chocolate chip pound cake

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we don’t do much cake around here. the kids prefer brownies ^[4] or cookies, ^[5] and in the summer ice cream is on repeat. cake, not so much. but every year stella and i plan to make one for ian on father’s day. i’m not really sure why, he rarely eats dessert, and my cake decorating skills are seriously lacking. it just always sounds like a great way to end a day celebrating dads.

of course with basketball tournaments every saturday and sunday this summer, it didn’t happen. what did happen is our garden exploded. we’ve got zucchini, summer squash, peppers, tomatoes, and berries galore. i swear it happened overnight. one day nothing, and by the next day bam!

i am not complaining one bit. i could eat squash and fresh tomatoes all day long and never get bored. but our berries while sweet and delicious right after they are picked, don’t stay good for long at all. i wish i could figure it out, because we end up feeding too many to the birds.

last night stella and i picked a huge bowl of strawberries. so many that our hands looked like a horror movie. naturally, pound cake with whipped cream seemed like the best possible way to use the strawberries while fresh. because stella was involved, our traditional pound cake became a chocolate chip pound cake. she loves her berries with chocolate.

chocolate chip pound cake with creme fraiche

Print Recipe ^[6]

Yield: 1 loaf

chocolate chip pound cake

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 75-90 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound (2 sticks ) butter, softened at room temperature
• 1 cup of granulated sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 5 large eggs at room temperature
• 1/4 cup creme fraiche
• 2 cups cake flour, sifted
• 1 cup of chocolate chips (i always use these Ghirardelli Bittersweet Chocolate Chips ^[7])

Directions:

• preheat the oven to 325 degrees
• butter and line the bottom of a 9×5 loaf pan (i prefer to use this Pullman Loaf Pan With Cover ^[8]) with parchment paper
• in the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes)
• add the vanilla, and then add three of the eggs, one at a time, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl in between
• reduce the mixer speed to low and add 1/3 of the flour
• once incorporated add another egg, scrape the bowl and add another 1/3 of the flour
• again, once the flour is incorporated add the last egg and the creme fraiche
• scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl and add the last of the flour
• give the batter a final stir and then fold in the chocolate chips
• pour batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top
• bake at 325 degrees until the cake is risen and the top has cracked, a pick inserted in the center should come out clean – this can take anywhere from 75 – 90 minutes
• cool cake in pan for 10 minutes, then carefully remove from pan to complete cooling on a rack
• cake should be completely cool before slicing
• tightly wrap the cake in plastic wrap to store for a few days

adapted from Perfect Cakes ^[9] by nick malgieri

no creme fraiche, no problem, you can easily substitute sour cream or even plain greek yogurt. the taste will not be as mild as the creme fraiche, but you will still end up with a very most and tender pound cake. if you’re feeling especially inspired, you can make your own creme fraiche ^[10] it is so worth the effort. if i don’t have homemade on hand i love this one from vermont creamery ^[11]

it may not be the layer cake we had planned on making, but this chocolate chip pound cake was the perfect way to enjoy our home-grown strawberries. unfortunately for moe and the chicks, we ate every last one.

enjoy!