Variations: Cream Cheese Pound Cake; Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes; Butter Pecan Cream Cheese Pound Cake; Cherry Cream Cheese Pound Cake; Chocolate Cream Cheese Ombre Mini-CakesDecorated Layered Mini-Cheesecake and Pound Cakes; Lemon, Lime or Orange Cream Cheese Pound Cake; Lemon Poppy Seed Cream Cheese Pound Cake Variation; Valentine's Day Love Stacks

Chocolate Cream Cheese Ombre Mini Cakes


Chocolate cream cheese pound cake cupcake with Swiss Meringue Buttercream or SMBC, Peanut Butter Variation and a giant chocolate curl


Chocolate cream cheese pound cake cupcake with Swiss Meringue Buttercream or SMBC, Strawberry Variation

I have created this recipe to be a dense, dark and especially chocolaty pound cake. The beauty of it is that the recipe is so moist, can be used in wide variety of recipes. The recipe is easy to mix and bake, making it perfect for beginner bakers. The cake is a good keeper.
CAKE RECIPE HELP

CYNDI65, Premium Member, Says: “Yes, it is Sarah's Chocolate Cream Cheese Pound Cake and the texture is great! I love that pound cake recipe! It tastes awesome too. I use Hershey's Dark Chocolate cocoa, I think the flavor is so much more wonderful.”

KELLY SAYS: “…the chocolate pound cake is phenomenal. Really moist and chocolaty.”

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups unbleached or bleached all-purpose flour; spoon into measuring cup and level to rim
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons Dutch-process (Or Hershey's Brand Special Dark) or Natural cocoa powder; If use Natural cocoa powder, see the baking powder substitute in recipe. See COCOA POWDER NOTE, above*
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1 teaspoon baking powder; use 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, instead, if use Natural cocoa powder. See COCOA POWDER NOTE, above*
1/2 teaspoon salt

2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter; can be cold from the refrigerator
One 8-ounce package cream cheese; I prefer Philadelphia Brand
1 cup white sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar, packed or 1 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

6 large eggs, divided (not separated); can be cold from the refrigerator
KELLY SAYS: I divided the eggs into separate bowls ahead of time; putting four eggs in one bowl and two in another, just to keep things organized.

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Position an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Grease and flour a 12-cup tube or Bundt pan. or two 9 x 2-inch cake pans.

2. In a medium size bowl, after measuring, sift together the flour, Dutch-process cocoa powder, baking powder, instant espresso powder, if using, and salt .Set aside.

Just push the lumps through the strainer with your fingers. This is why we sift! You don't want flour blobs to end up in your cake!

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter until softened and add the sugars (1 cup sugar and 1 cup dark brown sugar or 2 cups sugar) at the side of the bowl.

It's always a good idea to stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl so the butter and sugars will cream correctly.

Beat until light and fluffy on medium speed for about 2 minutes.

4. Add in the cream cheese and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy about 2 minutes, at the most.

Make sure you stop the mixer and scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl often with a large rubber spatula.

SARAH SAYS: Doesn't this look delish so far?!

5. With the mixer on low, beat in the vanilla.

And then, beat in four eggs on low speed, one at a time, beating for 20 seconds after each addition or until well incorporated and the batter is smooth.

Make sure you stop the mixer and scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl often with a large rubber spatula.

6. With the mixer on low, beat in one-third of the flour mixture.

Then add in the fifth egg, and beat on low until smooth.

Repeat with mixing in one-third of the flour and the sixth egg.

Beat in the last one-third of the flour and mix until smooth.

7. Stop the mixer and give the batter one or two turns with a large rubber spatula.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a large offset spatula. Hit the cake pan a few times on the counter, to release bubbles, and level the batter.

8. If using a Bundt pan, bake for 65 to 75 minutes or when the cake springs back when lightly pressed in the middle. The cake’s edges will start to pull away from the sides of the pan. and a long thin wooden skewer inserted in the middle emerges with a few moist crumbs attached but not batter.
When using two 9 x 2-inch pans, bake for 30 to 40 minutes. Cupcakes take about 20 – 30 minutes.
An 18 x 13-inch pan takes 20 – 25 minutes.

Cool the cake in the pan for about 10 minutes on a wire cake rack, and then unmold. Cool completely.

NOTE: Cooling Instructions if using a sheet pan, such as 18- x 13-inches: 
Cool the cake in the pan, on a wire cake rack. When the cake is cool, cut around the edges of the cake with a knife, to release it from the pan.
Cover the top of the cake with a piece of parchment paper, and put  the backside of the baking pan on the cake.
Flip the pans over, then remove the pan the cake was baked in, which will leave the cake on the new sheet of parchment paper, supported by the other pan.
Remove the parchment from the cake. The cake will now be upside-down.

STORAGE
Pound cakes keep well for a few days, well-wrapped at room temperature. They also freeze well for a month or more.

Moist Chocolate Cream Cheese Pound Cake with Bittersweet Chocolate Raspberry Ganache and Caramel Swiss Meringue Buttercream. I decorated the cake with Fondant – Flower Toppers with sugar pearls.


Chocolate Mint Cupcakes with Mint Swiss Meringue Buttercream Tutorial

VARIATIONS
Cream Cheese Pound Cake
Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes
Butter Pecan Cream Cheese Pound Cake
Cherry Cream Cheese Pound Cake
Chocolate Cream Cheese Ombre Mini Cakes
Decorated Layered Mini-Cheesecake and Pound Cakes
Lemon, Lime or Orange Cream Cheese Pound Cake
Lemon Poppy Seed Cream Cheese Pound Cake Variation
Valentine's Day Love Stacks

Petits fours!

Kelly Says: I used Sarah's chocolate cream cheese pound cake, for the (petits fours) cake and covered them in Simple Chocolate Ganache….they sure tasted delish.
I cut them in three layers and put raspberry jam in between the layers. I used Fondant – Flower Toppers for the decorations.


Chocolate Blueberry Frosted Cupcakes