Marble Pound Cake and Awards

Many of you commented on the blossoms shown on my Monday post. This is the itty bitty tree they came from. This is a Bradford Pear tree we planted two years ago.

Debbie from Mocha Me posted a Marble Pond Cake last week that really had me drooling and I had to try it.

The cake was very easy to make and the homegirlz begged me to let them eat the batter and forget the baking part. They reasoned it would save energy and I would have less clean up. They lost the argument.

The batter was very light and buttery and the cake tasted great. Thanks Debbie for posting this recipe!





Marble Pound Cake - adapted from Debbie at Mocha Me


2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled

Center a rack in the oven and preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan. Put the pan on an insulated baking sheet or on two regular baking sheets stacked one on top of the other.

Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Working with a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment or with a hand mixer, in a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar on high speed until pale and fluffy, a full 5 minutes. Scrape down the bowl and beater and reduce the mixer speed to medium.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 or 2 minutes after each egg goes in. As you're working, scrape down the bowl and beater often. Mix in the vanilla extract. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour, mixing only until it is incorporated, don't over mix.

After the batter is fully mixed, transfer half of it to another bowl and gently blend in 4 ounces of bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled.

Alternate large spoonfuls of the light and dark batters in the pan, then run a kitchen knife in a zigzag pattern through the batters to marble them.

Put the cake into the oven to bake, and check on it after about 45 minutes. If it's browning too quickly, cover it loosely with a foil tent. This will need to bake in the 9 x 5 pan for about 70 to 75 minutes. The cake is done when a thin knife inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Remove cake from oven, transfer the pan to a rack and let rest for 30 minutes.

Run a blunt knife between the cake and the sides of the pan and turn the cake out, then turn it right side up on the rack and cool to room temperature.

Now for the important stuff - Awards:

I received this Friends Award

from Donna at My Tasty Treasures. Donna has an amazing cooking blog that's a tad bit on the naughty side. How can you not go visit Donna? She is such a talented cook and an extremely fun blog to read! Check it out. Donna, thank you so much for the award!!!

Along with this award comes this message:

"These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated."It also says : "Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award." I am going to pass this award along to:

Miranda from A Duck in Her Pond
Sophie from Sophie's Foodiefiles
Gladys from Gladys Tells All
Marjie from Modern Day Ozzie and Harriet
Elra from Elra Bakes
Gigi from Afterthoughts
Laurie from That's Not What the Recipe Says

Selby from Selby's Food Corner

Stop by and visit these wonderful blogs; you will be so glad you did!

Sophie from Sophie's Foodiefiles sent me the Excellent Blog award! You will be so inspired after visiting Sophie's blog!

I am passing this on to 5 other bloggers.

Natashya from Living in the Kitchen with Puppies
Pam from For the Love of Cooking
Sophia from Burp and Slurp
NAOmi from Not Another Onmivore
Andrea from Finding Sirrius

There are so many blogs I would love to pass these on to, but please visit the blogs listed if you have visited them before, you will be so glad you did!