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A moist poundcake packed with chocolate flavor surrounded by a tender crust. Adapted from Diana Woodall’s Elvis’ Favorite Poundcake recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2 sticks softened unsalted butter
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 3 cups sifted cake flour or 3 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup dutch cocoa powder (I used Droste brand cocoa powder)
• 7 large (or 6 extra large) eggs at room temp
• ¾ tsp kosher salt
• 3 cups granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (I used Buttery sweet dough by Lorann oils)
• 1 tsp almond extract (I used Almond emulsion by Lorann oils)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 8 oz chopped dark or semisweet chocolate (I used Ghirardelli Intense Dark 72%)

DO NOT PREHEAT OVEN.

• Butter and dust (2) 9×5 loaf pans with cocoa powder. Line bottom with parchment paper, leaving enough overhang to pull cakes out after baking. This recipe also works well for (1) 12 cup bundt or 10-inch tube pan.
• Sift flour and cocoa powder together in a large bowl. Whisk in salt. Set aside.
• Heat up the heavy cream in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer, but don’t boil. Pour the heated cream over the chopped chocolate and let sit for 3 minutes. Stir until smooth and shiny. Set aside.
• Beat together softened butter and sugar in an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until they are light and fluffy. Takes about 5 minutes at med-high speed.
• Add the eggs to butter/sugar mix 1 at a time, beating well after each egg.
• Add the extracts and oil. Mix well.
• Add half of the flour/cocoa/salt mix to the mixer. At this point, never put the mixer on anything higher than medium. Beat on low speed until just combined.
• Add all of the heavy cream/chocolate mix and mix on low speed until just combined.
• Add the rest of the flour/cocoa/salt mix and mix on low speed until just combined.
• Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then beat batter on low speed for 2-5 minutes. The batter should become creamy and velvety.
• Divide batter into the loaf pans and tap on a flat surface to burst any large air bubbles. Place on the middle rack of a cold oven and turn the temp to 350. Bake for 1 hour and 25 minutes or until the top is split and a tester or toothpick comes out with a few crumbs.
• Cool cakes in pan for 15 mins*. Remove cake from pans and cool completely on a serving rack.

*If using a bundt pan with a design, wait until cake is COMPLETELY cool before removing to avoid the crust sticking to the pan.