MiMi's Chocolate Sour Cream Pound Cake

My granddaughter's birthday was this past weekend and she decided she wanted a "home-made" Chocolate Sour Cream Pound Cake for her birthday cake.  I had not made one in quite some time and as I started looking to make sure that I had all of the ingredients on hand, I was surprised to find that I did not have this recipe on my blog!  

My granddaughter likes this cake with vanilla ice cream on it, topped with maraschino cherries!  I have to say it is pretty delicious like that! 

This is one of those cakes that "haunt" you 'til it's gone!  

1 1/2 cups butter, softened

3 cups sugar

5 eggs 

3 cups All Purpose flour

1/2 cup cocoa

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 (8 oz.) sour cream

1 cup boiling water

2 tsp. vanilla extract

Soften butter.

Cream butter well.   Gradually add sugar to creamed butter, beating well. (This is the secret to a good pound cake....creaming the sugar and butter until smooth and creamy.)

Add eggs, one at the time, beating well after each addition.

Combine flour, cocoa, soda and salt in a separate bowl.  

Add flour mixture to the creamed mixture, alternately with sour cream -- beginning and ending with the flour mixture.

Mix well after each addition.

Add boiling water and mix well.  Stir in vanilla flavoring.

The batter will look somewhat thin after the addition of the boiling water.

Pour batter into a well-greased and floured tube pan.

Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until cake tests done. 
(Cake is done when a toothpick inserted in middle of cake comes out clean.)

Cool cake in pain on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes.

Invert cake onto plate.

Flip cake upright on wire rack to cool completely.

After completely cool, place cake on cake plate for serving.

ENJOY!!!

Tuscan Kale and Cannellini Bean Soup

 

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced
1 onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, thinly sliced crosswise
1/2 bunch of kale, washed, stemmed and chopped coarsely
1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 (15 oz.) can cannellini bean
1 tsp. dried parsley
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste

Chop carrots and onions and mince garlic. 

In a large Dutch oven, heat 1/4 cup olive oil and the minced garlic over medium-low heat until the garlic begins to soften (about 2-3 minutes).  DO NOT BROWN the garlic!

Add the chopped carrots and onions to the minced garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until all of the vegetables are softened.  This will probably take 6-7 minutes. 

Wash and rinse kale thoroughly.  Drain well.  Remove stems and coarsely chop the kale.

Stir in the kale and add about 1/4 cup of water to carrot, onion and garlic mixture.  

Cover the pot and let the kale cook until wilted, about 10-12 minutes. 

 To the kale mixture cooking in your Dutch oven, add in the can of tomatoes with the liquid and the can of cannellini beans with the liquid. 

Add desired amount of crushed red pepper flakes and the parsley. and stir thoroughly.  

Lower the heat, cover the pot partially and simmer for 15-20 minutes.  (You can add as much as a cup of water, if desired, to thin the soup.)

Serve up this Italian "Comfort In A Bowl" and enjoy!