Alisa's Marbled Pound Cake

I am always on the lookout for good butter cake recipes.  I do like chiffon/sponge cakes but some days, you just need a slice of calorie high, hip increasing, rich butter cake!

When I saw the pictures of this cake, I knew that I had to make it immediately!  What more that this is a marble cake, so yippee, a chocolate craving filled at the same time.

I had never used sour cream to bake cakes before.  I wondered how it would influence the taste of the cake.  Well, now's a good time to experiment.

As it was baking, the whole house smelled so wonderful!  It was a struggle to wait for it to bake AND to cool down completely.

This cake did not disappoint at all.  It was everything a good pound cake should be.  Rich, buttery and full of flavour.  The chocolate component of the cake was excellent.  It had a very deep chocolatey taste.  My son and I LOVED the chocolate parts and would save it for last.

The cake was moist.  The crumb was tight.  The flavour unbeatable!

How was the sour cream in the cake?  Well, there was no distinctive sour cream taste.   I decided to do a google search to find out why people use sour cream in baking.  My thoughts are because it is used to add fat, i.e. flavour in the cake without making it greasy, unlike butter.   I was right.  According to Baking in America by Greg Patent; sour cream adds tang, moistness and richness to baked goods.  Because of its fat content, it also has a tenderizing effect in cakes and pastries.

Here's the recipe:

Alisa's Marbled Pound Cake

makes one 10” loaf

• ½ pound unsalted butter, plus more to butter the pan
• 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp kosher or coarse sea salt
• ½ cup sour cream
• ¼ cup hot water
• ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• Confectioners’ sugar, optional

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter the sides and bottom of a loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper cut to fit.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the sugar and continue beating until well combined and fluffy, another 2 minutes. Pour in the vanilla and continue beating until well incorporated and smooth, about another minute.

Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Break the eggs into another bowl. Add half of the eggs and half of the sifted flour mixture to the butter mixture, beating on medium-low speed until well combined, scraping down the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Repeat with the remaining eggs and flour.

Add the sour cream and continue beating until the mixture is smooth. Set the batter aside. In a small bowl, combine the hot water with the cocoa powder.

Pour half the cake batter into another bowl and fold in the cocoa-water mixture with a rubber spatula until thoroughly mixed.

Spread the “white” batter from the mixer bowl in the bottom of the loaf pan. Pour the chocolate batter on top, in a straight line down the center. Make a design with a knife or fork, so it will look “marbled.”

Bake the cake for about 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and transfer to a rack to cool. Invert the cooled cake onto a plate, remove the parchment paper, and invert again onto another plate.

Dust the top of the cake with confectioners’ sugar, and it is ready to slice. To store, keep it covered.

From Pati's Mexican Table

P.S. I was enticed to make this cake after seeing it published in my free Desserts Magazine #34.  They were doing a review on the cookbook.  Pati is a TV Personality with her own cooking show; Pati's Mexican Table.  To find out more about Pati, click here.

P.P.S.  In case you're wondering, I did try Wendy's Mrs NgSK's Vanilla Butter Cake.  Like I said, I'm always on the lookout for butter cakes.  But unfortunately, I found that it was not what I was craving.  I may do a blog posting 'reviewing it' another day.