Avid readers will already know about my fondness for pound cake. I would rather have pound cake than just about any other dessert in the world. I love having it on hand to dress up for company or a weekend dessert, toasted for breakfast or just as a grab on the run snack. I have several go to pound cake recipes that I make weekly but never miss the opportunity to try out a new recipe for my beloved snack cake. This recipe does not disappoint. It is rich and moist with a nice change of texture and nutty flavor from the frangipane layers.
I made my own almond paste for this recipe and it is much thinner than store bought almond paste so I have to admit that it sort of melted into the cake batter instead of baking into a separate rippled layer. There was a small ripple layer visible and although it isn’t as visually pleasing as I would have hoped, it certainly does deliver on flavor. The almond frangipane layer is a delightful contrast to the rich, chocolately cake. I am not a huge fan of chocolate pound cakes but this one was a pleasant surprise. The chocolate does not overwhelm the rich, buttery smoothness that you come to expect from a pound cake. While the texture of this one is not as dense as a traditional pound cake, it does maintain the firm, smooth texture that you want from pound-cake. Definitely worth making and making more than once.
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Very pretty, Raymond. The serving picture reveals a wonderful crumb. I’m running a little behind on mine but will hopefully get to bake it tonight. I too will be using homemade almond paste for this (it’s in the freezer). I’ll let you know if it’s too runny. If not, you might want to consider using the recipe I’m using.
Once again, your cake pan makes for a gorgeous cake! This cake is getting great reviews.