Nana’s Chocolate Pound Cake

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December was a difficult month for me to say the least. I lost a grandparent to cancer, which I talked about in my previous blog post, Orange Chiffon cake from 1948, but I also lost a job. I only had the job for a few months. I started out as part time and somehow ended up assistant manager… whoa! Although I liked the job, it wasn’t where my heart was. My heart belongs here, at home, with my baby boy ( he is now 4 =) ) and my blog. So when things started to get rough at work I saw it as a way out and took it.

It’s funny how sometimes God puts you in a situation to teach you more about yourself, isn’t it? Although I quit my job and was feeling guilty and worthless, I learned 3 very important things about myself:

#1 People are going to let you down sometimes – People are going to hurt you, it’s part of life. Sometimes people choose to hurt you on purpose and sometimes it’s just an accident. In the end, we are all people, we all make mistakes, and we all have our own struggles. So I’m slowly learning that I need to forgive and forget, let go and let God.

#2 Stick up for yourself, you’re worth it! –  I have learned that I need to stick up for myself, I’m worth it. This is something that I have struggled with my entire life. I feel like God has big plans for me and learning to stick up for myself is a must for the next door to open. I will tell you this much if that job was a test from God, to see if I would stick up for myself, I failed. I got a big F for failure on that one. But the good news is that we serve a God of second chances, a forgiving God. So I guess if God can forgive me then I need to forgive myself  and make sure I am prepared to pass the next text.

#3 Do what makes YOU happy – After losing my job, I had a long talk with my mom about everything. I told her how I felt like a failure and that my blog was not near as good as other ones I have seen. She said to me ” Emily, do you like to blog?” I said “Yes! I love it!” “so do it!” she said. Then she said to me ” Do what makes you happy! You don’t have to be good at it as long as it makes YOU happy. You will become good over time.” That kinda stuck with me. And it is so true. I have seen a huge improvement in my blog from when I first started till now. So I guess that means I am slowly starting to get good at it?? 😉

well, you know what they say. You live, you learn, and you eat cake… lots of cake. So enough with the life lessons and lets get to this cake recipe. This is another recipe of Nana’s. Last week was Orange Chiffon Cake from 1948 and this week is Chocolate Pound cake. This was one of my Nana’s specialties and also my sister and I’s favorite.

Chocolate Pound Cake

3 sticks butter (softened)

3 cups of sugar

3 Cups of Flour ( sifted)

5 heaping Tablespoons of cocoa (sifted twice)

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 Cup Milk

2 teaspoons vanilla

5 eggs

10X sugar to dust cake with ( optional)

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees In a mixing bowl

In a mixing bowl, add sifted flour and cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Whisk together and set aside. Using a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar. While stand mixer is still running add one egg at a time. Once eggs are mixed in slowly add mixing bowl of dry ingredients alternately with milk; add vanilla. Bake in a greased and lined bundt cake pan or angel food cake pan at 325 for 1 hour and 15 minutes. When cake is finished baking it will look slightly moist on the top, like it should continue baking for another 5-10 minutes, you want it to look like this. Allow cake to cool. Go around the edges of the cake with a butter knife and turn cake out on a plate, top side up if using an angel food cake pan. Dust cake with 10X sugar

* Instead of lining the pan you could grease the pan and dust it with cocoa, that’s how I did it.

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Print Recipe

Nana's Chocolate Pound Cake

This is a semi-dry cake and is best served with either whipped cream or ice cream.

Course

Dessert

Cuisine

Dessert

Servings

Ingredients

• 3 sticks butter (softened)
• 3 cups sugar
• 3 cups flour (sifted)
• 5 heaping Tablespoons Cocoa (sift twice)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 5 eggs
• 10X sugar ( to dust cake; optional)

Course Dessert Cuisine Dessert Servings Ingredients 3 sticks butter (softened) 3 cups sugar 3 cups flour (sifted) 5 heaping Tablespoons Cocoa (sift twice) 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup milk 2 teaspoons vanilla 5 eggs 10X sugar ( to dust cake; optional)

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees In a mixing bowl In a mixing bowl, add sifted flour and cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Whisk together and set aside. Using a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar. While stand mixer is still running add one egg at a time. Once eggs are mixed in slowly add mixing bowl of dry ingredients alternately with milk; add vanilla. Bake in a greased and lined bundt cake pan or angel food cake pan at 325 for 1 hour and 15 minutes. When cake is finished baking it will look slightly moist on the top, like it should continue baking for another 5-10 minutes, you want it to look like this. Allow cake to cool. Go around the edges of the cake with a butter knife and turn cake out on a plate, top side up if using an angel food cake pan. Dust cake with 10X sugar

Recipe Notes

* Instead of lining the pan you could grease the pan and dust it with cocoa, that's how I did it.