Dawn's Divine Delights: Chocolate Espresso Pound Cake with Ganache

Have you ever been accused of being high maintenance?

I confess, I have. Possibly on more than one occasion.

What does that really mean though? I enjoy the finer things in life? I require more upkeep then the average gal?

I do know I am "high maintenance" when it comes to food.
I enjoy and appreciate quality food. I only eat fresh fish from a fish market. I only eat Mexican food from authentic restaurants...not chains.. ahem. Don't even get me started on desserts. If that makes me high maintenance then it's worth it to enjoy food that tastes Amazing!

Speaking of high maintenance, let me tell you about this cake I recently made.
A friend handed me recipe and asked if I wouldn't mind making it for her son.
He had found it online and wanted it for his birthday.
This is a boy after my own heart.
Great ingredients come together to make an over the top chocolate pound cake!
Oh yes, I wanted to make it.

What makes this cake "high maintenance"? Well, let me tell you.....

Read through the ingredients first, some of them are high maintenance.
Trust me, go the extra mile.

There are more directions then the average cake.

Some of the directions are tedious, but necessary.

Even the title is high maintenance.

End result.... Totally worth it!

Espresso Chocolate Chip Pound Cake with Ganache Glaze
(adapted from Jane's Sweets and Baking Journal)

2 tsp. instant espresso powder (I used Nescafe Clasico instant coffee packets)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. hot water
2 and 3/4 cups unbleached All-Purpose flour
1/4 cup cake flour
1/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp. Dutch processed cocoa
1/8 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 cups dark chocolate chips, coarsely chopped
1/2 lb. unsalted butter, softened (2 sticks)
2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar, with all lumps broken up
5 eggs, large
1 cup sour cream, don't use light or non-fat, get the good stuff
2 Tbsp. heavy cream

Ganache
2 Tbls light corn syrup

1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2-2 cups dark chocolate chips (basically one bag)]

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Grease a tube/bundt pan with vegetable shortening or butter. Dust the inside of the pan with flour and tap out the excess.

Stir together the espresso powder, vanilla extract, and hot water in a small bowl.

Dutch processed cocoa makes a difference. I found mine at Fresh Market.

It does cost more, but so worth it.

Sift together the flour, cake flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a medium size bowl, toss the chocolate pieces with about 1 Tbsp. of this flour mixture. Set both aside.

In the large bowl of your mixer, cream the butter on medium speed for 2 minutes. Scrape the bowl.
Pour in the granulated sugar in 3 additions, mixing for about 1 minute after each addition. Scrape the bowl frequently to ensure even mixing. Add in all of the brown sugar and beat for 1 more minute. Scrape again.

One at a time, add in the eggs, beating for 45 seconds after each one. Scrape!

Blend in the espresso mixture.

On low speed, add in the sifted ingredients alternately with the sour cream (3 additions of flour and 2 additions of the sour cream). Scrape after each addition.

Blend in the heavy cream.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in the chocolate pieces well with a spatula.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth out the top.

Bake the cake on the middle rack of your oven for about 70 minutes or more, until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean and the cake starts to pull away slightly from the sides of the pan.
A helpful hint from Jane... wish I would have done this, my top was a bit overdone.
(I put my pan on top of a baking sheet to help prevent the possibility of burning the bottom of the cake. If you are concerned about this too, do the same. I also checked the cake about half an hour into baking, and covered the top lightly with foil to prevent over-browning. My oven is temperamental this way.)

Cool the cake in the pan on a rack for 10 to 15 minutes.

Invert the cake onto another cooling rack and invert the cake again so it's right side up. Allow the cake to completely cool on the rack.

To make ganache:
Heat the corn syrup and heavy cream in medium sauce pan until it reaches a boil.

Pour in chocolate chips and stir until melted and smooth. Remove from heat.
Stir in 1/2 tsp of vanilla if desired.

Let cool before pouring on the cake.

I poured the ganache over the cake, which is perfectly acceptable, but it just didn't look like I wanted it to. I decided to frost the cake with the ganache, that's what I was looking for.
Either way is great.