Marbled Chocolate and Vanilla Pound Cake with Semi-Sweet Chocolate Glaze

A swirl of chocolate marries delightfully with vanilla, offering the best of both worlds in this timeless marbled pound cake.  After a couple of attempts in my baking history to make a pound cake with a nice marbled effect, I finally achieved success!  I simply created my own marbled pound cake from my Very Happy Birthday Pound Cake recipe, combined a couple of techniques for marbling, and I couldn't be more pleased!

We recently celebrated a hallmark birthday of my daughter's mother-in-law with this marvelous pound cake, and she says it's now her favorite cake!  This is definitely one to keep around to enjoy with your coffee!

                                               Chocolate and Vanilla...

                                              An Enduring Classic!

Approximately 12 large servings

The Cake

Ingredients

• Non-stick baking spray with flour
• 3 c. plain, all-purpose, pre-sifted flour (I use White Lily)
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/8 tsp. ground mace spice
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 c. (3 sticks) room-temperature, salted butter
• 3 c. granulated sugar
• 5 large room-temperature eggs
• 1 c. evaporated milk
• 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 c. sifted cocoa

Directions

1.  Grease a 10" tube pan:  If you use a tube pan that has a removable tube insert:  Cut a circle of wax paper about one inch wider than the insert and cut out a hole for the tube.  Place the wax paper over the tube inside the pan and press the paper to the bottom and sides of the pan (the edges will be fluted).  Spray the non-stick baking spray over the wax paper and the entire inside surface of the pan, including the tube.  Press, again, the paper to the bottom and sides of the pan.  Lay a sheet of aluminum foil on the rack below the one you will bake the cake on, just in case the tube pan leaks a little grease.
                                                                                                                                                 

        

Wax paper in pan before greased/floured.             

                                                                                        

                     

                   
Wax paper in pan after greased/floured. 





                                                                                 


 2.   Sift together the flour, baking powder, mace and salt. Set aside.
 3.   Cream the butter and sugar well, or until light and fluffy.  Scrape the bowl.
 4.   Preheat the oven to 325º.
 5.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Scrape the bowl again.
 6.  Stir the vanilla into the evaporated milk and add the dry ingredients alternately with the milk & vanilla mixture.  Scrape the bowl and give the batter one last quick little mix.
 7.   Remove 2 c. of the batter and blend the cocoa into it.
 8.   Spoon and spread evenly 1/2 of the light batter into the prepared pan.
 9.   Cover the light batter evenly around the middle, within about 1" of the edges, with 1/3 of the chocolate batter.
10.  Spoon and carefully spread evenly the remaining light batter over the chocolate batter, taking care not to disturb the chocolate batter.
11.  Spoon and carefully spread evenly the remaining chocolate batter around the middle of the light batter, within about 1" of the edges.
12.  Using a metal frosting spatula (or flat, thin-bladed knife) swirl gently through the layers of the batter to marble, leaving definite areas of light and dark.  Don't take the spatula all the way to the bottom of the pan or swirl too vigorously, since you'll lose the marble effect.
13.  Bake for l hr. and approx. 35 minutes (check after 1 hr. and 25 minutes), or until a toothpick comes out clean and the cake springs back when gently pressed with your finger.
14.  Cover the cake with a clean dish towel and cool on a rack away from drafts overnight.
15.  Invert the cake onto a serving platter, release from the pan and carefully remove the wax paper, if used.  Drizzle with the chocolate glaze.                                                                                                                  

                                                Why Not Enjoy The...

                                              Best Of Both Worlds!

The Glaze

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 TB salted butter
• 1 TB light corn syrup
• 1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. In a small saucepan, heat the chocolate chips, butter and corn syrup over low heat, whisking constantly, until the chocolate is almost melted.
2. Remove from the heat and whisk until all the chocolate is melted, then whisk in the vanilla until well blended.  Cool slightly.

                                             Lovely To Gaze Upon...

                                              Better Yet To Taste!


I know you want some now...brew some good coffee, serve with a premium vanilla ice cream and enjoy the compliments!

Printable Recipe

Unorthodox Black Bottom Pie Shots

My son-in-law loves pie, especially creamy ones...as he said, "the creamier, the better!"  Therefore, my daughter threw him a brilliant pie party; and not one person brought a fruit pie...they were all creamy pies! 

I've been dying to give shot desserts a "shot", so the pie party was the perfect opportunity!  With the birthday boy in mind, I developed these vanilla and chocolate custard pie shots.  The effort is broken up, since the recipe is made in portions over a couple of days.  The custards require a little attention; but the homemade taste is well worth the effort, and I enjoyed the project!

The pie shots were a big hit; and it was a fun, wholesome party, kids and all!

So, here again, I share more than one recipe in one post....

                                          They're Pie In Shot Glasses!

