Name: Apple and Dark Chocolate Pound Cake
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 10 serving(s)
Ingredients: 2 1/2 oz (75 g) dark chocolate, coarsely chopped; 1/3 cup (75 ml) 35% heavy cream; 1 cup (140 g) unbleached all-purpose flour; 1/2 tsp baking powder; 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon; 1/2 tsp ground ginger; 3/4 cup (170 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature; 3/4 cup (180 g) lightly packed brown sugar; 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) vanilla extract; 3 eggs; 1 large Cortland apple, peeled, cored and cut into 3/4-inch (1.5 cm) dice

Preparation

Ganache

In a bowl, place the chocolate.
In another bowl, heat the cream in the microwave oven. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Let melt for 2 minutes. With a spatula, stir until smooth. Refrigerate for about 20 minutes or until the ganache is firm but still malleable.

Cake

With the rack in the middle position, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Butter a 9 x 5-inch (23 x 13 cm) 6-cup (1.5 litre) loaf pan and line it with a sheet of parchment paper, letting it hang over both sides.
In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and spices. Set aside.
In another bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until smooth.
At low speed, stir in the dry ingredients. With a spatula, stir in the diced apple.
Pour two-thirds of the batter into the loaf pan. With a spatula, hollow out a trench in the middle of the cake, pushing the batter slightly up the sides of the pan. Pour the ganache into the trench. Cover the ganache with the remaining batter.
Bake for about 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean or with just a slight trace of ganache but no lumps.
Let cool completely on a wire rack before removing from the pan.

Comment

mary g.

5 stars December 31st, 2017

This recipe is definitely a keeper. Made it exactly as instructed and it turned out delicious. I was surprised that it called for only 1/2 tsp of baking powder so I made it a heaping 1/2 tsp. Next time I might up it to 1 tsp to see if the cake rises a bit more.