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Syrup and Biscuits - Jackie Garvin's Southern food blog

Southern food, simple life, sweet memories

Chocolate Pound Cake with Chocolate Fudge Icing

by 44 Comments

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sometimes you just need to eat something rich and fattening.  That’s all there is to it.  Sometimes.  Whatever your reason might be for craving some rich, sweet, delectable goody, I have the fix for that  craving.   And I’m giving it you.   For free!

This is a family recipe that is no tellin’ how old. My mother’s cousin, Esther,  made this cake for generations. I don’t know how Esther came about the recipe.

Mama loved this cake more than she loved her luggage.  She would beg  Esther to make it for her.

Everybody needs to make this cake once in their lives.  I’m serious.  You need to plan a day to do this.  But, there’s one requirement.  A piece of this cake MUST be served with a glass of ice cold milk in a canning  jar.   If you break that rule, we all will know about it.  Don’t embarrass yourself.  Or me.

The recipe was give to me by Esther in a hand written note.  She included some special  notes which I’ve  italicized.    I’m writing this recipe in Esther’s voice just as she wrote it for me.  

For cake:

1/2 pound butter or 3 sticks oleo.  I use oleo.

1/2 cup shortening.  I use cooking oil.

3 cups sugar

5 eggs

3 cups plain flour (all-purpose)

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons cocoa

1 cup sweet milk (NOTE:  This is regular milk. They referred to it as sweet milk to differentiate from buttermilk)

1 tablespoon vanilla

Cream together butter and shortening.  Add sugar and eggs.  Sift dry ingredients together and add vanilla.  Add alternately with cream mixture. Bake in a large pound cake pan (tube pan) 9 to 10 inches.  Put wax paper in bottom.  Spray sides and bottoms.  Cook 325 degrees for 80 minutes.   Let cool.  Remove from pan and ice it.

I let it set a few minutes and run a knife around tube and it comes out good. My stove cooks it in 1 hour at 300 degrees.  Don’t overcook it.  It will be dry.  Some stoves cook different.

For icing:

3/4 stick oleo

2 squares of chocolate

1 pound of confectioners sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Cream as needed

Melt butter and chocolate together.  Add sugar and vanilla.   Cream well and spread.  It should be firm.  And spread good not runny.  

……….Esther

REMINDER:  THIS CAKE MUST BE CONSUMED WITH A GLASS OF COLD MILK SERVED FROM A CANNING JAR.   IT’S THE LAW.  

UPDATE:  On Monday, February 12, 2012, I shared this post on Facebook and Twitter again as a suggestion for a good chocolate dessert for Valentine’s Day.  Esther, who had been failing for quite sometime, passed away the very next day. Rest in peace, Esther.  You will be missed.  

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ABOUT JACKIE

I’m Jackie Garvin, the personality behind the blog. Syrup and Biscuits is a Southern food blog that champions the best the South has to offer: simple food with modern and vintage recipes, beloved traditions, a focus on family and bountiful gratitude for many blessings. We love company and we're mighty happy you joined us. Read more...

Comments

    • Steve N RuthAnn McQueeney says

      Good Day, Connie Bolick Lee.
      Me too.
      This cake recipe sounds so delish and it’s got my taste buds screaming at me to make this cake, lol.
      I am going to make this delicious cake asap.
      I have a question, I’ve never used oleo before and where do I need to look for oleo in the grocery store?
      I greatly appreciate any tips, advice and where to find the oleo.
      I thank You in advance for anything you can advise me on.
      Happy Baking!

  3. GINGER says

    Sounds wonderful!! I have my grandmothers pound cake recipe , that she use to cook almost weekly for everyone to enjoy. As much as I love my Mee Maw’s pound cake; Esther’s chocolate pound cake sounds dreamy ! I’m a self proclaimed chocoholic ! You best believe this pound cake recipe will be printed off and tucked into my recipe book, ingredients will be bought on grocery shopping day and Esther’s chocolate pound cake will grace our dinner table for Sunday dinner. No need to worry if we’ll drink out of a mason jar or not, as we drink out of them daily ..so the tradition will be upheld .
    Let me go look at that beautiful pound cake again…I really could go for a slice right now !!
    Ginger 🙂

    Reply

  5. Michele says

    Jackie, have I told you lately that I LOVE you?!?!? (I don’t think the <3 thang works here, right?) No doubt the reason your recipe posts always leave me with a lump in my throat is that you are an artist in the purest sense of the word. Great art, in any form, requires emotional honesty in order to make that essential CONNECTION with the intended reader/viewer/listener/etc. What a marvelous gift you have! I wanna write like you when I grow up! And cook too! And bake! (((hugs)))

    Reply

    • Jackie Garvin says

      Michele,

      You will never know just how much of a blessing you are to me and all the people around you. You have such a kind sweet spirit. For you to think I’m genuine is a compliment of the highest order for I know how true your heart is.

