“From the SCCC Kitchen” offers Daily Gazette readers tastes from Schenectady County Community College’s nationally accredited American Culinary Federation culinary arts program. Recipes selected by SCCC instructors can easily be prepared at home. Today, senior technical specialist Ellen Heekin is teaming up chocolate and raspberries in her Chocolate Pound Cake.
Strawberries, oranges and blueberries are among the big stars of the fruit world.
Raspberries often seem like secondary players. Ellen Heekin believes the deep red berries will win new fans who try her recipe for chocolate pound cake. The fruit filling is hidden inside the center of the cake.
“They just bring out the flavor of the chocolate,” Heekin said. “When you marry certain things, they just bring out the flavors in both of them, like chocolate and raspberries, chocolate and orange.”
Pound cake is a heavy deal. Heekin said her dessert is built with generous helpings of flour, sugar and butter. “It’s dense,” she said.
The raspberry version of the cake was always popular at Elegant Edibles, the pastry shop Heekin used to operate on Eastern Avenue and later on Union Street in Schenectady.
Once the cake is out of the oven, Heekin said, it must be sliced horizontally to allow the baker space to spoon in and spread out the raspberry. Then the two pieces are reattached.
“I think the hardest part is trying to cut it lengthwise and get them even,” Heekin said.
Chocolate Pound Cake
3 cups all-purpose flour
1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 cup cocoa powder
1⁄2 cup shortening
1 cup salted butter
3 cups sugar
5 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
1⁄2 cup whole milk
3⁄4 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons raspberry preserves
Sift flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder. Set aside.
In mixer bowl, cream shortening, butter and gradually add sugar. Beat until light and fluffy.
Add egg, one at a time; mix well after each egg. Add vanilla.
Alternate flour mixture and milk and buttermilk, beating well until blended.
Pour batter into greased loaf pan. Bake one hour at 350 degrees.
Slice cooled cake lengthwise and place two tablespoons of raspberry preserves on bottom half.
Spread evenly and place other piece of cake on top; leave plain or drizzle with chocolate glaze (1⁄2 cup chocolate chips melted with 1⁄4 cup butter).
Add a few raspberries for garnish (around three on top of the cake and a couple on the bottom of the plate).
Categories: Life and Arts
