Day 72 - Gluten Free Chocolate Pound Cake

         This so wasn't the recipe I had intended to make today.  Did a lot of running around the state today and one of those places to which I ran was Gluten-Free Creations Bakery.  The place was a little hole-in-the-wall with no windows, tucked away behind a Midas shop.  No wonder the sign on the building says,

"You found us!". 

I walked into the shop (a little nerve-wracking because with no windows, I don't know what I'm walking into, but took a deep breath and turned the door knob) and everything is like right there.  I'm a little claustrophobic from being stuck in an elevator in high school, and that immediate feeling came back.  There was room to move around, it wasn't that bad, it just wasn't your regular open, airy-type shop.  They have so many baked goods available, and premixed flours which is wonderful for people who do a lot of baking (ahem!).  I didn't purchase it, but I did buy some cinnamon raisin bagels which were really, really good!  They reminded me of the Raisin-Cinnamon Mochi I used to buy when the kids were little at Bread & Circus (Whole Foods).  I'd cut it up into squares, pop those babies in the toaster oven and then put cream cheese in the middle.  Oh my gosh, they were so good!  Hmmmm...I think I'm gonna have to make a trip to Whole Foods to pick some of that stuff up - now I've got a craving.
     Today I also bought my daughter a brownie (which was delicious and tasted like the real thing!), and some pizza crusts which were really, really good, too!  Those crusts have been purchased by many pizza places in the area, so that they can offer gluten-free pizzas.  I have to say that I was very impressed with all of the items.  Who says gluten-free food can't taste great?  I would definitely recommend them.  I know they ship as well and have a frequent-buyer program, so check them out!
     As I said, I hadn't intended to make this Pound Cake today.  It was 8 o'clock this evening and I just sat down to eat dinner (everyone had already been fed and was doing their own thing) and realized it was going to take too long for what I had planned, so that will be baked tomorrow.  No, I'm not telling you what it is.

 I also had an accident in the kitchen (surprise, surprise), knocked the container of flour to the floor scattering its' contents.  Fortunately, there wasn't much left.  I wasn't even using flour in today's recipe!  I had it out though because I had just rolled out some pizza dough.  Oh, well.
     This recipe is from The Gluten-Free Kitchen, p. 143; author, Roben Ryberg; publisher, Three Rivers Press, a division of Random House, Inc.; ISBN 0-7615-2272-7.

     Chocolate Pound Cake

     ½ cup softened butter
     1 cup sugar
     2 eggs
     1½ teaspoons vanilla flavoring
     ½ cup cornstarch
     ½ cup potato starch
     ½ cup cocoa
     2½ teaspoons baking powder
     3/4 teaspoons salt
     1 1/8 teaspoons guar gum (I substituted xanthan gum)
     3/4 cup milk

     Preheat oven to 350ºF.
     In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. 
     Add eggs and vanilla flavoring.  Mix well.
     Add all remaining ingredients except milk.  Mix well, being sure to remove all lumps.
     Slowly mix in milk.

     Pour batter into a greased 9 X 4 loaf pan. 

     Bake 50 minutes, until toothpick inserted in middle of loaf tests clean.
     Allow cake to cool in pan for at least 10 minutes.

     My daughter really loved this cake.  I have a rating system of 1-4 and 4 is the absolute best.  She decided that this Chocolate Pound Cake earned 4 rolling pins, and she's picky!
     Happy baking!

Day 32 - Pound Cake

          "And the Oscar goes to..."  I love watching the Academy Awards, seeing the stars in their gowns and tuxes and predicting who's taking home what award.  Now I have to rent those movies that I didn't even know were nominated, and the ones in which the various actors and actresses were nominated. 
     Next Sunday we're watching the All-Star episode of 'Chopped' on the Food Network.  Ok, it's a plug I'm not getting paid for, but I'm so excited about it, I can't keep it to myself.  They are going to have the judges be the actual chefs competing against one another.  This is something I've always wanted to see since the show started.  What would the judges do with the basket of mystery ingredients they are given?  I wonder who will be judging them?  I cannot wait!  Even my husband's excited for it which, if you know my husband, says quite a bit.   For him to be excited about a show that doesn't have men chasing after some type of ball or men dressed in striped shirts with whistles or guys running madly to get home is pretty amazing.  But he watches it every week with me.  It's actually the one show each week that we will not miss.  There's always been a show like that.  Back in the day, it used to be 'Hill Street Blues', then the reruns of 'St. Elsewhere', then 'Seinfeld', 'The Sopranos'.  You know what I mean.  That one show you sit and watch each week, and then you're disappointed when the episode is over because you know you have to wait another whole week until the next one.
     Tonight I made pound cake.  The recipe is from The Fannie Farmer Cookbook Thirteenth Edition, p. 571; author, Marion Cunningham; publisher, Alfred A. Knopf, division of Random House; ISBN 0-394-56788-9.

     Pound Cake  (makes a 9x5-inch loaf)
     ½ lb. butter
     1 2/3 cup sugar
     5 eggs
     2 cups cake flour
     ½ teaspoon salt
     1 teaspoon vanilla or ½ teaspoon mace

     Preheat oven to 325ºF.  Butter and lightly flour a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.  Cream the butter, slowly add the sugar, and beat until light. 

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating each in well. 

Stir in the flour, salt, and vanilla or mace, and combine well. 

Spoon into the pan. 

Bake for 1¼ - 1½ hours, or until a toothpick comes out clean. 
Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before turning out onto a rack.  Serve very thin slices.

     Why would I want a thin slice?  I cut the end piece off just to give it a taste test and to make the next slice even for the picture I wanted to take (it's a good excuse, don't you think?).  After tasting, I decided I wanted a much bigger piece.  No thin slices for me, thank you very much.  I never used to cut thin slices when I'd buy the Sara Lee pound cake either.  Why start now?  And especially if it's homemade deliciousness.  Can I tell you, (well, I'm going to tell you anyway) that after eating that homemade pound cake, I will never, never buy another Sara Lee pound cake again.  They have unfortunately lost my business; it was that easy to make and that good!  Oh my goodness!  It was delicious plain, but it was also extremely delicious with the strawberries and whipped cream I put on it to make strawberry shortcake. 

And there's plenty of all of it left, so when everyone's at school tomorrow and my husband is at work, guess what I'll be eating?  Hee hee.   I didn't even use cake flour as it said and it was still to die for.  I can't imagine what if would taste like if I had used it.
     The rating for the Fannie Farmer pound cake recipe:  4 rolling pins!  This one's a winner!!  A great and easy dessert to serve to guests or just to eat yourself, like me, tomorrow.  Yeah, not really looking forward to that weigh-in this week.  Oh well, just a little more needed exercise to work it off.

     There he is watching me again.  He looks angry, but he squints whenever I use the flash.

Happy baking, everyone!