Bites: Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

"Bites" will be a recurring feature on this blog and will feature my successes and failures in the kitchen.

Chocolate Chip Pound Cake, from Giada's Kitchen: New Italian Favorites by Giada de Laurentiis


This was absolutely delicious, even if the title was a little misleading. It really doesn't have a traditional pound cake texture - it's closer to a cakey brownie, but in loaf form. I also didn't bother with the dipping sauce. The cakes are plenty moist (thanks to the 1/3 cup mascarpone and 1 cup vegetable oil) without the sauce, although I'm sure the extra chocolate certainly wouldn't hurt.

Makes 2 pound cakes

For pound cakes:
5 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1/3 cup mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

For Homemade Chocolate Sauce:
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and flour two 9 x 5-inch loaf pans.

In a small saucepan, combine the unsweetened chocolate and 1 cup water.

It's just unsweetened chocolate and water, but I already want some!

Place over medium-low heat and stir constantly until the chocolate is melted, about 2 minutes. Set aside to cool for 2 minutes, then whisk in the mascarpone until the mixture is smooth.

Note: No matter how delicious this looks, don't make the mistake of licking the whisk like I did. Not good (yet)!

Beat the sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl for 30 seconds. Stir in the chocolate-mascarpone mixture. Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and chocolate chips in a medium bowl. Add the dry ingredients and stir just until blended.

Divide the batter among the prepared pans and bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until a tester inserted into the center of each loaf comes out with no crumbs attached. Cool in the pans for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. (If you plan to freeze the cakes, wrap them well in aluminum foil once they are completely cool).

Warm, chocolate pound cakey goodness.

If you want to make the chocolate sauce (which can't possibly hurt):
To make the sauce, place the chocolate chips in a small heat-proof bowl. Combine the heavy cream and vanilla extract in a small saucepan and heat over medium-low heat until small bubbles appear at the edges of the pan. Pour the hot cream mixture over the chocolate chips. Stir with a fork until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.

Drizzle the chocolate sauce over the pound cakes and refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes to set the chocolate sauce. Return to room temperature before serving.