Chocolate Orange Pound Cake

Typically, I don’t like to mix fruit and chocolate. Bananas and strawberries are the exceptions. I am well aware that chocolate and orange are a famous pair, but I haven’t been on board until just recently.

Maybe it was because one Christmas back in the day I tried that “orange flavored chocolate” that was going around? Nasty. Anyway, this pound cake could be a good gateway dessert to convince you that orange and chocolate do indeed make a perfect pair.

A pound cake is much easier to make than the more traditional layered cake, and the possibilities are endless (truly endless, as a pound cake can sit around for almost a week and still taste fantastic. It also freezes REALLY well). Ever have grilled pound cake? Spread butter on the slices and toast until golden on a grill pan or grill grate. Top immediately with icecream, and then swoon. Delish.

One big baking tip I must be pushy about is the chocolate. It MUST be chopped pretty well or the chunks will sink to the bottom of the thin batter and you will have a mess of a cake. If it’s chopped well it is lightweight and can stay suspended in the batter. If you’re using chips, just chop them up further with a knife.

If you don’t want to make the glaze, the cake tastes great served with vanilla icecream or whipped cream, or you could serve it with some store bought chocolate sauce.

Chocolate Orange Pound Cake with Cocoa Glaze
Serves 12
Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen’s Classic Pound Cake Recipe
16 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened but still cool
1 1/3 c. sugar
3 eggs plus 3 egg yolks, room temperature*
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. fresh squeezed orange juice
zest of 1 orange (1 tbsp.)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. cake flour
1 c. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, well chopped
Glaze
2 1/2 c. sifted powdered sugar
3 tbsp. whole milk
1 tbsp. light corn syrup
1/2 tsp. vanilla
3 tbsp. cocoa powder, sifted

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9×5 inch standard loaf pan. Fit a peice of parchment or foil to cover the bottom and come up and out the sides and then cut another that will lay the opposite direction, creating a sling.

2. Beat the butter with an electric mixer at medium high speed until smooth, about 15 seconds.

3. With the mixer running, pour the sugar in gradually (about 30 seconds). Beat vigorously for 4 or 5 minutes, stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

4. Stir together the eggs, yolks, vanilla, zest, and juice in a 2 c. liquid measuring cup or small bowl.

5. With the mixer running, add the egg mixture to the butter mixture in a very slow, thin stream.

6. Beat in the salt.

7. Sift 1/2 c. of the flour into the mixture and fold gently to combine. Repeat twice more, adding flour in 1/2 c. increments.

8. Before the flour is completely folded in, add chocolate and fold in with remaining flour.

9. Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth teh top with a spatula. Bake until toothpick inserted into the crack running along the top comes out clean, 70 to 80 minutes.

10. Let rest in pan for 5 minutes then invert onto wire rack. Let cool to room temperature.

11. Whisk glaze ingredients together and pour over cake. If glaze isn’t pourable, add 1-2 more tbsp. of milk and whisk to thoroughly combine.