Bittersweet Chocolate Pound Cake Recipes

BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour an 8-inch springform pan.
• Place a large heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water, making sure the water doesn't touch the bowl. Put the butter and chocolate in the bowl, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate melts. Take the bowl off the heat and set aside.
• First, whisk the sugar into the chocolate mixture, then whisk in the eggs, coffee, and salt, whisking until the mixture is combined and smooth. Sprinkle on the flour and fold it in with a rubber spatula until it's incorporated.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and place it on a sheet pan. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes (see Cook's Note), until the top puffs up and cracks and the cake doesn't wobble when you jiggle the pan. (A toothpick will not come out clean.) Remove from the oven and cool completely on a baking rack. The cake will deflate as it cools. Run a small knife around the cake and remove the sides of the pan. Cut the cake in wedges and serve warm or at room temperature with sweetened whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, or crème fraîche.

BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE POUND CAKE WITH DECADENT GLAZE

Steps:

• CAKE: Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• Grease and flour a bundt or tube pan.
• In a small bowl, combine flour, soda and powder.
• In a 2 cup measuring cup, dissolve coffee in hot water and add enough cold water to measure 1 1/2 cups.
• In a large mixer bowl, beat granulated sugar, butter and vanilla until creamy.
• Beat in eggs, one at a time.
• Stir in melted chocolate.
• Add flour mixture alternately with coffee mixture.
• Pour into prepared pan.
• Bake 1 hour or until center tests done.
• Cool 30 minutes and remove from pan onto a wire rack.
• Cool completely and transfer to serving dish.
• Drizzle with glaze and sprinkle with confectioner's sugar, if desired.
• GLAZE: Melt chocolate and butter, stirring until smooth.
• Remove from heat and stir in confectioner's sugar, alternately with water, until desired consistency is reached.
• Stir in vanilla extract.

BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F. Line bottom of 9-inch-diameter cake pan with 2-inch-high sides with waxed paper. Butter sides of pan and paper. Dust pan with flour. Melt chocolate and butter in top of double boiler over simmering water, stirring until smooth. Cool slightly.
• Whisk yolks and sugar in large bowl until pale yellow. Mix in flour, then chocolate mixture. Using electric mixer, beat whites in another bowl until stiff but not dry. Fold into chocolate mixture. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached, about 25 minutes. Cool completely in pan on rack. Run small sharp knife around sides of pan to loosen cake. Turn cake out onto platter and cool. (Can be prepared 8 hours ahead. Cover with cake dome and let stand at room temperature.) Sift powered sugar over cake and serve.

CAPPUCCINO POUND CAKE WITH BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan. Whisk the flour and baking soda together until blended.
• In a large bowl, mash the butter, cream cheese, white sugar and brown sugar with a spoon until the mixture is creamy and thoroughly combined. Beat in 1 egg at a time, mixing it in completely before adding the next one. Stir the vanilla extract with the instant espresso powder in a small bowl, and add it to the butter mixture. Stir in until well combined.
• Stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture in 1/2-cup quantities until the flour has been thoroughly incorporated. Stir in the chopped dark chocolate. Spoon the batter into the prepared cake pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 1/2 hours. Start checking for doneness after about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan for about 10 minutes, then turn out onto a cake dish and allow to finish cooling. Dust with confectioners' sugar.

DENSE BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Butter the sides and bottom of a 10-inch springform pan and set aside.
• In the top of a double boiler, combine the butter, chocolate and coffee and melt slowly, stirring occasionally, until smooth. Remove from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
• In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar and vanilla until frothy. Whisk the eggs into the melted chocolate until combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour and cool on a wire rack until it reaches room temperature.
• Remove the sides of the pan, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, before serving.