American family, for dinner. Jen created a huge smorgasbord of delicious foods (including these artichoke crostinis she has made several times, that I LOVE!). The only thing she would let me contribute was dessert. The weather turned out to be pretty nice, so Matthew headed to the driving range with a friend to try out his new Christmas clubs. Since I had the whole afternoon to bake, I decided to make something new. I pulled out my Southern Living Cookbook (an amazing gift from Jen!), and flipped through until something "grabbed" me.
I ended up making a "Chocolate Velvet Pound Cake with Chocolate Ganache" (and chocolate covered strawberries for a garnish). It was pretty easy and got rave reviews from everyone. I even got a request from one of Clarette's daughters to make it for her birthday in April! I always love when people share recipes, so I thought I would share this one.
Chocolate Velvet Pound Cake
from The All-New Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook
prep: 15 minutes
cook: 1 hr, 5 min
other: 15 minutes
-1 1/2 c. semisweet chocolate morsels (I live in France where these are hard to find, so I used dark chocolate bars, 54% cocoa)
-1/2 c. butter, softened
-1 (16 oz) package light brown sugar
-3 large eggs
-2 c. all-purpose flour
-1 tsp. baking soda
-1/2 tsp. salt
-1 (8 oz) container sour cream (Info from David Lebovitz blog: "For sour cream, full-fat (20%) fromage blanc is the closest substitute for baking. Crème fraîche, which is usually at least 30% fat, can be used as well, but is richer. I also use Bridélice, a low-fat dairy product (called crème légère, or "light cream"), whose 15% fat content is similar to American-style sour cream." For this recipe I used the crème légère)
-1 c. hot water
-2 tsp. vanilla extract
-1/4 c. powdered sugar
-Chocolate Ganache (see recipe below)
-Vanilla Ice Cream or Whipped Cream
-Garnishes: fresh strawberries, lavender sprigs
Melt chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl at HIGH for 30-second intervals until melted (about 1 1/2 time total). Stir until smooth.
Beat butter and brown sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer for 5 minutes or until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. Add melted chocolate, beating just until blended.
Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add to chocolate mixture alternately with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition. Gradually add 1 cup hot water in a slow, steady stream, beating at low speed just until blended. Stir in vanilla.
Pour batter into a greased and floured 10-inch tube pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 60-65 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 15 minutes. Remove from pan, and let cool completely on wire rack.
Sift powdered sugar over top of cake. Serve with Chocolate Ganache and ice cream.
Garnish if desired. Yield: 12 Servings
Chocolate Ganache
prep: 10 min
other: 30 min
-1 (12 oz) package semisweet chocolate morsels (again, I used dark chocolate, 54%)
-1/2 c. whipping cream
-3 Tbls. butter
Microwave chocolate morsels and whipping cream in a 2-quart glass bowl at MEDIUM heat, 2 1/2 to 3 minutes or until morsels begin to melt. Whisk until smooth. Whisk in butter, and let stand 30 minutes. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer for 3-4 minutes. Yield: 1 1/2 cups.
***Chocolate Add-Ons:***
Dip strawberries in Chocolate Ganache, let berries harden on wax paper. To garnish cake, drip small spoonfuls of warm ganache around edge of cake.
Enjoy!
Picture from Southern Living Cookbook:
I ended up making a "Chocolate Velvet Pound Cake with Chocolate Ganache" (and chocolate covered strawberries for a garnish). It was pretty easy and got rave reviews from everyone. I even got a request from one of Clarette's daughters to make it for her birthday in April! I always love when people share recipes, so I thought I would share this one.
Chocolate Velvet Pound Cake
from The All-New Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook
prep: 15 minutes
cook: 1 hr, 5 min
other: 15 minutes
-1 1/2 c. semisweet chocolate morsels (I live in France where these are hard to find, so I used dark chocolate bars, 54% cocoa)
-1/2 c. butter, softened
-1 (16 oz) package light brown sugar
-3 large eggs
-2 c. all-purpose flour
-1 tsp. baking soda
-1/2 tsp. salt
-1 (8 oz) container sour cream (Info from David Lebovitz blog: "For sour cream, full-fat (20%) fromage blanc is the closest substitute for baking. Crème fraîche, which is usually at least 30% fat, can be used as well, but is richer. I also use Bridélice, a low-fat dairy product (called crème légère, or "light cream"), whose 15% fat content is similar to American-style sour cream." For this recipe I used the crème légère)
-1 c. hot water
-2 tsp. vanilla extract
-1/4 c. powdered sugar
-Chocolate Ganache (see recipe below)
-Vanilla Ice Cream or Whipped Cream
-Garnishes: fresh strawberries, lavender sprigs
Melt chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl at HIGH for 30-second intervals until melted (about 1 1/2 time total). Stir until smooth.
Beat butter and brown sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer for 5 minutes or until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. Add melted chocolate, beating just until blended.
Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add to chocolate mixture alternately with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition. Gradually add 1 cup hot water in a slow, steady stream, beating at low speed just until blended. Stir in vanilla.
Pour batter into a greased and floured 10-inch tube pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 60-65 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 15 minutes. Remove from pan, and let cool completely on wire rack.
Sift powdered sugar over top of cake. Serve with Chocolate Ganache and ice cream.
Garnish if desired. Yield: 12 Servings
Chocolate Ganache
prep: 10 min
other: 30 min
-1 (12 oz) package semisweet chocolate morsels (again, I used dark chocolate, 54%)
-1/2 c. whipping cream
-3 Tbls. butter
Microwave chocolate morsels and whipping cream in a 2-quart glass bowl at MEDIUM heat, 2 1/2 to 3 minutes or until morsels begin to melt. Whisk until smooth. Whisk in butter, and let stand 30 minutes. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer for 3-4 minutes. Yield: 1 1/2 cups.
***Chocolate Add-Ons:***
Dip strawberries in Chocolate Ganache, let berries harden on wax paper. To garnish cake, drip small spoonfuls of warm ganache around edge of cake.
Enjoy!
Picture from Southern Living Cookbook:
