Name: Chocolate Pound Cake
Total time: 4 h
Ingredients: 16 tablespoons unsalted butter; ¾ cup (2¼ ounces/64 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder; 2 ounces (57 grams) bittersweet chocolate , chopped fine; 1 cup (4 ounces/113 grams) cake flour; ¼ teaspoon baking powder; ½ teaspoon table salt; 1¼ cups (8¾ ounces/248 grams) sugar; 4 large eggs , room temperature; 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Why This Recipe Works

Pound cake recipes can be finicky, requiring the proper emulsion of eggs into the batter, so we sought to make this recipe foolproof by relying on the food processor. We started by blooming cocoa powder in the microwave with butter and bittersweet chocolate for a rich chocolaty base. When we added this mixture to the other liquid ingredients in the food processor, the fast-moving blades emulsified everything before it had a chance to curdle. Cake flour, which has a lower protein content than all-purpose flour, was imperative to make this cake tender and fine-crumbed. Sifting the dry ingredients over our emulsified egg mixture and whisking in three additions ensured that no pockets of flour would affect our final cake.

Before You Begin

Add a chocolate glaze or top slices with a scoop of ice cream and fresh berries. The test kitchen's preferred loaf pan measures 8½ by 4½ inches; if you use a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan, start checking for doneness 5 minutes earlier than advised in the recipe.

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour 8½ by 4½-inch loaf pan. Microwave butter, cocoa, and chocolate in bowl at 50 percent power, stirring occasionally, until melted and smooth; let cool slightly.

Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in second bowl. Process sugar, eggs, and vanilla in food processor until combined, about 10 seconds, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add chocolate mixture and process until incorporated, about 10 seconds; transfer to large bowl.

Sift flour mixture over egg mixture in 3 additions, whisking to combine after each addition until few streaks of flour remain. Continue to whisk batter gently until almost no lumps remain (do not overmix).

Transfer batter to prepared pan, smooth top with rubber spatula, and gently tap pan on counter to settle batter. Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out with few moist crumbs attached, 1 hour 5 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking.

Let cake cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes. Run thin knife around edge of pan, remove cake from pan, and let cool completely on rack, about 2 hours. Serve.