Amy Goes Shopping

For either baking amateurs or seasoned pros, a dump cake is a simple choice. To prepare one, you simply dump the ingredients into a bowl and beat them, then pour the batter into a pan and bake it. Though a dump cake is simple to make, it’s just as good as a more fancy cake. Maybe that is the reason why dump cakes, including pound cakes, have been very popular for hundreds of years.

The hidden key to the cake is in properly thrashing the ingredients, so try these tips. Let the butter melt and take the eggs out of the refrigerator to warm a bit. For an ethereal batter, beat the dropped butter and sugar very well till the creamed mixture looks pale and wispy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla till all of the streaks are gone. Any curdling you might see will vanish as you beat. Switch off the mixer infrequently and scrape the batter at the sides of the bowl into the path of the beaters so everything gets comprehensively mixed.

Switch to low speed when you add the dry ingredients to keep the flour blend from flying into the air. Since overbeating the flour can harden a cake, beat only until the batter has no streaks. Mix in the chips by hand so the mixer does not break them.

Be sure the cake is done before you take it out of the stove. You can use either a cake tester, a thin metal wire with a knob on top, or a wooden pick. Delicately push the tester into the middle of the cake and pull it out. If you see liquid batter on the tester, keep baking. If the tester comes out clean, remove the cake from the cooker and let it cool. A silky-textured pound cake is rich and moist all on its own, so you do not have to frost it. Just slice and enjoy!

Double Chocolate Pound Cake

1 loaf cake or 8 servings

Butter

Flour

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup unsweetened baking

cocoa

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter, dropped

(2 sticks)

1 cup sugar

4 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

With butter, gently grease bottom and sides of 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2 or 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan. Cover with flour. Shake out excess flour. Put aside. With a sifter or mesh sieve, sift 1 1/4 cups flour together with the cocoa and salt into bowl or onto sheet of greaseproof paper. Set aside.

In massive mixer bowl at medium speed, smash together butter and sugar till light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in eggs and vanilla till thoroughly mixed, at least several minutes. At low speed, gradually beat in reserved flour mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, thrashing just until mixed and no streaks remain. Mix in chips. Spread batter uniformly in prepared pan.

Bake in heated 325 degree F oven till cake begins to push away from sides of pan and cake tester inserted near center comes out clean, about 60 to 70 minutes for 9-inch pan or 75 to 85 minutes for 8 1/2-inch pan. (If tester shows dark brown, you have hit a melted chocolate chip. Test again in another spot. To prevent overbaking, remove cake from range as fast as no light brown batter shows on tester.) Cool on wire rack 10 minutes. With narrow spatula or knife, loosen cake from pan. Softly shake onto wire rack. Cool fully. To keep moisture, store cooled cake in plastic wrap. Serve plain or crowned with fruit, ice cream or cream, if required.

Hey Dummies! Why don't you click convection and read more!

Mel York is an author with an interest in a large spread of topics. Convection Microwave Oven You may visit her site for useful tips. Convection Oven

Filed under:
Food by Mel York