Chocolate Buttermilk Pound Cake

I always have buttermilk in my fridge to make homemade ranch dressing, waffles and pancakes.  I usually have some left over so I’m always on the hunt for new ways to use it and this recipe is now in the rotation.  I’m not a huge dessert fan (I’ll take a piece of pizza over a piece of cake any day.  Don’t judge!) but this cake reminds me of the devil’s food cake I loved as a kid.  It’s a bit denser (as most pound cakes are) and the slight tang of the buttermilk is a great balance for the richness and chocolate.  A dollop of fresh whipped cream on top is the perfect complement for a crowd-pleasing dessert.   I used a Bundt pan but I think batter would make two loaves or even a few smaller ones to share.  

Ingredients

2 cups                 Flour

¾ cup                  Cocoa powder, unsweetened (I use Hershey’s)

1 ½ cups             Butter at room temperature

3 cups                 Sugar

½ tsp                   Baking powder

1 tsp                    Salt

1 ¼ cups             Buttermilk

5                           Eggs, large at room temperature

1 tsp Pure vanilla extract

2 tsp                    Instant coffee

1/2 cup Chocolate chips, tossed with a teaspoon of flour so they dont sink to the bottom (OPTIONAL)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325.

Into a large bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder and baking powder.  Beat the butter with an electric mixer till smooth, then add the sugar and beat till fluffy (about two minutes). Add one egg at a time on low speed. Slowly pour the buttermilk into the egg mixture and then add the vanilla and coffee. Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl, and the bottom, to make sure everything has been incorporated.  Fold in the flour mixture a little bit at a time.  If you really want to bump up the chocolate, you can add 1/2 a cup of chocolate chips at this point. Just be sure to toss them in a little flour to make sure they don’t sink to the bottom.

Pour the batter into greased (I used canola spray but shortening or butter would work well, too) and floured Bundt pan.  Bake for 1 hour 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Let cool for 30 minutes right out of the oven then I use a sharp knife to go along the edged to help alleviate sticking.  Once you remove the cake from the pan, let it cool completely before serving. 

A dusting of powdered sugar would be lovely and I served each slice with fresh whipped cream. Ice cream would be great, too.