I was disappointed with the outcome. One had to really reduce the baking times. I trusted the instructions and regret it. Even though I watched it on a constant basis, I didn't realize it was getting overbaked until the end. I even cut the last 15 minutes down to 10 and it still was overbaked. The sides and bottom were crunchy and somewhat burned. The cake was also dry; like most people, I like mine moist. I know we learn from mistakes and manipulate the instructions in the future but I'll follow a different recipe next time.
My friends and I were very pleased with this recipe. I did make some changes that help avoid the cookie-like texture. I added another egg, and once the batter was all mixed, added a tablespoon of vegetable oil. It was delightful. Great crumb!
We are avid cooks/bakers and as noted by others the batter is more akin to cookie dough than a typical cake batter. However we have made this twice now and will absolutely be making it again. The cake rises perfectly and ends up with a delicate crust that we really enjoy. The flavor is rich and buttery with a slightly dry texture that makes this cake perfect with coffee. Follow the directions exactly and be patient when adding the batter/dough by taking time to smooth it into the pan. This may not be the recipe for everyone but it is the one for us.
My daughter and I have made this twice and we haven't had any issues with it. The texture is smooth and lovely, not nearly as porous (holey) as other pound cakes I've made. Yes, the batter is thick, but it swirled nicely for us and gave a nice crust too. This recipe is now our go-to pound cake recipe. For comparative purposes - I think the texture is more like a Sara Lee pound cake than that of a regular cake, if that helps.
I doubled this recipe and l lengthened the cook time to accommodate the bundt pan, otherwise it was delicious!
This is a very good recipe for marble pound cake. I was initially drawn to this recipe because I only had 2 eggs left, and it calls for 2 eggs, which is fairly rare in a pound cake recipe. I read some of the reviews about the cake coming out flat and cookie-like. I did not have the same experience. The ratios are not that far out of keeping for a 1-2-3-4, cake approximately scaled down to 2/3 that amount, so as to fit into a loaf pan. I think a lot of people are probably not blending the ingredients together properly, which is fair, because the instructions are a bit unclear. First off, ensure ALL your ingredients, including the eggs, milk and butter, are at room temperature. Start by beating the softened butter for at least a few minutes, until it is very light and fluffy. Part of the rise from the cake will come from how much air you are able to incorporate into the butter mixture. Then add the sugar, slowly, continuing to beat. Then, add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. The mixture should be VERY light, fluffy and airy after beating for a few minutes after incorporating the second egg. (NB: I haven't tested this theory, but I would suspect adding a third egg would greatly benefit this recipe by making it a bit lighter and fluffier, while still maintaining a rich, buttery flavour.) Then add the flour mixture in 3 parts, and the milk in 2 parts, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. DO NOT OVERMIX. Happy baking!
How the hell did this get 3k 5 star reviews!?!? This was cookie dough consistency batter...not cake batter. Hard to manipulate into the pan let alone swirl for marbling. And I’ve never had to baby sit a cake that was sitting in the oven the way these instructions say to but I figured whoever came up with this knew what they were doing since there were 3,000 5 star reviews! Disaster all around. Waste of my resources and time and I had to go buy a cake at the last minute for a dinner with friends that I was supplying the dessert for!
So I made this and I believe there are a couple of changes you can make. First I think you can cut down the amount of batter that is added into the cocoa & melted butter. One cup of the batter was too much that as a result the chocolate portion took up most of the inside and no swirl was maintained. Second, I don't think there is a need to bake the last 15-20 minutes with foil. I just followed the first two instructions on the oven time and tested with toothpick. The inside was moist but was very crumbly.
Somewhat on the dry and crumbly side. It does taste good.
This recipe seemed odd to me. Proportions were more like that of cookie dough. Sure enough the result was more of a bar cookie than cake. The cake essentially did not rise (had a brand new can of baking power), had a hard shell on top and crumbled when cut. Pound cake is supposed to have a butter-rich, dense crumb. I thought I had made a mistake somewhere along the way, so I re-made it again. The second attempt result was like the first. Hard, dense and compact. I'm giving this 2 stars instead of 1 since the resulting "bars" were pretty tasty. I thought the recipe hadn't be kitchen tested, so I was surprised a the high number of 5 star reviews.