Debby's Chocolate Pound Cake

Chocolate.  Pound.  Cake.  Everyone should get to eat this cake at least once in their lives.  It is incredible.  Serously, incredible.  My aunt Debby used to make it when I was a kid.  It is my husband's second favorite cake (second only to his mother's Italian Creme Cake, which I can't even begin to describe how divine THAT cake is); a regular dessert at our house.  I could make it with my eyes closed.  Well that might get a little messy, but let's just say I've made it lots of times and will make it many more times in the future ;)  Here's how it's done:

Ingredients:  cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, salt, instant coffee (you can't taste the coffee, but it gives the chocolate a richer flavor.  If you're concerned about the extra caffeine you can leave it out), butter, sugar, vanilla, eggs and buttermilk.

Sift together all of the dry ingredients except the sugar.

Add the softened butter to a mixing bowl.

Cream it on medium speed until it is light and fluffy. 

P.S. you can make this cake with a handheld electric mixer, it just may take a little longer.

Reduce the speed to low and slowly add the sugar.

Once it is incorporated, beat it on high speed for 5 minutes.

Until it is light, fluffy and smooth.

Back to low speed, add the vanilla.

And the eggs, one at a time.

Beat on low until well mixed.

Then add the dry ingredients in thirds, alternating with the buttermilk, starting and ending with the dry ingredients.  The recipe calls for 1/4 c. water mixed with the buttermilk but I accidentally forgot it this time and the cake turned out fine :P

When it is all mixed together you should have a fluffy, chocolatey batter.  Mix it well with a spatula to make sure everything in the bowl is combined.  Sometimes the stuff at the very bottom of the mixing bowl doesn't get incorporated very well.

Grease and flour a bundt pan (or cheat and spray it with Baker's Joy like I do).

Spread the batter evenly into the pan.

Bake it for 1 hour and 20 minutes in the upper third of the oven at 325 degrees.  Let it cool in the pan for about 20 minutes.

Turn it out onto a cake platter and let it cool all the way.  Or go ahead and cut yourself a piece while it's still hot like I usually do because I have no self control.

This cake is dense, silky, intensely chocolate and INSANELY good.  It doesn't need icing; it is perfect the way it is.

Copy and paste this recipe into Word for a printable version:

Chocolate Pound Cake

Ingredients:

1 c. cocoa
2 c. sifted flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. instant coffee powder
3 sticks unsalted butter
3 c. sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
5 eggs
1 c. buttermilk
1/4 c. water

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Grease and flour a 10" bundt or tube pan.  Sift together the first 5 ingredients and set aside.  Cream butter till fluffy.  Add sugar slowly.  Beat at high 5 minutes.

Add vanilla, then eggs, one at a time.  Mix in dry ingredients alternating with liquid.  Bake in upper third of oven 1 hour and 20 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

Let rest in pan 20 mins.  Unmold onto cake rack.  Cool completely.