                                               

Makes approx. 55-60 completed shots (using 1.65 oz. plastic shot glasses*)

The Chocolate Custard  (*For 1/2 recipe...see my Big, Fat Soft Pretzels w/Rich Chocolate Custard)

Ingredients

• 1 c. granulated sugar
• 1/4 c. plus 3 TB cornstarch
• 10 large egg yolks, room temperature*
• 3 c. half and half (milk and cream)
• 12 oz. premium semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 TB salted butter, room temperature
• 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Hand whisk the sugar and cornstarch in a heavy-duty electric mixer bowl.  Using the mixer beater attachment, beat the egg yolks into the sugar mixture.
2. Bring the half and half to a simmer over medium-low to medium heat in a 2 1/2 qt. saucepan*, hand whisking occasionally to prevent scorching.  Remove from the heat.
3. Using the wire whisk attachment to your mixer, whisk on low speed, in a slow stream, the hot half and half into the egg yolk mixture. 
4. Return the mixture to the saucepan and hand whisk over medium-low heat until hot. Add the chocolate and butter and continue hand whisking constantly until smooth and thickened, about 2-3 minutes. 
5. Transfer the custard to a 1 1/2 qt. (ideally glass) bowl and whisk in the vanilla.  Cool, stirring occasionally.  Gently press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the custard.  Cover the entire bowl with additional plastic wrap and refrigerate the custard overnight, so it will be cold and firm.

                                              They're Shots of Pie!

                                                                   
In case you're wondering about the lovely pie in the fluted white pie dish behind the pie shots, it's a bananas foster white chocolate-peanut butter mousse pie that my daughter made; and it was extremely popular with the group!


The Vanilla Custard (Recipe may be halved.)  Adapted from a recipe for Vanilla Cream Pie as found in the retro Better Homes & Gardens Encyclopedia of Cooking, Vol. 14.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 c. granulated sugar
• 1/4 c. plus 2 TB cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 4 c. (1 qt.) whole milk
• 6 large room temperature egg yolks, slightly beaten*
• 1/4 c. (1/2 stick) salted butter, room temperature
• 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. In a 2 1/2 qt. saucepan*, sift together the sugar, cornstarch and salt.
2. Gradually whisk in the milk and mix well.
3. Over medium low heat, whisk constantly (to avoid scorching) until thick and bubbly. (Be patient, this will take a while...don't leave the stove...catch up on a TV show while you whisk!)
4. Cook and whisk 2 more minutes, then remove from the heat.
5. Whisk about 1/4 c. of the hot mixture into the slightly beaten egg yolks.
6. Immediately return to the heat and whisk constantly until thick and bubbly again. (Patience!)
7. Cook and whisk an additional 2 minutes, then remove from the heat.
8. Whisk in the butter, then the vanilla.
9. Transfer to a 1 1/2 qt. (ideally glass) bowl and cool, stirring occasionally.  Gently press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the custard.  Cover the entire bowl with additional plastic wrap and refrigerate the custard overnight, so it will be cold and firm.

The Cookie Crumb Layer

• Just deposit one Nabisco Oreo pie crust* into a gal. size food storage bag and crush (not too fine) with a rolling pin, pestle or the side of a mallet. 

The Whipped Cream Topping (Recipe may be halved.)

• In a chilled mixing bowl, whip 2 c. (1 pint) whipping cream and 3 TB powdered sugar until stiff peaks form and the mixture holds its shape.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

                                                They're Pie Shots!                        

                                                 Have A Shot!

The Assembly

To neatly fill the shot glasses:  For each custard, either use a large pastry bag and large round tip, or cut a very small snip off one corner of a qt. size food storage bag.

For each shot glass

1. Fill about 1/3 full with the chocolate custard. (In order to not leave streaks on the inside of the glasses, it helped me to hold the cup at eye level and go straight down with the bag.)
2. Sprinkle about a scant 1/2 tsp. of the crushed pie shell over the chocolate custard.
3. Fill with the vanilla custard to about 5/8" from the top of the shot glass.
4. Using a pastry bag with a large star tip, fill the remainder of the shot glass with a swirl of whipped cream.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.  Keeps well in the refrigerator for about one week.

*Tips

• I used 1.65 fl. oz. (50ml) plastic shot glasses by Premier Style, available in 20/ea. pkgs., which I found at Publix grocery.  To give you an idea of what I bought, here's one source; however, Publix's price was very competitive.
• I prefer a glass-ceramic (Corningware) saucepan to make these custards, especially the vanilla, in order to avoid grey streaks that could form in the custards when whisking in a metal pan.
• Use the leftover egg whites for an angel food cake or freeze for later.
• You will have some crushed pie crust left over...just use it on your ice cream, yogurt, etc.
• You can crush chocolate wafers and use as an option, if you prefer...I simply found that the pie crust was more reasonably priced and just as tasty.
• You may have a little chocolate or vanilla custard left over (chef's reward!), depending on how you fill the glasses.

                                   The Birthday Boy Is In Pie Heaven!

      

                   One Friend's (Male, Of Course!) Contribution...Beer Pie!           

                           

                                                Pie...Lots Of Pie!                   

                               

The pie shots make a real conversation item.  There was a lot of debate at the party:  "Are they really pie?" I insisted:  "Of course they are...they're pie in shot glasses...they're shots of pie...they're pie shots! (The crust is in the middle.)"


                   Oh, The Grandson Had To Smell Each And Every One...

                                    
                                               Of His Dad's Pies!

Enjoy!

Printable Recipe