Chocolate Sour Cream Pound Cake

I made this on a whim because a friend asked for a chocolate something, but not a chocolate deathlike something. (Chocolate deathlike somethings are a particular favorite of mine.)

I wasn't sure if this would work, but the end product was rich and delicious without being overly chocolatey. I highly recommend it! It would go wondefully well with coffe, a cup of Earl Grey, or a glass of milk, which is how I have mine. Seeing as I don't like the hot beverages, that is.

Chocolate Sour Cream Pound Cake

Ingredients:

6 oz high-quality dark chocolate, melted
1/2 c butter, softened
1 1/2 c sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 c flour
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 c sour cream
1 tsp vanilla

3/4 c chocolate chips OR a glaze made with Godiva liqueur (1/2 c sugar and 1/4 c Godiva; heat sugar and liqueur on the stovetop until they reach a light boil and sugar is dissolved)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with foil; grease the foil with butter and set aside.
2. Cream butter and sugar together until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add melted chocolate, stirring until mixed completely. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. (You can melt the chocolate in a double boiler or the microwave, and if you really wanted to, you can melt the chocolate with the butter. But that will change the texture of the cake. Also, make sure the melted chocolate isn't blazing hot. If it is, your eggs will cook when you add them in, and that? Is gross. GROSS, I SAY. You'll end up with bits of cooked egg white in your cake. DO NOT WANT.)
3. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Alternate adding this dry mixture and the sour cream to the batter. Stir after each addition until the ingredients are just mixed.
4. Add the vanilla. Stir until just blended. Don’t overdo it with the stirring, or your cake will end up dense and rubbery, and nobody wants that.
5. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top of the cake, if you're going the chocolate chip route. If not, skip this step and head directly to step 6. Whee!
6. Pour batter into pan and bake for 40-50 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool entirely before cutting, and then serve it with dollops of whipped cream and a nice cup of coffee or tea. If you're glazing the cake, now would be the time to make the glaze and pour it over the cake. Mmm, sticky, chocolatey goodness...
7. Enjoy. Lick crumbs off of the plate and table. Taunt others with your cakey goodness.

A Taste of Summer

I loved summertime when I was a kid. The heat never really bothered me then. But it sure as hell bothers me now! Probably because I'm half vampire or something.

Regardless, nothing says summer like cool coconut and delicious cherries. And a vanilla coconut ice cream with cherries and chocolate chips says summer like nobody's business! I made this ice cream for the 4th, and we had it with little wedges of lemon blueberry pound cake. So good it was wrong. Both of my parents (who've given me many mixed reviews, usually on the less positive side) for my desserts, loved it. My mom even refused to let my grandma take some of the cake home, and we totally polished off all of the ice cream. Score!

Once you've read the recipe, you know you're gonna want some:

Coconut Vanilla Ice Cream with Cherries and Chocolate Chips

Ingredients:

2 eggs
2/3 c sugar
1 c milk
3/4 c light coconut milk
2 c heavy whipping cream
1 tsp high-quality vanilla extract
2/3 to 3/4 c dried cherries (try to use dried cherries that haven't got a lot of preservatives; they'll stay softer when they freeze, and they'll taste better, too)
2/3 to 3/4 c semi-sweet chocolate chips (the higher the quality of the chocolate chips, the better the end product!)


Directions:

1) Mix eggs and sugar together.
2) Add milk, coconut milk, cream, and vanilla. Stir.
3) If you live in fear of salmonella, now is the time to slap this stuff on the stove and bring to a low boil for a few minutes. Pour into a large glass bowl and refrigerate until completely cooled. If you're all intrepid and stuff (or you're using egg substitute), ignore this step and go straight to step 4, you rebel, you!
4) Pour mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to directions. In the last two or so minutes of the freezing process, dump in the cherries and chocolate chips.
5) Remove from ice cream maker and turn out into airtight containers. Snag a spoonful or three as a "taaste test." (Note: the coconut flavor will be stronger and more obvious after about 24 hours in the freezer, yo, so don't worry if you can't taste it at this point.) Finish freezing completely.
6) Serve. Enjoy. Serve some more. Enjoy some more. Makes one quart of summery delicious AWESOME.