Chocolate Pound Cake with Strawberry Sauce and Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream

My daughter recently turned 13! Gulp – where did the time go? She decided to have some friends over for a movie night and sleepover to celebrate becoming a teenager. She requested a chocolate pound cake with my strawberry sauce, and homemade vanilla bean whipped cream for dessert. I found a recipe for a chocolate pound cake on Sugar Hero! that looked perfect. It was a fun recipe to make and I followed it exactly except for adding instant espresso to the batter. The directions said the pound cake would take 60-70 minutes to cook but mine took nearly 90 minutes! Thankfully, it turned out very moist, rich, decadent, and delicious! I topped each slice of chocolate pound cake with some homemade whipped cream and a drizzle of blended strawberry sauce. This dessert was a big hit with my daughter and her friends and they all said it was delicious.

How to Make Chocolate Pound Cake with Strawberry Sauce and Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a small loaf pan with coconut oil cooking spray. (A larger loaf pan can be used but you will get a shorter pound cake.) Cut a strip of parchment paper the width of the pan’s bottom, and lay it along the bottom of the pan, extending up over the sides. Spray the parchment paper with coconut oil.

Sift together the cake flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Sift them a total of three times, to give the cake an extra-fine, light texture.

Combine the butter and sugar in a large bowl. Cream them together with a beater on medium-high speed for a few minutes, until very light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla and mix well.

Add half of the flour mixture to the mixing bowl, and when it’s nearly blended, add the cream. Once the cream is mixed in, add the remaining flour mixture, and mix until just combined. Add the grated chocolate and gently stir it in.

Scrape the batter into the loaf pan and spread it into an even layer.

Bake the cake for 70-90 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached. If the top seems to be getting too dark while baking, cover it with loosely tented tin foil.

Let the cake cool for 15 minutes, then use the parchment to help you pop the cake out of the pan (run a knife around the edges, if needed), and cool it completely on a wire rack.

Make the strawberry sauce – click here for the recipe. I blended my sauce but you can also serve it as is.

While the cake is cooling, make the vanilla bean whipped cream. Pour the heavy whipping cream into a large bowl, add powdered sugar until the cream is at your desired degree of sweetness (I use 2-3 tablespoons). Gently scrape the seeds from the inside of the vanilla pod and place them into the whipping cream. Using a beater, mix on high until the whipping cream is thick and fluffy.

Serve slices of pound cake with a dollop of whipped cream and a drizzle of strawberry sauce.

 

 

Chocolate Pound Cake with Strawberry Sauce and Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream

 

Yield: 8 

Total Time: 90 minutes +/-

Ingredients:

 

Cake:

1  1/4 cup cake flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 tsp salt
6 oz butter, at room temperature
1  1/4 cups white sugar
3 eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2  cup heavy cream
4 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely grated

Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream:

1 cup of heavy cream
Powdered sugar, to taste
1 vanilla bean, seeds removed

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a small loaf pan with coconut oil cooking spray. (A larger loaf pan can be used but you will get a shorter pound cake.) Cut a strip of parchment paper the width of the pan’s bottom, and lay it along the bottom of the pan, extending up over the sides. Spray the parchment paper with the coconut oil.

Sift together the cake flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Sift them a total of three times, to give the cake an extra-fine, light texture.

Combine the butter and sugar in a large bowl. Cream them together with a beater on medium-high speed for a few minutes, until very light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla and mix well.

Add half of the flour mixture to the mixing bowl, and when it’s nearly blended, add the cream. Once the cream is mixed in, add the remaining flour mixture, and mix until just combined. Add the grated chocolate and gently stir it in.

Scrape the batter into the loaf pan and spread it into an even layer. Bake the cake for 70-90 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached. If the top seems to be getting too dark while baking, cover it with loosely tented tin foil.

Let the cake cool for 15 minutes, then use the parchment to help you pop the cake out of the pan (run a knife around the edges, if needed), and cool it completely on a wire rack.

While the cake is cooling, make the strawberry sauce – click here for the recipe. I blended my sauce but you can also serve it as is.

Make the vanilla bean whipped cream. Pour the heavy whipping cream into a large bowl, add powdered sugar until the cream is at your desired degree of sweetness (I use 2-3 tablespoons). Gently scrape the seeds from the inside of the vanilla pod and place them into the whipping cream. Using a beater, mix on high until the whipping cream is thick and fluffy.

Serve slices of pound cake with a dollop of whipped cream and a drizzle of strawberry sauce.

Recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net

 

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