Chocolate Swirl Pound Cake

My baking career has been a lie.

I kid. But I discovered today that what I've been doing is somewhat wrong! The recipe for this Chocolate Swirl Pound Cake provides a time estimate of how long I should cream butter and sugar. Five minutes. Is this right? Up to now, I have never creamed butter and sugar that long. Maybe I have, but I don't remember it ever looking like it did today. For some reason, this upsets me. It made me think that everything I've made so far has been a mistake! But anyway, now I know and I can just go back and make everything again to see the difference.

This pound cake was a success. My parents, especially my mom, is in love with it and she isn't a big fan of chocolate. I love it also and I'm not a fan of Marbled Pound Cake! Way, way back, I remember going to Starbucks and staring at their selection of baked goods. After more staring, I decided to buy the Marbled Pound Cake because it was so pretty. Plus, with the chocolate swirled in, it must be good! But it was horrid. I hated it. That experience has made me steer clear of Marbled Pound Cake anywhere I went. It was so long ago, but I can still vaguely recall the taste. But this recipe has won me over.



My cake deflated as soon as I took it out of the oven. I thought it was my old baking soda, so I baked it again using a brand new box, but to no avail. Ah, well.

Chocolate Swirl Pound Cake
Adapted from Evil Shenanigans

- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 3 eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature
- 1 1/4 cup flour
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp water

1. Line a loaf pan with parchment or just spray with non-stick spray.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and creamy, about five minutes. Add the vanilla and mix well.
3. Add the eggs one at at time, mixing for one minute after each addition.
4. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the sifted dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk, starting and ending with the flour. Do not over-mix.
5. In a medium bowl, add 1/3 of the prepared cake batter along with the cocoa powder and water. Mix until well blended.
6. Pour 1/2 of the remaining vanilla pound cake batter into the pan. Pour the chocolate batter carefully over the top and gently spread until it is 1/4″ away from the edge of the pan. Pour over the last of the vanilla batter and cover the chocolate layer completely.
7. Bake at 325F for 50 – 60 minutes, or until the cake springs back when lightly pressed in the center and begins to pull away from the sides of the pan. Cool for 15 minutes in the pan before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.