      I wish all the time the <3 thang worked here! That made me laugh.

      Thank you for making my day and giving me goosebumps.

      Love you bunches, girl!

  7. Carol says

    You mentioned icing the cake BEFORE and then you gave instructions for removing the cake from the pan (Esther’s instructions). Kind of seems to me like you should remove the cake from the pan and then proceed to ice. What do you think?

    Reply

    • Jackie Garvin says

      Carol,

      I transcribed the recipe just as Esther as written it. I did remove the cake from the pan before I iced it. 😉

      Thanks for stopping by!

    • Steve N RuthAnn McQueeney says

      Good Day, Connie Bolick Lee.
      Me too.
      This cake recipe sounds so delish and it’s got my taste buds screaming at me to make this cake, lol.
      I am going to make this delicious cake asap.
      I have a question, I’ve never used oleo before and where do I need to look for oleo in the grocery store?
      I greatly appreciate any tips, advice and where to find the oleo.
      I thank You in advance for anything you can advise me on.
      Happy Baking!

  8. Alicia English says

    this is great, I LOVE old family recipes!! I’d love to see the handwritten copy! I have old family recipes that are handwritten in with our “important papers” folder. I have typed them up long ago but there’s just something about seeing them in the handwriting of the person who gave them to you.

    Reply

  9. Jean says

    Oh that does look and sound so good…but really, is there a bad chocolate cake anywhere? Cold milk…..yes…jar….maybe!

    Reply

  11. Monica says

    I’m pretty new to baking so was wondering on this recipe where is calls for butter for the cake… What does oleo stand for??? Thanks for sharing a recipe from your family 🙂

    Reply

    • Jackie Garvin says

      Hi Monica,

      The cake batter calls for 1/2 pound of butter (2 sticks) or 3 sticks of oleo. Oleo is what we now call margarine. Don’t use margarine, use butter for better results. Let me know if I can help you with anything else. 🙂

    • Jackie Garvin says

      Kathy,

      If you’ve had good luck with pound cakes in cake pans, there’s no reason you can’t use the same pans for this recipe. The batter for pound cakes is so dense that a tube pan is necessary to cook the middle and outsides at the same time when the all the batter is baked in one pan.

  14. Melia says

    This sounds wonderful! I am a true chocoholic so this would be a perfect dessert for me…including the ice cold milk in the canning jar. 🙂
    Recipes passed down from generation to generation are so special. I’m sure you will treasure this one forever.

    Reply

  15. Cathy Riggs says

    As I often do when I read your recipastories, I started to crave, I laughed and I cried! My paternal Grandmother wrote recipes just like this only she usually left out an ingredient and we all had to guess what it was and how much! Thank you so much for sharing and please never stop “feeding” our tummies, minds and hearts!!!!

    Reply

  16. Linda Oliver says

    It’s people like you that make people like me keep my weight down. Lol….. But you know the remedy for that ? You bake this cake , you eat one slice ( with that coldddd milk ) then you give the rest of it away, with tears in your eyes. Can’t wait to cry. :))

    Reply

  17. Nicole W. says

    Thank you for sharing this with us! My husband has a sweet tooth, ok I’m lying…he has a mouth FULL of sweet teeth…& I just know he will LOVE this, I’m not good at making cookies but I sure can bake a cake 🙂 I’ll be back to let you know how it turned out! <3 so excited!

    Reply

  18. Mary Davis says

    I want to make this cake but I am not an expert cook and the time to bake it varies so much. I both an angel food cake pan and a bundt cake pan. My oven seems to bake well with othr things. So the 80 minutes should be ok? I have a young person who wants a chocolate birthday cake and this would be so good for that. I use my mom’s vintage cake pedestal for all the cakes I bake.

    Reply

  20. Lisa Santos says

    What kind of chocolate and how much? I really want to make this but I don’t know what kind or how much I would greatly appreciate it. A square of bakers chocolate or like a flat chocolate bar? Help and thank you for the delicious recipe

    Reply

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